Dental implants are a popular way of replacing teeth lost by trauma, extractions, or other oral health conditions. The surgery places metal, screw-like posts into your jaw to serve as a replacement tooth root.
After the posts have been placed, a second surgery is usually performed after an initial recovery period to put “caps” on the posts, completing the dental implant procedure. Dental implants offer many benefits to patients, including:
- Natural, comfortable fitting replacement teeth
- With proper care, a tooth implant can last a lifetime
- Dental implants generally have a higher success rate compared to other teeth replacement options
- Improved ability to speak, eat, and chew
- Preserves natural tooth tissue in adjacent teeth
- Improved self-esteem
While popular, dental implants can be expensive.
The average cost of dental implants in America is currently between $3,000 and $4,500 per tooth. The average full mouth dental implants cost is around $60,000 to $90,000.
Fortunately, it’s possible to get affordable dental implants in a few ways, including:
- If your insurance covers dental implants
- By having the implant surgery performed at dentist colleges or low-income clinics
- By applying for financial assistance through non-profit organizations that help low-income families afford dental care
Insurance doesn’t always provide coverage for implants. However, implants are sometimes covered if a missing tooth causes oral health problems, if implant surgery is performed to further the success of another covered dental service, or if a patient is missing multiple teeth.
Check with your insurance provider to learn more about dental implants coverage.
Once you’ve decided to get dental implants, it’s important to know what to expect for the surgery and healing time between procedures. Generally, getting implants involves multiple steps, including:
- The removal of a damaged tooth, also called an extraction
- Bone grafting, if necessary
- Implant placement
- Bone growth and healing
- Abutment placement
- Artificial tooth placement
Bone grafting is an additional surgical procedure that’s necessary for dental implants if your jaw bone is too soft or not thick enough for an implant to be successful. These procedures can be done in many different ways, including through a synthetic bone graft or a bone-substitute material.
Your dental surgeon will determine whether or not you need bone grafting during your implant consultation. All in all, obtaining dental implants may take several months, especially if you need a bone grafting procedure. Are you interested in finding affordable kids dental services?
Learn more about dentistry for children and ways you can reduce out-of-pocket costs on the next slide.
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