What do people hate, yet ultimately need throughout their lives? Quality dental care. I am in my early 40s, and the thought of losing teeth as I get older keeps me awake at night. Unless you brush your teeth multiple times a day and adopt an OCD-like compulsion for dental hygiene, tooth-loss is inevitable for most people, even if it is avoidable.
You should see your dentist once or twice a year. There is no reason at all not to take care of your teeth. Yet, business is very good for dentists, dental surgeons, and dental clinics. No need to take my word for it – the American dental consumables market is expected to make $400 billion by 2024. Dental consumables are all of the products that a dentist uses in their profession, such as fluoride, whiteners, sealant, and, titanium.
Titanium and other materials are commonly part of dental implant procedures. The cost of a dental implant procedure for a single tooth can be very expensive in terms of cost and healing time. Those costs increase exponentially if you need multiple dental implants. The cost of full mouth dental implants is akin to significant financial investments, like a down payment for a house or buying a luxury car.
If you are in the market for full mouth dental implants, you should know it’s a costly procedure. You need to have Mark Zuckerberg levels of money or one hell of a dental insurance policy to afford them. There are a few alternatives that may help you fill the same need. If you have an open mind, you may even be able to find a dentist who’ll do it for cheap, or even free.
Cost of Full Mouth Dental Implants
How much you pay for full mouth dental implants depends on the dentist, your insurance plan, the depth of difficulty in the procedure, and where you get the procedure. There are no one-size-fits-all metrics when it comes to full mouth dental implants. However, they usually cost between $1,000 to $2,000 per tooth. However, that is just an estimate. Depending on your circumstances, you might have to pay over $3,000 per tooth.
A complete full-mouth dental implant procedure might cost you anywhere from $30,000 to $90,000. Why? There are too many factors to list. For one thing, dental implant procedures require more than one procedure or office visit. A dental implant is a screw-like titanium implant that is screwed directly into your jawbone. It can take months for the implant to set properly as the jawbone heals and calcifies around one dental implant. Imagine undergoing this process and extended healing period multiple times for full mouth implants.
Then an abutment post, kind of like the top of the screw, is attached to the top of the implant. Then the crown, or artificial tooth, is screwed or cemented onto the abutment of the implant. Adults have 32 teeth, so you do the math. Also, you may require the services of a dentist, dental surgeon, anesthesiologist, and so on. Those costs add up. Believe me, this is the abridged version of the procedure. It is a lot more involved and complicated than I am describing.
Alternatives to Consider
Aside from dental insurance, which has expensive premiums, you can enroll in dental discount or group discount programs. Unfortunately, you can only choose from the dental professionals affiliated with such programs. And, the offered discounts may not offset costs much. Many people engage in dental tourism or traveling to other countries to get the same procedure for cheaper.
Do your research. Otherwise, you’ll get what you pay for. Also, considering that these procedures require multiple visits and extended healing periods, dental tourism will cost you just as much money anyway especially if you are unfortunate enough to be treated by an unskilled dentist. Undoing defective dental work will cost you much more in the long run.
One alternative that many people in need of full mouth dental implants overlook is dental schools. Aspiring dentists need to practice as much as possible. Contact a local dental school or one nearby, and volunteer to have work done on you for the sake of education. You might be able to get full dental implants at a significantly lower cost, or even free. It is also less risky than flying to a developing country to get quality dental work as cheaply as possible.
Read More
- Protect Your Teeth to Protect Your Wallet
- How Much Does Invisalign Cost? For Me, $1,050
- Would You Destroy An Entire Industry?
Allen Francis was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years with no money, no financial literacy, and no responsibility when he had money. To him, the phrase “personal finance,” contains the power that anyone has to grow their own wealth. Allen is an advocate of best personal financial practices including focusing on your needs instead of your wants, asking for help when you need it, saving and investing in your own small business.