When it comes to oral health care, one of the biggest limitations for many patients is the budget. Although they may want a full mouth of implants, $30,000 might not be lying around to pay for it.
Yet, perhaps, dentures are a bad choice because they flop around too much in their mouths. Finding that happy medium, such as a pair of snap-in dentures that are anchored onto four implants, can mean the difference between $5,000 and $30,000.
And when it comes to cosmetic dentistry, it isn’t always easy to find a dental plan that will cover any part of it. Because cosmetic dentistry is essentially carried out for aesthetic reasons, insurers may be hard-pressed to cough up the cash.
One of the chief benefits offered by cosmetic dentistry offices is financing. You can make low monthly payments and afford a lot more work than you had previously thought. Let’s consider some of the procedures below.
Dental Implants
Dental implants are the best treatment that you can ever receive for missing or severely damaged teeth. Dental implants are anchored into the jaw and permanent. They look and feel a lot like your original teeth. After a while, you won’t be able to tell the difference.
The only key difference is that dental implants are less flexible. Your natural teeth are anchored into the jaw with ligaments that flex a tiny bit. The titanium posts that are anchored into your jawbone when you have dental implants implanted is more stable.
Dental implants generally cost $1,000 or more. This is because they involve bone grafting and bone density tests.
There is a lot of education, training, and specialized equipment needed to perform the procedures. The 3D scanning technology that is now used for many dental procedures ensures a perfect bite because the tooth can be fabricated to exact specifications and micro-tolerances.
If money is no object, dental implants are a permanent solution for tooth loss or severe damage. According to Dr. Marc Lazare, expert of dental implants in New York, dental implants have a high success rate and rarely run into complications unless you have trouble healing from uncontrolled diabetes or a few other ailments.
Ceramic Inlays
Ceramic inlays are an excellent choice if you qualify for them. Many people need ceramic inlays if they have severe damage to a tooth but do not need a root canal. These inlays are usually used to replace large amalgam fillings.
They are, likewise, generated by computer scanning technology and sculpted to fit your mouth, just like the original tooth. The bite will be perfect and solid. They will also act and feel just like your real tooth enamel. You will still feel hot and cold, pressure, and even pain if your teeth are injured.
These are less expensive than implants. Because they are installed on your teeth in the same manner as a large filling, there is less extensive work involved. The bulk of the labor is in drilling down the tooth to prepare it for the new inlay.
And many wonder why dentists drill down teeth. This is not an arbitrary process. The tooth may have enamel material that seems solid but is actually porous and very weak. If this is not fully removed, bacteria will rapidly multiply and destroy the tooth, even if it is filled.
Root Canals, Bridges, and Crowns
When teeth are severely damaged, your dentist may recommend a root canal or bridge. A root canal procedure is necessary to restore teeth if it is impossible to drill out the decay without drilling into the pulp chamber of the tooth.
There are limited instances when the pulp chamber can be compromised and corrected with a pulp cap.
As a general rule of thumb, the pulp caps are only successful when the breach is relatively small compared to the overall size of the tooth and quickly repaired. The pulp chamber holds all the blood vessels and nerves, which can die if they are exposed to foreign pathogens. Although it is possible to perform a pulp cap and an inlay, most patients will receive a root canal instead.
And if there is a missing tooth adjacent to the tooth where the root canal is being performed, the dentist may recommend a bridge. The bridge will fill in the missing gap with a fake tooth and anchor onto the teeth adjacent to it.
The bridge and crowns are often made of porcelain or metal. They can be custom molded to have the bite of real teeth or may just provide a general biting surface.
A root canal can be almost as expensive as a dental implant. However, it is about the only solution for someone who wants to save severely damaged teeth or teeth that have infected roots.
The dentist has to use very small files to polish and clean all the material out of the roots. He also has to rinse the tooth with a solution of sodium hypochlorite. Sodium hypochlorite is also used to coat the exposed pulp when a pulp cap is performed because it speeds up healing and disinfects the area.
Tooth Extraction
The only other procedure available for severely damaged teeth is a tooth extraction. Extracting the tooth is usually a lot cheaper than trying to save it. Root canals can be spaced out over several visits because the cleaning must be thorough to ensure success.
When you choose to have the tooth extracted, it can be completed within an hour or less. Most dentists cut the teeth out and then stitch the holes to reduce the chances of a dry socket. A dry socket occurs when the gum tissue doesn’t heal properly after an extraction, and the jawbone is left exposed.
Conclusion
There are numerous procedures available for any budget. You also have the choice between veneers and dentures instead of getting braces or having other work done to save or replace teeth.
These fixes don’t have to be permanent. You can choose to finance top-of-the-line treatments or reduce your debt obligations by choosing a cheaper procedure for now. See what Doctor Marc Lazare can do for you today by scheduling an appointment and reviewing your options.
