New Teeth Now board-certified oral surgeons will perform upwards of 40 full-mouth dental implant surgeries per month. Because they are highly skilled and specialize in full mouth restorations, they are able to focus their attention and provide a level of quality and patient care unrivaled by other surgeons. It is this history of excellence that has brought so many new patients to us from out of state and even out of the country.
Recently, we had the opportunity to sit down with a patient who traveled a very long way for treatment. We are thrilled to now have him share with you just what to expect when seeking treatment at New Teeth Now as an out-of-state patient, and what it’s like to travel for dental implant surgery.
Alright, Rex. So, the first thing, do you mind introducing yourself?
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Hi, I’m Rex Rogers. I work for an oil company in the U.S. However, I’m logging in from Algeria, in North Africa, in the Sahara Desert.
What is your job title?
My job title is field manager. We have an oil field here in the desert and I’m the manager of the entire project.
I know you have a very different work schedule than most people. Can you describe your schedule for us?
Sure. I work a 28-day rotation, which means I’m in country here in North Africa for a month. Then I have a month off, 28 days at home. Really it equates to about 26, because of the travel days. It takes about two days travel each way. That eats into my off time. I’m from Louisiana. When I’m not home on the farm, I’m here in the desert.
Tell us a little bit about your struggles and your teeth.
Probably the last four or five years, I’ve noticed that my teeth were getting a bit brittle, and I’ve had some just break in the middle of a meal. I’ll have a chip off, or a crack that gets to be very painful.
I’ve been working in this atmosphere for 10 years. When I first started noticing the problem, I went to my dentist and we talked about a plan. I’ve actually got two individual implants on my molars on the bottom. That took me through another year, and then I had some more problems.
Probably about a year and a half ago, I broke a front tooth. I became a bit more self-conscious about it, because working internationally, I work with people from all over the world. I have video conferences with people from all over Europe, Africa, of course, and even in Asia. Appearance for me this was a big worry, getting to a point that I knew that I had to do something. Of course, being in this atmosphere, dental treatment and medical treatment, although we have medical, which is pretty good, the dental part of it—I was worried. Anyone that’s had an exposed nerve or dental problems and no relief for days will start to look for other options.
How did you find New Teeth Now in Lakeland, Florida?
In my job, when, when we have a problem, we research everything. I’ve been in the oil business for 35 years, and with the technology that we have now, even here in the desert, I’ve got Wi-Fi. So I use this opportunity, to do some research and educate myself on what was available—What’s out there? The newest technology?—just as I would if I had a problem here.
Using the Internet, which I’m not big on social media, but I do like to search and read whatever I can on new technology. I started searching for options for my teeth. It’s just like anything else you invest for your future, you plan for your future. I could see this becoming a problem. Maybe not immediately, but 2, 3, 4 years down the road. And then it may be too late.
I found New Teeth Now on the Internet and it was just a ton of information. I couldn’t believe that they were actually doing this. This is what I was hoping I would find. And the more I researched New Teeth Now, and the more I dug into the webinars, the patient testimonials and all of the process—I was sold! I mean, I knew right then that this is for me, even though it took me about another year to get to the point where I am now.
I really needed to act now, and I made the phone call and set up a consultation, and it was easy. Basically, a year of research, of knowledge, of searching your website, and reading up on your latest technology. And that’s what sold me. When I went in and talked to Dr. Kirkpatrick, it just sealed the deal. It really did.
Can you tell us about the consult experience when you came in? Did they answer your questions?
Yeah, absolutely. It really took about a half a day. I came in the previous day. I flew into Tampa, got a taxi and went to Lakeland. Beautiful area there. I stayed in the Hampton Inn there and it was a very nice area. I was really impressed. Ms. Debbie told me to be there at 7:30 in the morning, sharp. Actually, my Uber driver was a few minutes late, but she called me when I was a few minutes out to make sure that I was there.
It was a Monday morning. I went in and filled out—well actually, I had already filled out all the paperwork. She had sent that to me in a package to my home address. I filled everything out at home. And then when I got there, I just handed over the paperwork, all of that was done. So, from that point, we went in and we discussed a little bit about what we were going to do that day, which was the consultation.
They were going to do a scan of my mouth and my face to make sure that I had enough bone structure to receive the implants. And that, of course, took maybe 10 minutes. They loaded all of the images up on the computer. She talked me through what the process was in terms of the day of the surgery, and the first set of temporary implants. A week or 10 days later, a second temporary, and then some months later the permanent set. But that was all explained in the consultation.
We went over the prescription, the medication that I had filled prior to going in for the surgery. I’ll go in in probably another three weeks or so to do the surgery. But I’ve already got all my medications filled. I’ve got everything ready in a care package that was provided to me.
And then, we met with Dr. Kirkpatrick. He came in and reviewed the images that were scanned, and he went over everything with me from measuring the bone structure to how they’re going to put the implants in, and what they were seeing in terms of the problems that I was having. Because this procedure is not for everyone. And I just learned that you have to be a good candidate and you have to meet certain requirements.
And Dr. Kirkpatrick explained to me all of these requirements and found that I met probably about 90% of them. I didn’t have enough bone structure, I believe up in the, in this area here that they would have to go do that. I can’t name the new procedure that they’ll have to angle the implant to get more bone in there so that it will have something to adhere to.
So, we went over that and it really was a wealth of information. I learned so much, and it was so relaxed. I mean, it was just like talking to a friend, just two guys talking. That’s what it would amount to. And he made me feel real comfortable. And it’s a very nice, very clean facility you have there.
And then, I went up and I did the implant or the impressions. They brought me up to the second floor and they did the impressions. And again, that took maybe 15 to 20 minutes. They explained the whole procedure to me, what he was going to do, why they were doing it and to get that first set of temporary teeth already made so that the day of the surgery they’ll be able to put them in.
And it was that easy.
What are you most looking forward to?
Not surgery, to be honest. Nobody likes surgery. But I’m looking forward to getting a feeling of comfort so that when I come here I won’t have to worry that if I bite into something that it’s gonna break a tooth or that I’m going to be in pain for two weeks before I can get some kind of medical attention. And not only that, just to be comfortable with my smile and not be self-conscious about it.
Suppose there were someone from around the world or around the country who might have stumbled upon New Teeth Now for the first time. What would you want to say to that person?
That it’s really easy! I found it to be a very relaxed trip. They’re very accommodating in Lakeland where they’ve got all the facilities. They’ve got the hotels. They’ve got things to see if you’re going to be there for a couple of days. Travel shouldn’t be an excuse not to do this. For the benefit you’re going to gain from going to Lakeland, it’s worth it. It really is.
