Dental Implants

I had an implant done with Dr. Pelcman approximately five years ago, I believe I paid about U$700 (implant only, no crown). Upon arrival in the US, my dentist was totally unable to find the manufacturer of the implant (needed to find the correct tool to screw on the abutment).

Dr. Pelcman mentioned at the time that a bone graft would be a good idea (but we were moving to the US in a few months). Now I am in need for a full extraction and replacement implant ($7,000 here in the US).

I contacted Dr. Pelcman's office again in order to get information on the implant, but they were "unable to locate my records" due an upgrade to software-based record keeping. TBD on whether this will make extraction of his implant more complicated.
 
Sam3g ...Bad news. If you needed a bone graft, seems Dr P. should have insisted on it - or if you said you didn't have time, the responsible thing would have been to have told you to get it done when you got to your destination.
WHY do you need a "full extraction"? Do you mean extraction of the implant? u$s 7,000 seems quite a lot even for the US. I was quoted u$s 2,150 for the implant and abutment in the US. I have no idea what the crown there costs. I don't think it could possibly be over u$s 2,000. Re record keeping: this sort of thing just happened to me here. It wasn't a big deal because the dentist had been given an oral report by another dentist however they couldn't find my records. If I have work done here I prefer to go to someone who is at the top of his profession, preferably who teaches at UBA.
 
I have been to Dr. Pelcman over the last week for a root canal. Finished yesterday and too early to give a verdict, but seems fine. The dentist is very good, the office is nice and helpful, so all-in-all a good place to go. Just to update of the prices because it seems to be a lot of talk about what costs what. All prices (I only asked for the ones related to my case) as quoted by Martin, who I guess is Dr. Pelcman's son.

Root canal $7000
Posts $8000
Crown USD$500
Filling $1800
Clean $700
 
The report above by sam3g is not encouraging.
I just paid u$s 1,100 for an implant here. I have to wait several months for the abutment and crown which are an additional expense. Implant is Swiss. Very well respected dentist. I will have a more complete opinion after all work has finished and some time has passed.
 
Sam3G,

If you can, I suggest you show Dr. Pelcman your mouth.

Having to wait 3 or 6 months for an implant surgery to heal before the crown can be made and placed on your implant is normal everywhere. Yes, this needs a second trip to BA or to whomever did the implant surgery when it's time to make and place a crown on that implant. You shouldn't leave the implant without a crown for more than one year because your bone will start to grow around the implant, eventually burying it! I wish you good fortune in solving your problem. Dental device distributors sell only what’s used by dentists in that country.



Over 6 years, Dr. Pelcman gave me 11 implants with crowns. He did several commercial bone 'grafts', other crowns, one sinus lift, root canals and he performed a bone-splitting procedure on me - a procedure which he began doing in the 1990’s in BA and which the American Dental Association didn't approve as acceptable in the US until the noughties. Hardly any North American dentist has even heard of this procedure to this day. I had it done for a row of 4 teeth. It was painless. I didn't even know Dr. Pelcman was doing it. He didn't charge me for this because he knew that he hadn't told me in advance that I would need this or what it would cost. He only learned that I needed this once he began the work.)

Dr. Pelcman was on call to fly to LA to solve difficult cases that a dental team there encounter and can’t solve. He qualified to practise in BA and in the US (NY and California). He has done over 30,000 implants.

Different countries use different implant systems, their own. An implant done in one can’t be paired with a crown used in another system. Methods used in North America, France, Brasil, Argentina and other places all differ from one another. The little research I found when I wanted to know which method was superior showed that they’re equally good. Part of the difference seems to me, a layman, to involve whether the implant screws into the crown or vice versa. But there’s more to it than that.

Dr. Pelcman always billed me for implant, abutment and crown in one fee.

Once, I knew when I went to Arg for implant surgery that I might not be able to return to BA at the time it would need a crown to be placed on it. I told Dr. Pelcman so by ‘phone from Canada. He said he’d make the crown for me a few days after the surgery. He did that and put it in my mouth for 5 minutes to lightly rest it while I touched my teeth together. He told me to remember how that felt. I showed the crown to my Canadian dentist who thought the crown was ugly trash. He agreed to put it in my mouth 3 months later but it disgusted him. When he put it in my mouth with no cement, he then left the room assuring me that my attempt would fail. He chuckled at how stupid some patients are. When he returned 15 minutes later, he couldn’t believe what he saw. The crown was seated perfectly and strongly. It needed no cement, no correction, absolutely nothing. He kept asking, “What did you do?! A crown can’t do that. You must have done something! Tell me.” Canadian dentists have never seen a hand-built crown in their lives. I explained that Dr. Pelcman has very highly skilled technicians who make each crown from scratch on his premises. He trained them. He really appreciates them. Until the mid-80’s, crowns were still hand-made in Europe too by its top dentists.
 
Sam3G,

If you can, I suggest you show Dr. Pelcman your mouth.

Having to wait 3 or 6 months for an implant surgery to heal before the crown can be made and placed on your implant is normal everywhere. Yes, this needs a second trip to BA or to whomever did the implant surgery when it's time to make and place a crown on that implant. You shouldn't leave the implant without a crown for more than one year because your bone will start to grow around the implant, eventually burying it! I wish you good fortune in solving your problem. Dental device distributors sell only what’s used by dentists in that country.



