My husband wears dentures. He is dreaming about implants. Last estimate was $36K.
We are shocked!
However I spoke with a doctor who suggested Karlovy Vary. He knows the clinique where you pay $500 for an implant with a crown included and it is done fast.
He said implants actually do not take so long to heal but the money dentists are charging in US they have to make us wait. Otherwise everyone will think they make $1000 per hour.
So to avoid a riot we kind of taken for a ride.

However we have to stay in Karlovy Vary for a while. 2 weeks probably in one visit and then in 6 month coming back again.

I want to ask IF I am not looking for best weather what is the cheapest way to get there and where to park for lodging?

Also if anyone had ever done dental work in there what is your take on it?

Thanks and good weekends.

Never! In Germany you'd pay about 1700€ per implant (For 3000€ you'd get two for the bridge) and you get and you can sue if you don't like it

You get what you pay for.

For a moment there I thought they were the other, Pamela Anderson-type of implants!

Dental prices in Ireland are also outrageous and there is some travelling to former eastern bloc countries for dental treatment. People also take the trip up to Belfast for the same. A dental clinic in Munich advertised for a while - www.the-munich-dental-clinic.com/

Personally I'd take the German option - we hear a lot of horror stories of people going to Hungary and the Czech Republic for dental work, only for it to horribly wrong (of course that could be Irish dentists just looking after their own business). I think you'd have more "comeback" if such were to happen in Germany.

I have a single dental implant and I don't think you know enough about this procedure and are getting pushy, unprofessional salestalk from this anonymous "doctor". It isn't true that they don't take long to heal, I have one and I know. That doesn't have anything to do with the money they charge in the US (or UK, etc.) versus the waiting. That doesn't make sense. I had to have followup appointments several times for six months, as I recall, or maybe even a bit after that up to a year, but I don't see the connection between those followup appointments and the fee. Good surgical dentistry is expensive in the US. I had a very very good oral surgeon, and I do think it was maybe $1500-$2000 (not sure, it was more than a bridge or crown). I healed okay, but there was some pain for months and it does take a long time to heal. There are set times between stages of the implant that can't be rushed for best results for bone integration, although I know there are quicker techniques now that some dentists use (I don't know their success rate compared to the longer approach). I actually didn't realize how long the healing would take when I got one. Now I didn't even have complications, but I know some people do and those can be nasty.

I suppose you are implying oral surgeons in the US deliberately make it last several appointments when it is unnecessary in order to charge $1500. Where are you getting this opinion, bunch of rubbish. It doesn't take as little time as you seem to think, either, while they are doing it. Also, the fees do not go just for labor, part is for the materials and tooth, of course.

$36K for a full mouth wouldn't surprise me given what one costs But it isn't a trivial operation, they are boring into your bones and the implants have to become integrated into your bones which takes a while. A full mouth restoration would be quite a major surgical procedure.

As for as the Czech Republic, could be fine dentists unless they are the ones convincing you how easy it is and in-and-out. I'd also want to know the materials of the implants and screws they are using. I would never go to a dentist for that myself, I don't think they are qualified to do it, it should be an oral surgeon. My dentist is very good but won't even do root canals or extractions, let alone implants -- he refers me to an oral surgeon.

If some dentist is convincing you this is a piece of cake in a short time for someone who is getting an entire mouth of implants, I wouldn't trust them at all. I wouldn't trust any dentist that is using the hard sell technique you are getting regarding cost, how easy and quick it is, etc., as it is unprofessional. Furthermore, no medical professional should be making promises regarding time and ease without examinations, Xrays, and other medical history, as that can really affect what kind of materials are to be used, and technique or even whether you may need bone or tissue grafts, or if your jawbone can even support them.

But how to get there -- depends where you are coming from. I think the bus is best from Prague, and is cheap. Other than that, I don't understand what you are asking about the cheapest way to get there. From where? If you have to fly, compare flight prices, that's all. Of course they will be cheaper in winter.

WOW! Thanks to you all. I am leery but the deal is that doctor who recommended is a dentist who does not work with implants. So he told me about his relative who went and had it done overseas. He is not pushing nor selling anything.

And btw there IS newer technologies now. It is much faster and it cost about 30% more. It is affective but does me no good because of the cost.

Also when I asked another dentist about rejection of the implants by tissue he told me he had not seen anything rejecting titan. I had heard about cases of rejection. So it is so hard to decide where to go and what to do.

Best weekend everyone.

I have read that Hungary (Budapest)is a popular place for cost-effective dental treatment compared to ther places in Europe and Britain, and many Hungarian tourist websites seem to advertise this fact as well.

