REMOVABLE PROSTHODONTICS

COMPLETE DENTURES

The fabrication of complete dentures is becoming a lost art in the UK - the orphan of modern dentistry. The construction and fitting of a complete set of dentures is arguably the most challenging task that a dentist encounters in his or her practice. So much so that a great many dentists eventually throw in the towel and cease trying to make dentures. This is a great pity for the patient and the profession as good denture prosthetics remains an essential service for those unable to afford dental implants or those without sufficent bone in their jaws for implants.

Competence in the fabrication of dentures is essential to the success of implant dentures. The same problems with aesthetics and phonetics occur with implant dentures. Most social occasions revolve around a dinner table. People with ill-fitting dentures often shun such events as they are embarrassed at being unable to eat many foods and self-conscious about being stared at ...

PROFESSIONAL FEES

Initial Consultation    

The preliminary consultation usually lasts 45 minutes. This involves listening to the patient's case history and treatment objectives, review of any pre-existing radiographs, study casts and prosthesis, a cursory oral examination and providing professional advice. The fee is 100 pounds sterling. TMD consultations are £150.         

Little Known Facts about UK Private Dental Fees

Most people accept that the fees for dentistry provided by a specialist with several years of post-graduate training will be higher than that of a general dentist with a basic dental degree. The fees can be 50 to 100% higher depending on the University attended, the quality and length of the residency training program. It is not generally known however that the specialist will normally spent 50 to 100% more time on each procedure to achieve superior results in terms of precision, aesthetics and durability.

Dental fees are comprised of the dentist's fee, the laboratory fee and the implant component cost. It is a little known fact that the laboratory cost can vary as much as 10 times and the implant component costs by a similar amount.

Dr. Wright's laboratory cost, for example, for a ceramic crown will be around £500. This is approximately double the cost of that of the best laboratories in the UK but this is is what it will cost to have a world-class ceramist make your crowns and veneers. A growing number of dentists are now sending their laboratory work to high volume laboratories in China, India or Mexico where a ceramic crown may be made for as little as £50. Many dentists advertise that they send their laboratory work to California. A growing number of these American mass production labs sub-contract those cases to dental labs just south of the border in Mexico or to China.

The component cost for the best dental implants, like those used by Dr. Wright, can be as much as £600 per unit. The component cost for the average proprietory brand of implants is around £300. It is a little known fact that there are about a thousand implant companies throughout the world making clones of the leading implant designs and selling their implants for as little as £50. There is rarely any real scientific research behind those products and the machining and quality control is often poor.

When price comparison shopping for private dentistry, it is wise to enquire about the cost of the laboratory charges and implant components and not just about credentials alone.

There are certainly "one-time" savings to be made by going abroad for extensive dentistry. When it comes to Dental Tourism, be sensible about where you choose to go. It is unrealistic to think that you can ever receive first world dentistry, infection control and professional service in a third world country.