Over 6 years, Dr. Pelcman gave me 11 implants with crowns. He did several commercial bone 'grafts', other crowns, one sinus lift, root canals and he performed a bone-splitting procedure on me - a procedure which he began doing in the 1990’s in BA and which the American Dental Association didn't approve as acceptable in the US until the noughties. Hardly any North American dentist has even heard of this procedure to this day. I had it done for a row of 4 teeth. It was painless. I didn't even know Dr. Pelcman was doing it. He didn't charge me for this because he knew that he hadn't told me in advance that I would need this or what it would cost. He only learned that I needed this once he began the work.)

Dr. Pelcman was on call to fly to LA to solve difficult cases that a dental team there encounter and can’t solve. He qualified to practise in BA and in the US (NY and California). He has done over 30,000 implants.

Different countries use different implant systems, their own. An implant done in one can’t be paired with a crown used in another system. Methods used in North America, France, Brasil, Argentina and other places all differ from one another. The little research I found when I wanted to know which method was superior showed that they’re equally good. Part of the difference seems to me, a layman, to involve whether the implant screws into the crown or vice versa. But there’s more to it than that.

Dr. Pelcman always billed me for implant, abutment and crown in one fee.

Once, I knew when I went to Arg for implant surgery that I might not be able to return to BA at the time it would need a crown to be placed on it. I told Dr. Pelcman so by ‘phone from Canada. He said he’d make the crown for me a few days after the surgery. He did that and put it in my mouth for 5 minutes to lightly rest it while I touched my teeth together. He told me to remember how that felt. I showed the crown to my Canadian dentist who thought the crown was ugly trash. He agreed to put it in my mouth 3 months later but it disgusted him. When he put it in my mouth with no cement, he then left the room assuring me that my attempt would fail. He chuckled at how stupid some patients are. When he returned 15 minutes later, he couldn’t believe what he saw. The crown was seated perfectly and strongly. It needed no cement, no correction, absolutely nothing. He kept asking, “What did you do?! A crown can’t do that. You must have done something! Tell me.” Canadian dentists have never seen a hand-built crown in their lives. I explained that Dr. Pelcman has very highly skilled technicians who make each crown from scratch on his premises. He trained them. He really appreciates them. Until the mid-80’s, crowns were still hand-made in Europe too by its top dentists.
 
"Different countries use different implant systems, their own. An implant done in one can’t be paired with a crown used in another system. Methods used in North America, France, Brasil, Argentina and other places all differ from one another."

Sockhopper, my dentist here who teaches at UBA and another dental institute, assures me that the Swiss implant he inserted is universal and that a dentist in the US CAN do the crown there if necessary. I called my US dentist and told him what type of implant the dentist here used and he verified that he was familiar with it.
 
I can only praise Dr. Pelcman's work. I had a root canal done between the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017. Initially I went to my health insurance's dental emergency clinic because I had an infection, but I wasn't too convinced by that place. Extractions and implants prices were cheaper, but also the people sitting in the waiting room. So my decision to go to Dr. Pelcman was just because of gut's feeling and because he had been highly recommended on multiple occasions on this forum and I didn't want to risk the little bone I had left.
If there is something I am willing to go on the expensive side, that's dental health.

He gives appointments quickly (much quicker than with my health insurance providers) which is a big plus as nobody wants to live with a diseased or hurting mouth.
On the first visit, he asked me how long I was staying in Bs. As. I told him I live here.
He is used to deal with dental-tourists in Buenos Aires that he will fit your treatment plan around your schedule. Besides, as somebody says, every case is different and it is up to the professional to decide which treatment approach to use. He left my bone heal to implant on my healed bone. I suppose that he might opt for bone graft when time is an issue.

Always on the first visit, he x-rayed my tooth with a USB device. On the spot!!!! I was sitting in the same chair where the consultation was being carried out. At the dental clinic of my health provider they used the old X-ray machine which needed to be printed.

I had the extraction (I believe it was 700 or 800 pesos) and then the implant for $1,000 USD which included everything. Final price.
He even visited me for free when I had a doubt after everything was done. You can't tell I have a fake tooth. I am very please with the results and my experience has been very positive.

Dr. P. did the extraction (painless!), when his son Martin took charge and during the fitting and adjustment session I had a female dentist.

For me, the experience with Dr. P.'s office was very smooth. The man has golden hands and a big brain, his time is valuable and he knows how to get straight to the point. He won't keep you sitting in his waiting room just to overcharge your bill. The managerial aspect was a BIG plus for me, as I didn't want to waste my time going several times for nothing. They even call you in advance for a friendly reminder of your appointment. It was a neat work, very straightforward and the process was extremely clear. In Buenos Aires, this is NOT a given.
 
Chris,
That's a great development re Arg and the US.

Not sure it's a development. It's a matter of what kind of implant is used. In my case it's Swiss made and is known around the world. Someone else here commented that another dentist used a kind of implant (presumably made in Argentina) that is not known elsewhere, hence the crown cannot be done outside. When I had an implant done here over a decade ago the dentist used a European implant (forget where from) which he insisted was important as he didn't think those made here were as good.
 
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