Hi, I am sorry I can't remember your name...I need an implant. My dds wants to charge me $3,500. I asked him what the difference was between him and others who advertise for as low as $800., and he said "the material."
Then he said he had dds friends that do them for around $1,200. and they say theirs holds up fine.
I told him I could not pay $3,500. and could he please tell me the name of one of his dds friends. He said "no way, you'll have to use the phone book."
I have been his patient for about 10 years. Is it really all in the material? That is a pretty big gap.
Also, he says I have to have some mercury fillings replaced. I expressed my concern about the material being airborne, and he said "I'll use the dam." He said no special filters were necessary.
I am uneasy with this. Can you please give me your advice? Thank you.
Posted by Sophie1234 (Member # 26412) on :
I should have said "they say theirs holds up fine, but he states his material holds up the best."
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Doc Dave is his name... not sure if that is the right screen name. He hasn't been around here much for the past year. He may be back in time for Green Santas.
I think implants are as expensive as your DDS says. I've never heard of getting one for only $800.
As for the mercury fillings, I would find a biological dentist to remove them. That's what I did -- and then I went back to my regular dentist later.
--PS... get out your phone book!! Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Got it!!
It's "stymielymie" .. PM him -- maybe he'll see it.
Posted by glm1111 (Member # 16556) on :
I am in the process of getting a lot of dental work done and have been going to the dental school here. They charge about 1/2 of what a regular dentist cost.
I inquired about an implant and they said it would be around $1,000 for a Titanium implant. There are several dental schools in Southern and Northern California.
Just google Dental Schools California and they will come up. The dentist on lymenet is Doc Dave. Maybe he will see this and can advise you.
Gael
Posted by Sophie1234 (Member # 26412) on :
You are awsome. Thank you!
Posted by hadlyme (Member # 6364) on :
I have been in dentistry for over 24 yrs.
I would find another dentist and leave this guy as fast as you can. If he can't recommend someone in your price range of work, then he's not a professional.
You will find all sorts of price ranges. Materials do not make that much of a difference. His lab is probably the same lab as others so that's not it either.
I feel from what you state, that he is a bit arrogant and feels his service is worth a lot.
Word of mouth is the best way to find a good dentist. Somehow search for others that have had a good experience with their implants and go to that person.
A rubber dam will catch all things, and reg. evac systems really are just like any natural systems.... there really isn't any difference....even though they tell you there is.
I sell the stuff... it's all the same. Sorry to burst any bubbles there. I know all the manufactures that make the evac systems... nothing special for biological from regular. They call it and make it 'look' a bit different, but all the same. I have no reason to lie about this..... Posted by Sophie1234 (Member # 26412) on :
Hadlyme, your post is exactly what I was looking for, as far as the dds' attitude about the implant. I, too, felt like he wasn't looking out for my best interest.
He kept stating how bad it was to leave it w/o an inplant, but wouldn't help me when I said I couldn't afford his. 10 years I have been with him.
I will probably go ahead and let him remove my mercury; thank you for this info as well. Definately saves me a very long drive trying to get to the closest biological dds.
Thanks again. This kind of info is exactly what this board is for. (BTW, love your gov!)
Posted by gwb (Member # 7273) on :
I believe materials CAN make all the difference in the world. I can tell you from experience. I'll save the details for another post as I'm too tired to go into it for now, but a biological dentist (one who has a good reputation and comes highly recommended) can make ALL the difference in the world.
Lot's of great information on this website regarding biological dentist and various treatments. This dentist does muscle testing and is one of the best dentists I've ever been to. He cleaned out a horrible infection in my gums that developed from getting treatment from an incompetent dentist one week earlier. My gums were red, swollen and full of puss after getting poor dental treatment.
Dr. Behm had to go in and cut my gums open and scrape the infection out and put fifteen stitches in it. All is fine now, but had I not gotten treatment from Dr. Behm no telling what might have happened.
More to come later...
Gary
Posted by Haley (Member # 22008) on :
I've never heard of an implant for $1,200. I paid $4,500 for mine. Maybe the prices have gone down since I had mine. $3,500 seems about the norm for most implants.
Posted by chaps (Member # 25286) on :
I've been warned about implants. I was told that they only last about ten years, after which you can't replace it with anything because the bone has been compromised. They can also cause complications with the bone, which supposedly happens 20% of the time. If the bone was not cleaned properly when the tooth that was there was extracted, this pretty much eliminates the chance of a successful implant. The other question is, is titanium biologically compatible with everyone?
Posted by hadlyme (Member # 6364) on :
Please know that there are many different types of materials used now with implants.
They last many many years. Complications with bone rarely happen, and this is where a person needs to do their homework and find a Dr. that knows what he is doing. And there is bone material out there now in any shape and form. I actually sell different types of bone augmentation products with the company I'm with.
As with any MD or Any DR.... there are good dentists and then there are not so good dentists.
Some do it for the money, Some do it as they have a passion for it.
Google "dental implants"... you'll get a lot of info.
Posted by 17hens (Member # 23747) on :
[ 10-24-2010, 04:30 PM: Message edited by: 17hens ]
Posted by carly (Member # 14810) on :
sophie, I've spent a career as a dental hygienist and my input is this: both hadlyme and stymielymie/docdave give great advice.
Good luck to you.
Haley, yes they have come down in price, but I've never heard of an implant for 1200, either. You're in CA and I'm in NY. (?)
Gael, the Dental School idea can be a good one. Very time consuming, though.
Posted by lymednva (Member # 9098) on :
I agree about looking for another dentist. Last summer I went to a new dentist (mine had retired) because I had a broken molar.
This guy took x-rays and told me I needed a root canal followed by a crown. It was going to cost over $3000, which is a lot more than I really could spend.
So I asked my nephew, who has been practicing dentistry for over 35 years. He looked at the x-ray and told me he thought it only needed a crown.
So I checked around and found another well-rated dentist and went for a second opinion. I didn't tell him what I had been told before, just that I wanted another opinion.
He said almost verbatim what my nephew had said. I got the crown and all is fine.
There was no need for a root canal. My new dentist confirmed that after cleaning my teeth and taking new x-rays, following my getting the crown.
Posted by stymielymie (Member # 10044) on :
all implants now should be made with titanium some with hydroxyappatite crystals on them to help with bone growth around implant there are only 3-5 implant companies out there and they are all basically the same and cost the same to the doctor. the price your sometimes paying for is knowledge. if the implant is place in the wrong place or into the sinus it can cause major problems. correct protocol now is a cat scan of the mouth to check for bone in area of implant. prices for implant alone can be from $1500 to $4000 BUT THEY ARE THE SAME IMPLANT. then the price of the crown on top of the implant can run up to $2000 more. some dentists include the implant and crown in the price so you have to know what the $3500 is for. if it is for total completion it is well within the price for crown and implant together
docdave
Posted by lymie_in_md (Member # 14197) on :
The best way to get a dental referral is through a periodontist. They see the work of all the dentists, they know who the best ones are, and know it dispassionately.
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