The Cosmetic Dentistry Blog

It’s been almost two weeks since I posted my request to hear from any patient of Clear Choice Dental Implants Centers who received a treatment plan that was not “extract all remaining teeth and do all-on-four dental implants.” Since then, I haven’t heard of any different treatment plan, but I have received two more e-mails from people who have had that same treatment plan. The two were from different states, and both reported what I would call high-pressure sales tactics to get them to sign on to the treatment plan.

So I’m still waiting. Has anyone been a patient or prospective patient at a Clear Choice Dental Implants Center and received a different treatment plan? Or is everyone given the same plan – take out all of the remaining teeth and do all-on-four implant-retained dentures?

- Dr. Hall

I got an e-mail from Dr. Niznick, who is President of Implant Direct, LLC, and is a prominent implant dentist in California. I told him about an e-mail I had just received from a prospective patient of the Clear Choice Dental Implant Center in Denver who had been quoted a fee of $44,000 if she paid up front, for a set of dentures and four implants per arch using the all-on-four technique. I asked him if he had ever heard of Clear Choice giving a different treatment plan than extracting all remaining teeth and doing all-on-four dental implants. He did not answer the treatment plan question directly, though he seemed to imply an answer. And he added a comment about the fees. Here’s what he wrote:

“When all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. All-on-4 can lead to None-on-3. This is just as bad as the dentists putting in nothing but 2.3mmD mini-implants because that is all they know. At my prices, they could do All-on-12 for the same price.” (Dr. Gerald Niznick)

And here’s what I say about their fees:
All-on-four is a shortcut treatment. It is intended to keep the number of dental implants at a minimum and to avoid bone grafting. It strikes me that Clear Choice fees appear to be competitive with what other dentists would charge for more extensive treatment of the same case, because other dentists would be placing more implants and would be doing bone grafting. But their fees seem to be very high for what they are doing. Most implant dentists charge their fees per implant, so fewer implants mean less cost. That doesn’t seem to be the case at Clear Choice.
- Dr. Hall

Related links:
Read more about Clear Choice costs.

A comment I received this morning from a dentist in California prompts me to ask for information about treatment plans created by Clear Choice Dental Implant Centers.

Every treatment plan I have heard of to date from them has been the same: extraction of all remaining teeth, and the placement of all-on-four dental implants. In some cases, these patients have sought second opinions from other dentists who have told them they have teeth that can be saved and don’t need to be extracted. The dentist who e-mailed me this morning reported on a lecture by a Dr. Steve Parel at November’s annual meeting of the American College of Prosthodontics in San Diego. This lecture gave this dentist reason to believe that Clear Choice does the all-on-four technique even in cases where there is enough bone for conventionally placed implants.

So my question is this: Do Clear Choice Dental Implant Centers ever propose any other treatment plan? Or does everyone get full-mouth extractions and all-on-four dental implants? I would really like to know. Please contact me and let me know what your treatment plan was. Click here for the form where you can send me your Clear Choice comments, and indicate on that form what your treatment plan was.

And then one patient relayed to me that they told him the extractions were free. It occurs to me that they may have this policy to soften their resistance to extracting all the remaining teeth. That policy doesn’t sit well with me.

Dr. Hall

I am considering Clear Choice Dental. They quoted me $42,000 for on four implants for top and bottom. Is this too much to pay for that and are they reputable?
- Saundra from California

Saundra,
I am recommending that anyone who goes to Clear Choice Dental Implant Centers get a second opinion. It is seeming to me that everyone who goes there gets the same basic treatment plan, and I am getting quite suspicious. Absolutely everyone who has shared their experiences with me gives me the same treatment plan – extract all of the remaining teeth, whether they are healthy or not, and do all-on-four dental implants. I haven’t heard of a single instance where a dentist at Clear Choice has indicated any desire to save any natural teeth. Some of these people have gone to other dentists who have then told them that some of their teeth could be saved. Now I haven’t seen these patients myself, so I’m not in a position to evaluate who is right. But I am very suspicious.

So I will recommend that to you – find an implant dentist with strong credentials (membership in the International College of Oral Implantologists or American Academy of Oral Implantology – preferably either a fellow of the ICOI or board certified by the American Board of Oral Implantology, or a graduate of the Misch Institute). If you have to pay for the second opinion, it will be well worth it.

I have actually started a section in the mynewsmile.com website dedicated to patient complaints about Clear Choice, because I have been getting a number of them. Their lawyers tried to get me to be quiet about them, but I’m not the type who is easily intimidated, so I’ve been posting the complaints.

