Dr. Mike Malone’s Blog

I was planning on attending a presentation being held at the local senior center about Clear Choice, but I heard they have had a lot of consumer complaints. I am retired, and on a very tight budget. I do not want to even waste my time going to the presentation if this company is not on the up and up. Can you give me any insight as to whether or not Clear Choice is ethical?

Thanks for your time.

Russel in Cripple Creek

Dear Russel,

We cannot empirically state that all Clear Choice dental implant centers are unethical, though many of what seem to be standard practices for them are highly questionable. Every center is obviously different, with different staff members, and different strengths and weaknesses. The stories that are emerging from people who have had evaluations or attended seminars seem to indicate that salesmanship and marketing are heavily emphasized within the entire Clear Choice organization, and those two priorities make the risk of poor dental health care choices very high. We are especially concerned with the consistent reports of treatment plans that recommend that ALL teeth be removed as part of the treatment. This is almost NEVER a good idea. If you do get a treatment plan from a Clear Choice facility, I would strongly recommend getting a second opinion.

Our best advice to you would be to find a dentist in your area who has experience, training, and credentials in dental implantdentistry. Look for a general dentist or prosthodontist that has several years of experience. A fellowship or membership in the International College of Oral Implantologists or the American Academy of Implant Dentistry is also a good sign. This Detroit cosmetic dentist has impeccable credentials - this will give you some idea of what to look for in a dentist in your area.

I have porcelain fused to metal crowns on six of my top front teeth. What can be done to get rid of the the black line where the crowns meet my gums? It was not this bad when they were first placed but over the last two years it has really become noticeable. What are my options, from least expensive to most expensive?

Vienne from New Hampshire

Dear Vienne,

There really is not any inexpensive way to address this issue. The entire structure of your crowns is the problem. A dentist could try to drill away the black line and cover it over, but there is likely a serious color match issue between the roots of your natural teeth and the color of the veneers. Trying to blend those colors together in that tiny space would be incredibly difficult if not impossible, and the results would almost certainly be very unattractive.

Essentially, you have to options: live with the black line, or replace the porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns with all ceramic or all porcelain crowns. Be absolutely certain you chose a skilled, artistic, well-trained cosmetic dentist to do this procedure for you. I would hate to see you spend thousands of dollars to still be unhappy with the results.