Should I let Clear Choice extract all my teeth?

June 16, 2010 – 7:09 pm

I had a disturbing appointment with a clinician at the Clear Choice clinic in Salt Lake City.

I wear an upper bridge, which is anchored by two dental implants I had placed by my former dentist (he retired). I was thinking I needed at most two more implants with crowns to cover my missing teeth (seven in all). But when I tried to explain to them what I wanted, the clinician quite literally waved my opinion aside. I started to explain, and she cut me off and waved her hand as if to indicate that my opinion had no value, and said, curtly, “We will need to just extract your remaining upper teeth to go forward with our treatment plan.” And then the push was on to schedule surgery.

The more I think about it, the more upset it makes me. She was so condescending! She did not care at all to hear what I had to say about my own treatment.

I went to Clear Choice because they have a reputation for being the best, but now I am starting to think that they just have the best marketing department. The two implants I have and the bridge cost me over seven thousand dollars. Clear Choice didn’t care at all about working with me for my individual situation. All they wanted to do was get everything out of the way and do it their way, regardless of the expense, or of what I wanted.

Dylan in Cheyenne, Wyoming

Dear Dylan,

Sadly, your story is not uncommon. I’ve had many patients tell me that they came away from an appointment with a Clear Choice clinic feeling like they were not being offered any choices at all.

Each patient, each situation is unique. One-size-fits-all dentistry is never the answer. I hope you will seek a second opinion for your additional dental implants. Did your former dentist leave a referral list, or have a partner? That might be a great place to start. Be very careful that you choose a dentist who is fully trained and experienced with dental implants. Of all dentistry procedures, dental implants have perhaps the most potential to go seriously awry if not performed by a qualified expert.

Good luck to you.