This article series takes a look at the unrivalled benefits offered by dental implants as a tooth

replacement solution and how they constitute a much smarter investment in one’s smile longevity, health and beauty.

The Cost of Dental Implants: An Introduction

Following in the footsteps of your parents and grandparents can be a truly wonderful thing, but if it means adopting the same approach to the replacement of missing teeth, then perhaps it’s time you blazed a new trail! Removable dentures or false teeth, as they are colloquially known, have long been the solution to rampant tooth loss and edentulism (not having a single original adult tooth left). But with the conception of dental implant protocols capable of replacing a patients entire set of old, failing and/or missing teeth in as little as a single day, why opt for the lesser technology? In many cases, patients cite the cost of dental implants as the reason they have chosen removable dentures. But if you examine the fine print that comes with this archaic teeth

replacement technology, you will find that the cost of dental implants works out to be far less expensive, both financially and emotionally! The Cost of Dental Implants: The Price You Really Pay for Dentures What so many people don’t know about removable dentures is that they go hand-in-hand with a great number of crippling challenges and repeated expenses. They are the furthest thing from a one-time solution to edentulism and tooth loss, so opting for dentures over the

cost of dental implants – which is a one-time investment – is not quite as thrifty as you might think! Removable dentures require patients to constantly invest in anesthetic gels, due to the pain and discomfort they cause to the underlying soft tissues in the mouth. They also require adhesives in order to help keep them from shifting and slipping around. Once you add up the costs of these products over the years, in addition to cleaning agents, storage containers and other accessories, you have an inferior tooth replacement solution that well approaches the cost of dental implants. The Cost of Dental Implants versus Dentures: Bone Loss and the Need for Refitting But this is only the tip of the iceberg. Removable dentures do nothing to prevent the atrophy of the underlying jaw bone tissue; an inevitable consequence of tooth loss. As a result of bone volume loss and the subsequent changing of the jaw, dentures that once fit snugly become loose and begin to slip more. In certain cases, they can even fall out causing acute social embarrassment! So, every few years or so, patients are forced to have new dentures refitted, which is expensive, especially if you add up the costs over the years. And in spite of all these additional expenses, removable dentures do nothing to preserve a patient’s natural youthful facial contours (see picture below). The Cost of Dental Implants: A Worthwhile Investment So as you can see from this rather shocking account, the cost of dental implants is a far smarter investment to make. Not only does it afford patient’s a sophisticated and long term solution to edentulism, but also one that is functionally and aesthetically far superior to dentures. Dr. Wayne Brueggen has been placing dental implants for over 30 years, so for more information on what is involved in complete oral rehabilitation and the cost of dental implants, please refer to his Website.