How to Save Money on Dental Implants – Get it Done in Mexico –
by Mark Shapiro
How does your smile look? Not so good? Are your bridges failing or your teeth becoming loose? Are you already missing teeth? Has your regular dentist or periodontist recommended that you consider getting dental implants?
That happens to lots of people as they get older especially if they have periodontal disease. Many are on the edge of losing all of their teeth. This means either get used to wearing uncomfortable dentures or deciding to get implants.
The decision to get dental implants can be confusing however. Even though all dental professionals may agree the patient needs dental implants, each dentist, oral surgeon or periodontist has their own treatment approach. Some prefer to do a whole set of dental implants while others recommend just doing two or three implants and then using those new teeth as a base for a bridge. In addition, there is a lot of debate regarding “Immediate Loading” or installing a temporary bridge so that the patient has “teeth” right after the dental implant surgery instead of using dentures for six to eight months until the implants heal.
Unfortunately most dental insurance policies do not cover dental implants. This is beginning to change but what this means for most people, is that they end up paying for the procedures out of their own pocket.
So where can you get affordable quality dental work done that is reliable, safe and hygienic? You may have heard the term “Dental Tourism”? Many foreign countries offer dental work at prices far below those costs offered in the US.
Depending on where you live in the US, a good option is getting your work done in Mexico. You can either drive or fly and make it a dental vacation. In cities all along the border, Mexican dentists offer their services. Because overhead and labor costs are much lower in Mexico, it is possible for a Mexican dental professional to offer costs that are 40-60% lower than in the US.
The level of education, training and experience varies among dentists who perform dental implants. Even if you need a basic dental implant treatment, you need to do your research and find a competent Implant Dentist. Be aware that you get what you pay for The cheapest work is often not the best. You should find a dental professional who specializes in dental implants.
But what about quality and experience?
According to Dr. Alvarez-Carrera of the Dental Implants Center (www.dental-implants-center.com) in Tijuana, Mexico, “It is important to ask a lot of questions about the training and experience of the doctor who is actually doing the work.”
You need to ask:
What type of training did you get? Formal 3 year specialty, or just weekend seminars?
How long have you been doing implants?
How many implants have you done?
How often do you place or restore implants?
What is your success rate?
Thousands of dental professionals on both sides of the border are now jumping on the dental implant bandwagon as a way to bolster their office’s income. However, they are not required to complete much training. In fact, many dentists (in the US as well as in Mexico and other countries) may have only completed a weekend seminar offered by an implant product manufacturer. That’s all they need to do implants. They do not need any serious training, additional certification or professional education.
However, this is a highly technical and sensitive surgical and prosthetic treatment which requires a high level of expertise.
There are risks for dental implants if not done correctly. These include local and systemic infection, nerve injury and the possibly that there might be inadvertent perforation of the nasal sinus. These can be serious life threatening complications.
Dr Alvarez-Carrera explained that he has been doing implants for 25 years- from the early days of Implant technology. He has successfully completed treatments on thousands of implant patients with over a 99% success rate. That’s very good.. He graduated from a formal postgraduate 3 year specialty training in Oral Implantology at the Dental School at Loma Linda University in California and is currently an Assistant Professor there, teaching new dental professionals how to correctly do implants.
As part of my initial research, I checked some of the dental industry blogs and was amazed by how many dentists there were who were having problems with implants due to lack of proper training. You might want to check a few of these out so you can ask educated questions.
To prevent something going wrong or to avoid experiencing serious complications, patients should only use a dental implant specialist with years of experience and extensive training and certification. Also, if possible, check their credentials and talk to a few happy patients.
If you are considering dental implants, you need to find someone with surgical and prosthetic implant experience – especially if you have severe periodontal disease or if you need multiple implants.
For more information about dental work and dental implants, check out Dr. Alvarez-Carrera of the Dental Implants Center (www.dental-implants-center.com). You can call them at (619) 202-0233 or toll free at 1(888)287-9169, or E-mail: [emailprotected] .
You can also follow Dr. Alvarez-Carrera at FaceBook and at YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/dentalimplantscenter
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