I know nothing on the subject but you may like to investigate it (google) for comparison to cost and professional services elsewhere.

We stayed in Budapest recently at the Hotel Pest (very nice hotel) and saw a brochure for dental work in the lobby, along with all the tourist brochures. We were so intrigued we brought one home. The details, if you want to check it out, are:

www.dentours.hu
email [email protected]
there is also a phone and fax number

I have not used this company. It says the dentist is Dr Armin Farid and details costs as well, e.g. porcelain crown 170GBP, inlay 204GBP etc. Hope this helps.

Kay

You have to be careful with dental implants because your body can reject them. This happened to my step-father. If that is the case, you would have to go back to the Czech Republic to have them fixed or go on antibiotics. It is risky to have medical and dental treatment in a foreign country if things don't work out.

Thingorjus

I know, I know this is why I am asking to ger tons of opinions.
Why would that doctor of mine saying that no one rejecting titan.
Were implants made of another materials before titan and THEN maybe those were rejecting and now they aren't?
Do you think if implants installed abroad they will have to be fixed abroad? Why? What if the doctor who installed dies? Are you screwed then??

If I were to go overseas for dental work, which I would not do, I would go to Bumrungrad in Bangkok:



http://www.bumrungrad.com/overseas-m...al-Center.aspx

It's not really "dental work" like a little root canal -- it's surgery where they drill a titanium rod into your jawbone. New technology notwithstanding, going from no teeth to all toothy sounds a bit stressful. I guestion the dentist's assertions that "implants actually do not take so long to heal" and we are told that as a function of cost. I happen to know they can take months and months to heal.

Further, your dentist's relative had someone in the family to monitor his progress.

You should be on a health site asking about rejection rates, etc.

I have had 4 separate titanium implants. Each one cost roughly $4,000 including the crown. My periodontist (who was one of the first in the Houston area to do them) also insisted on a digital xray before the procedure to minimize the possibility of nerve damage.

After the first implant five or six years ago, I had to wait almost 6 months before the bone had sufficiently grown around the titanium rod before I could have the implant finished off with the crown. For the last one, completed a little over a year ago, I only had to wait about 3 months.

I don't know how you could do a whole mouth in such a short period of time. Maybe it's possible, but I certainly would want to know much more about the dental professional doing the surgery what recourse you have if there are any problems.

No reputable oral surgeon can provide an absolutely iron-clad cost estimate or recovery timeframe without examining the patient.

How do you plan to verify the surgeon's and clinic's credentials?

you haad best realize that the proceedure ofr implants supporting full dentures are different that for those supporting crowns. follow up is requiress and failure to do so can and will result in a high failure rate. neew denturees must be made or the old ones modified to be of any use. anyone getting this done without really understanding the process is assksisng for a dental and financial tragety

First $36,000 for a whole mouth is amazing - I'm about to have one done and it's going to be $4000 (and that's not a Park Avenue oral surgeon to the stars - just a good local clinician).

Second, having implants is not that simple. (Ask about the success rate - my doctor has above 99% - some have in the low 80% s.)

Third - as with everything in life, you get what you pay for.

And while a bargain sweater is nice I wouldn't want cut-rate teeth.

funny how 36,000 to replace a significant part of your face, sounds astronomical, yet people will "borrow" a 36000 dollar automobile (by way of a lease), pay hundreds of dollars per month, and insurance and upkeep on top of that....an think that is OK.

AND, when it is 3 or 4 years old, it is time to get rid of it and pay again.

EK

How about going to a U.S. dental school clinic (where the students practice on you)? Here's the website for the University of Southern California Dental School clinic:
http://www.usc.edu/patient_care/dentists/

Good point about the cost for the dental work versus the cost of a new car!

My relative had many implants done at once two years ago..here in NYC..and the procedure necessitated many visits to the dentist, lots of pain, and eating soft foods for months.

Fast does not always equal good.

Would you go there for heart or brain surgery? If not, I'd consider the same answer for implants. You get what you pay for, including recourse if anything goes wrong.

TeqNique, I don't have any teeth problems (fortunately) but I have had complications with surgeries in the past. I'm just curious; what would you do if, say, a few weeks after you return home your husband has complications and needs help? Would you hop on a plane and go all the way back to CR? Sure, someone could help you here but I think its always best to go back to the person who performed the operation. After the complications I've had after my surgeries, I wouldn't feel comfortable at all being so far away from my doctor. I understand wanting to save some money, but I don't think I would chance it. Just my .02.

Tracy