Here’s the link to that. You may want to read that:
Clear Choice Complaints

As to the cost – $42,000 does seem a little pricey to me for eight dental implants and two dentures, which is what they’re doing. The all-on-four technique is one that is a short cut that tries to avoid any bone grafting, so it seems to me there should be a lower fee for that. It is also a controversial technique among implant dentists. Many implant dentists feel that those cases won’t hold up well over time.

And I have a rule I suggest to everyone seeking a second opinion. Make sure it is a BLIND second opinion – in other words, don’t give any clues to the second dentist as to what the first dentist said or what kind of an answer you are looking for until they have given their recommendations.

Good luck,
Dr. Hall

My initial experience was pleasant from the viewpoint of personal interaction with the staff. However, although I was told that I was an “Ideal” candidate for their procedure, I was unable to obtain financing for the $54,700 that was the quoted cost for full upper and lower implants. Understand that I had already had all my teeth extracted more than a year prior to my visit to ClearChoice Dental Implant Center. I has assumed that part of the cost of dental implants involved required extractions and that the price should be considerable lower. I was informed that there is no charge for the extractions as they are included in the procedure itself. Sounds very much like a ripoff/scam to me. Particularly when, about 18 months prior to my visit, I had consulted another dental facility that specializes in dental implants and was told it would cost about $27,000, including the 18 extractions that would have been necessary, at that time. Of course, ClearChoice did not leave me alone and after 8 months, they solicited me attending a seminar with the intent “showing me the benefits”, as if I were not already well aware of this. Since I was unable and unwilling to attend their seminar, I was convinced to return to the office for a follow-up, with the promise that they could “significantly” lower the cost of my treatment. At that meeting, I find that I’d been conned. They had simply wanted to resubmit me to a different creditor to arrange financing for the full $54,700 that I had been previously quoted. While I realize that titanium is a somewhat expensive metal and is used for the mounting hardware of permanent dental implants, it is not so costly as to explain $54,000. And since dental insurance sees implants as a cosmetic procedure rather than one of restoration of proper eating function and normal speaking ability, full dental implants will remain available only to the affluent and those with perfect credit and no fear of unemployment. ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers charges what they do simply because there is nothing to stop them from charging such outrageous prices. Here is what ClearChoice states is the cost of replacing just a single tooth: “A single implant, including imaging, treatment planning, surgery, lab work and tooth placement generally will cost between $4000 and $9000. The fee varies based on the treatment required as well as the location of the tooth.” There is absolutely NO justification for such a fee structure, much less the wide range of potential cost for a single tooth replacement. Dental implants are the best medical choice for anyone needed to replace all upper and or lower teeth but so long as ClearChoice has it priced out of the range of the vast majority, permanent dental implants will NEVER become mainstream and supercede existing denture technology. I will never recommend ClearChoice to an enemy, let alone a friend. They are a shiny example of EXACTLY what is wrong with American medicine.
- Shawn

Shawn,
I’m just posting your comment unedited. I think it speaks for itself.

Clear Choice spent a fortune on huge newspaper ads touting their 1 day service which was not true as I thought. They also spent a fortune on a posh Marriott Hotel banquet room giving hundreds of people a very expensive cocktail party including beer, wine, other mixed drinks, plus a huge array of food. Next they gave an hour speech about how all kinds of people had their teeth done in a day. They would not quote prices or costs, though. I went to the offices (in St. Louis)  for an interview with a very inept Marketing Business major who could not get the xray machine to work. She came back after a visit with a dentist we never even got to meet and said I needed all my teeth pulled and it would take much longer than 1 day, plus the cost would be close to $60,000 and that was the minimum he would do for me. What a big, hideous joke.
- Carol from Missouri

Carol,
Thanks for the information. I have heard from several sources of this type of treatment plan being given out at Clear Choice, and it’s beginning to look like this is typical for them. I am highly suspicious. I would not believe that all your teeth need to be pulled just because they said so.

