Dr. Alan Meltzer DMD- Dental Implants Clinical Professor and Devout Fraud Artist Internet

 An abatement is a legal term. The word you’re looking for is "abutment.” You say you didn’t get a "casting” for the abutment, but that’s only for what are called "custom abutments” where a mold is taken and a lab makes it. Some dentists use abutments that come in a kit, so there is no need for an impression. The fees all seem normal, except for the "torque test,” which is baloney. You torque the abutment, custom or prefab, with a torque wrench to the specifications of the implant company right before you cement in or screw in the crown.

There’s no "torque test” appointment, and the $650 sounds ridiculous as it is part of the process. There’s no separate visit for that, and it may very well be that this appointment was made solely to get you in the door so they could charge you more money. Are you sure the $650 was a separate charge and not the cost of the abutment? $650 sounds about right for the abutment itself, though that also seems high for the prefab abutment. A custom abutment is cast in gold by the lab which is expensive, but I’ve only done custom abutments and don’t know much about the prefab ones.

Implant ads can be deceptive; l see ads on the road exclaiming "dental implants $299!!” But that’s not the only charge. It’s almost like a bait and switch ad. The implant surgery typically costs $1800 by the oral surgeon. Then the typical costs from the dentist are about $650 for a custom abutment and about $1200 for the crown. I’m not sure what you can get for $350, but the lab bill is way higher than that so it makes no sense. So the total fee including the oral surgeon is about $3600/implant. It would have been nice if they would’ve gone through all that with you first, so you could make an informed decision. That torque fee really has me scratching my head!

This is a follow up to my original report of Dr. Meltzer ripping me off for 650.00 for a Torque test that was totally just a plan to rip me off. First off half of all dentists don't even do torque tests for implant progress, just follow up X-rays. Dr. James Vito a Prosthodontist and Periodontiest in Wayne ,Pa doesn't use Torque test for his implant progress, just X-rays. Of the doctor's that do torque tests they are follow up for implants at no charge to the patient or their choice over an x-ray, for their follow up policy.I have since gotten in touch with the Voorhees Police,Sgt. Hamburg, who informed me the police could detain a patient for information purposes but would not arrest any patients for surprise charges that were not paid. In the future I will be walking out on Doctor's with rediculous charges and forgo trying to be honest and forth right, and causing myself all this aggrivation.Dr. Meltzer's policies,procedures,false warranties are not on paper purposely so he has plenty of room to play with you and your money. Be forwarned!

As a matter of fact my original Implant from Dr. Meltzer was angulated and mesial or too closse to the tooth in front of it,to which Dr.Meltzer commented it was Perfect, Perfect, Perfect, what a pathologial liar,deciever,an autistic prevaricator.He is more than a liar he is what you would call mentally ill.If you do get an implant have your surgeon use a surgical guide and if he doen't want to find someone who will. Because any mistakes are truly yours for ever and just a statistic to the surgeon, who really cares???