14Feb

DENTAL IMPLANTS: How to avoid being scammed?

There is an easy way to recognize if a clinic is after your cash and not your health benefit.

Let’s face it! Too many dental clinics are led by their financial interest rather than your health benefit. This is in fact the latest official warning of the British government heading for medical tourism in Turkey after 22 confirmed death cases. However this happens not only in Turkey but everywhere, so beware!

The biggest risk for you is if you get implants without the need or medical justification for your case. The major health risks include implant rejection, infections, damage to surrounding teeth or nerves, sinus problems, and gum recession. These will come along with the financial and time loss, suffering and likely missing the only chance to ever have implants. So, how do you recognize the scam upfront? Easy!

1. Any promises for an implant treatment based on an X-ray, rather than a 3D CBCT scan is a SCAM!

There is one simple rule in dental implantology – NO BONE – NO IMPLANT! In fact this is the reality in 50% of the patient cases. And the X-ray is worth almost NOTHING when proving if there is enough bone. There is a clear position statement from the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (AAOMR) “that CBCT is the imaging method of choice for gaining the assessment of all dental implant sites”.
So, in short, any clinic that offers/promises you implant treatment based on a simple X-ray will very likely not follow the right protocol and you will end up losing your money but more importantly health issues will follow shortly.

2. You get a “bone grafting” offer upfront without a CBCT scan

This is usually used as an “addon” bonus to clinics to compensate them for the low price they quote you upfront.
Bone grafting is the procedure of adding bone to places where it lacks. Bone grafting is a standard surgical procedure and although its success is generally high, there are never guarantees it will eventually work out. It takes 6-12 months before you find out the result. The cost of the procedure usually varies according to the amount used. As it is difficult to control the actual manipulation, you will have to trust the surgeon on this.
Remember from the above point that the 3D scan is the one and only test that gives a 100% clarity on how thick and dense your jawbone is – only with a 3D scan the surgeon can make an objective decision where exactly and what type of implant to place, everything else is just shooting in the dark.

3. You are not offered guided surgery

While this by itself is not necessarily a scam, the lack of guided surgery can be a sign that the clinic is using outdated protocols and your health benefits are not their number one priority. Guided surgery is the proven technique for implantation which guarantees accuracy, faster recovery and most importantly long-term success. It requires special surgeon skills, advanced dental lab and expensive tools.

Related article:
What does quality mean in full-arch restoration?

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Kris Aleksander
Dental Treatment Consultant
UK Tel. +44 7488 428593
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kris@sofiaimplantcentre.com