I think you’re smart to get a second opinion.
- Dr. Hall

Dr. Hall
It appears my wife needs completely new upper and lower arches. Assuming that’s true, how can I determine the best implant provider in the Chicago area? We have been to Clear Choice and Your Implant Solutions. They seem more interested in getting a commitment. Have you heard anything about A Center for Dental Implants (ACDI) and their affiliation with Resource 1?
- Jim in Chicago

Jim,

I have heard some patient experiences with Clear Choice Dental Implant Centers that make me very wary of them. I don’t know anything about Your Implant Solutions. But I do know this. When dentists try to push people into treatment, offer specials if you start right away, or use any kind of salesmanship tactics, it is very low class. I would not trust any dentist affiliated with an organization that uses any kind of pressure sales technique. I have heard of several such experiences patients have had with Clear Choice. So I would trust your instincts in not wanting to go to either of those places.

I don’t know anything about A Center for Dental Implants, either. I don’t trust large, impersonal dental clinics in general. I don’t know if that’s what they are. Pick the dentist, is my advice.

As far as dental implant providers in the Chicago area, I know an excellent one, and that is Dr. William Cohen of Glenview. He is highly ethical and will present all your options without any pressure of any kind. When I lived in Iowa, I drove to Chicago for my dental care and he was the one who did my dentistry. He has a website, so you can Google him. He has a surgeon in the office who does the implant surgery, and he does the restorative part.

Dr. Hall

Dr. Hall

I have had over $50K dental work the past 25 yrs. Porcelain Bridges, crowns, etc. I have gotten comments for years about my beautiful teeth and smile. I am replacing with full lower & upper implants. 4 implants holding top and 4 on the bottom. I have financed the upper at $25K and keep postponing the surgery for fear of implants looking fake and not working properly. I must obtain remainder of $$ to have bottom surgery at same time. Somehow, the Dr. I met did not sit well with me.

Is it reasonable to expect the implants to look real, even though they will not be porcelain? May I expect to keep my mouth clean after the permanent implants? I floss my bridges, etc a couple times a day and assume this will keep the implants clean as well?

They misled me in the beginning to believe the entire process would be 6 months. After the second visit, I realized I should assume 1 year for full recovery. When questioned, the Dr. insinuated I misunderstood. Now trust is an issue. Thanks for your help.
-Linda from Georgia

Linda,
Everything may be on the up-and-up with this dentist and the Clear Choice center, but I’m suspicious, and I would suggest getting a second opinion.

If you haven’t had the surgery yet, you’re entitled to get your money back. You have that right.

I have heard stories that the Clear Choice Dental Implants Centers tend to want to push this “All on Four” technique. Is that what is being proposed for you? Which would mean they are suggesting that you have all your natural teeth extracted. Is that something they have also told you?

A couple of days ago I got a threatening letter from lawyers representing Clear Choice, who basically are demanding that I not try to solicit comments like yours from people who have been to Clear Choice centers. This also makes me question their ethics. So trust is an issue with me with these people as well.  So maybe you need all your teeth extracted, maybe you don’t. My advice is to play it safe and get another opinion.

Trust is very important in health care, and if you have come to not trust this dentist, I think it’s time for you to look around for another.

About your other questions: Yes, it is reasonable for you to expect your implant-supported teeth to look perfectly natural. And as far as cleaning, that depends on how the dental implants are done. You should ask specific questions about how you keep them clean afterward. It’s important to keep them clean for them to last long.

Dr. Hall

We have two reports now where Clear Choice Dental Implants Centers appear to be using intimidation to silence complaints. This information was received from Dr. Arthur Chal in Phoenix and Dr. William Cohen in Chicago in early September.

These dentists had received patient complaints about Clear Choice and had posted those on their websites, along with responses to those complaints. Subsequently, they received threatening letters from attorneys representing Clear Choice alleging trademark infringement.

I believe that Clear Choice and their attorneys know full well that such claims of trademark infringement are bogus. Trademark law specifically allows for the use of a competitor’s trademark in comparative advertising or for the purposes of news commentary or criticism. I also believe they know that many dentists will simply agree to their illegal demands to avoid a possible legal battle, and that this will silence criticism.

I am very disappointed in this action by Clear Choice Dental Implants Centers. When I first heard of their operation, my opinion was that they probably operated high quality treatment facilities backed by a strong marketing program. Reports I have been hearing recently, however, are giving me the impression that they have some questionable ethics. We have this legal bullying tactic, which I associate with enterprises that feel they can’t stand reasonable scrutiny. I have also heard a couple of unsettling reports of patients being pressured into tooth extraction or expensive dental implants treatment when there are other options that would be better for the patient.

Accordingly, I have posted a form for Clear Choice complaints. If you have had a bad experience at a Clear Choice Dental Implants Center, please let us hear from you.

I’ll post more on this later and on regular pages of our website in the dental implants section.