I was a patient at one of the better dental clinics in Chiang Mai when a post for a damaged tooth broke. My dentist told me that another crown couldn't be installed and that I would have to get an implant: cost 89000 baht. That was a big jump over what they had charged before so I told him that I would be looking at other clinics. He warned me that cheaper places exist but they might be using inferior implants. A friend of mine recommended Grand Dent and Dr. Thongnard, who, according to a friend of mine, is apparently very eminent in the transplant field. He told me that a transplant would cost 60,000 and he would be using Straumann implants. Supposedly they're the best but whether or not that's the case as a Swiss company they aren't competing on price. Then he took a look at the tooth and judged that it could be saved and did just that. Cost of the procedure: 18000 baht. So depending on how you compute it I saved either 61000 baht or 42,000 baht. And not just that: the crowns he uses are the most advanced kind: no metal or porcelain. Either something called emax or zirconium depending on the location of the crown.

Dr. Thongnard's English is excellent and he's happy to explain exactly what he's doing and why he's doing it. In fact, I didn't even have to ask him; he volunteered the information.

which was the clinic you went first?

 

I see on web an implant for 29,000 by Granddent, but it doesn't specify the brand. It's probably a Korean brand and the price is for a ceramic or mixed cap and not all zirconia. I had several Osstems at 35,000 9 nears ago but they were 50,000 with zirconia caps. Recently made appointment for Neobiotech implants (Korean like Osstem) zirconia caps 39,000 which I think cannot be beat. I doubt they aren't as good as Osstem which have lasted me nine years without any trouble at all, saved my life. DentalExcellence by LERTS at Sri Phoom corner Chiang Mai, AC is a little cold, bathroom upstairs. 

I got 6 Osstem implants including zirconia crowns done over in Vietnam for around 25,000thb each

 

Thailand has gotten too expensive for major dentistry imo

I've had 5 Osstem implants at Dental4U over the past 15 years. All good. Can't imagine how Straumann would be better. 

I had two Osstem, 55,000 each, zirconia crowns, no trouble so far, fingers crossed. Most upscale clinics in Bangkok will recomend Straumann, though Osstem is more affordable and thus has a large market share in Asia. My dentist told me implant technology is off patent so the brand doesn't matter that much. I don't know how true that is.

Yep, dental treatment here is unnerving.

 

I was in CM as well. A reputable place wanted to redo a bunch of fillings they thought were leaking, another place says it's just discoloration, not decay.

 

I ended up deciding what to do on my own, which is not ideal since I'm not a dentist.