Update on Clear Choice Dental Implants Centers

David,
Thanks for your question. I’ve continued to receive complaints about ClearChoice—I just haven’t been posting them. Thanks for pointing this out—I’ll post some and bring this subject up to date. The complaints have changed some. Where before, they were almost all about money and sales tactics, I have been getting more lately about clinical issues.

I don’t believe the business philosophy of Clear Choice has changed any. Of course, different locations are going to be different, but I have seen no indication of any change in their guiding philosophy, which includes the following elements: They generally employ very qualified surgeons and prosthodontists, they charge high prices, and they put a strong emphasis on sales with a tendency to use high-pressure sales tactics. Clinically, they have a strong preference for extracting all the teeth, often teeth that other dentists would consider savable. And then for a full mouth restoration, they will use the all-on-4 dental implants technique for pretty much everyone.

So my advice would be the same as it has been in the past: Get a second opinion. Don’t rely on what they tell you. In getting your second opinion, look for dentists who have credentials with the International Congress of Oral Implantologists and/or the American Board of Oral Implantology, which is associated with the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. After getting the second opinion, if you feel that Clear Choice is going to give you the best care, then go with them. But my guess would be that in most areas you would be able to find excellent care from highly qualified surgeons and prosthodontists for more down-to-earth fees. There are many more surgeons now doing all-on-4 dental implants and having excellent success with them. Plus there may be options for your case that Clear Choice didn’t share with you.

I have been contacted by a couple of patients who have had problems with their care. Not many, because I think they try to get very qualified dentists, but I have seen an uptick in clinical complaints from some locations in the last couple of years. But when there are problems, the patients seem fearful about saying anything. So I wonder if they have you sign papers which enable them to threaten you if you publicly voice any complaints. I had one individual who sent me his complaint, but before I could publish it he contacted me again, very fearful that he would experience retribution from Clear Choice, and he asked me to promise not to say anything about it. I had one recently who was emphatic about not using his name or location, lest he experience retribution. Maybe I’ll go ahead and publish that with those details removed to help bring this subject up to date.

Dr. Hall

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