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What You Need to Know About Teeth Implants

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Thanks to recent advances in dental technology, it's possible for dentists to create close replicas of teeth that can be implanted into a patients mouth. The cost of teeth implants will vary depending on where they are done and how many teeth are being replaced. There are numerous benefits of getting implants, but the procedure has a long recovery time. Read on to learn more about teeth implants.

What's Involved

Once you and your dental surgeon have discussed this option, make sure to talk to your physician before scheduling the surgery. Those that suffer from diabetes, for example, might want to avoid this surgery as they tend to have a higher implant failure rate.

There are also health risks and dangers that are associated with tooth implants that patients should be made aware of before going into surgery. These risks include infection, injury to surrounding areas, nerve damage and possibly sinus problems if the implant is being placed in the upper jaw and protrudes into a sinus cavity.

Implants are essentially titanium posts that are surgically placed into either the upper or lower jawbone replacing the root of the missing tooth. A customized dental crown, bridge or set of dentures is then attached to the dental implant leaving you with natural stable feeling teeth. Because the jawbone is growing around the implant to help hold it into place, the mouth may feel extremely sore for several months post-surgery. Directly after the surgery, your surgeon may prescribe pain medication and recommend you to eat soft food for a while. There may also be minor bleeding and swelling of the gums and face.

Costs

The cost of a single tooth implant may turn people off right away as the price can reach up to $5,000 for one single tooth. There are more affordable implants that are around $1,000 but may not have the longevity of the more expensive implants.

While the price often includes the initial consultation and surgery, on top of the price there may be additional charges such as the abutment, which connects the dental implant to the replacement tooth and also the tooth itself which can be anywhere from $500-3,000. Make sure to talk to your surgeon ahead of time to have a clear idea of the costs involved. Once you have a number, talk to your dental insurance company and see what type of coverage they offer.

Dentures

If there are quite a few teeth that need to be replaced, a full mouth supported set of dentures might be the best option. The cost ranges from $7,000-90,000 with the average being around $34,000. During the surgery, the surgeon replaces all of your teeth which might involve removing some of the ones that are still intact, prior to the implanting. Inevitably this will increase the overall price.

Benefits

The cost may seem rather high, but unlike dentures, bridges or replacements which often need maintenance or replacements over the years, these implants tend to last a lifetime if they are properly taken care of. They won't slip or shift around in the mouth making it easier to talk and eat more naturally.

While it may be tempting to just ignore the gap where your teeth are missing, your jawbone may actually start to shrink and the other teeth will start moving around affecting the way you speak and chew, making it important to remedy the issue if possible.