thirdtimesthemom

thirdtimesthemom t1_iu753h4 wrote

This is the basic process for a hybrid denture by appointment:

  1. Take pictures of the patient, ct scans/X-rays, and make impressions (like a mold) of the entire palate. They send this information to the lab to design the denture and other things necessary for the surgery
  2. In this woman’s case, she had extractions. Then they install the implants. They put in a temporary denture. The implants fuse to the bone and that can take several months (up to 6)
  3. New impressions are taken of the palate (because the teeth won’t be in the exact same place as before).
  4. The patient tries on the final denture to evaluate the fit (if it doesn’t fit right it can lead to jaw pain) if adjustments in appearance need to be made, it’s sent back to the lab, otherwise it’s installed.

So 2 impressions, a temporary denture, a final denture, surgery, installing titanium screws, labor costs all of those appointments including several staff members… regardless of the material used for the final denture, that’s $14,000 worth of services.

I mean I can see being upset over not getting the best material, but it’s far from a scam. Again, like I said above, the dentist was likely worried about potential damage the material would cause.

I feel bad for her because there was an obvious breakdown in communication. People are really really sensitive about their teeth.

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thirdtimesthemom t1_iu6sec7 wrote

  1. The source she gives to prove that acrylic is worse than zirconia is a sales page for zirconia bridges
  2. There’s no way she got 7 tooth extractions for free; it was either part of the $14,000 or came out of her insurance. The implants certainly weren’t free or covered by insurance.
  3. She complains about the time length of how long this procedure costs. That’s because implants are drilled into your jaw bone and take 6 months to fuse with the bone, otherwise the implants will fall out of your jaw. Then there is the time to make a mold for the denture, and the actual installation process
  4. She complains about the number of implants… but she doesn’t need 7 implants lol implants are just metal screws, she’s not replacing 7 teeth, she’s putting 4 screws in to permanently hold her denture in place, the dentures will have the fake 7 teeth
  5. They also might have only placed 4 implants if there was damage to the jaw. Cavities can infect jaw bone and lead to bone loss in the jaw. The same thing can happen if you have dentures, the bone will recede. she’s not paying to have more screws, she’s paying for the entire procedure from extraction to installing the denture
  6. The dentist might have chosen a weaker material like acrylic because it will have less wear on the actual implants themselves. Her jaw bone might be too weak to handle zirconia
  7. Acrylic can be easily restored from chipping and staining. Like stupid easy.

This lady is going to get sued lol

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