Obliterating the Misconceptions About Tooth Implant Costs in Houston, PART 3

This four-part article series explains, through looking at the differences between the various teeth replacement technologies available, why dental implants are the most cost effective option.

Dental implants are widely regarded to be the most sophisticated and long-term solution to single and multiple missing teeth. They promote the health of the jawbone and don’t typically damage the neighboring hard and soft tissues in the mouth. Functionally and aesthetically, they are unrivalled. And yet, more people opt for inferior tooth replacement technologies, such as dental bridges and removable full or partial dentures than those who choose dental implants. The reason for this is because most patients perceive the tooth implant cost in Houston to be prohibitively expensive, when in fact this just isn’t the case.

In our previous two article posts, we dedicated some time to describing what dental implants, dental bridges and dentures are and how the latter two just cannot compare in terms of long term benefits. In this article, the third of the series, we shall take a closer look at the sophisticated “All on 4” dental implant protocol and how it undercuts the cost of traditional dental implant procedures by tens of thousands of dollars.

About the “All on 4” Protocol

The “All on 4” is a dental implant protocol that was developed in the early 1990’s by European implantologist Dr. Paulo Malo. It has since gone on to gain immense popularity due to the many benefits it offers as a teeth replacement solution over and above traditional dental implant procedures and archaic technologies, such as removable partial and full dentures.

The “All on 4” (see image above) involves the placement of four dental implants in the upper and/or lower jaw, which are in turn used to provide strong support for a fixed and non-removable customized prosthetic dental bridge. This bridge, unlike dentures, is slim in construction, cannot be removed and is cleaned and maintained like regular teeth. The “All on 4” is the closest thing to having a complete set of natural teeth patients can get.

Naturally, however, the “All on 4” dental implant cost in Houston is a major concern for patients who can’t justify the expense when cheaper options are available. What they don’t take into account is that these cheaper options come with a whole host of repeat expenses and crippling challenges that not only add up immensely in the long run, but can also can do irreparable damage to one’s oral health.

For example, atrophy of the jawbone - a result of tooth loss left untreated - lays waste to the natural youthful contours of your face. Since dentures do nothing to promote good jawbone health, the consequence for patients, one of many, is premature aging. This kind of damage is not only extremely difficult and expensive to repair, but in many cases, cannot be repaired at all.

Unlike traditional dental implant techniques, which require as many as 10 implants per jaw, multiple surgeries and bone grafting, the “All on 4” only requires:

• Four dental implants per jaw
• A single surgery
• Typically, no bone grafting

For straight-forward cases, this represents an average savings of $25,000. In cases of advanced jaw bone loss, the cost of “All on 4” dental implants in Houston can undercut traditional techniques of fixed oral rehabilitation by a truly astounding $45,000.

Stay Tuned for Part 4

In the fourth and final article installment of this series, we shall provide conclusions on the cost of dental implants and why this technology is such an important investment to make in your good oral health and overall quality of life.

Obliterating the Misconceptions about Dental Implants Cost in Houston, PART 2

This four-part article series explains, through looking at the differences between the various tooth replacement technologies available, why dental implants are the most cost effective option.

Welcome back to our four-part article series on the dental implants cost in Houston. In our previous article installments, we described what dental implants are and the various benefits they offer. We then took a look at dental bridges, which are a cheaper and inferior alternative for the replacement of single missing teeth. Those who have lost most or all of their teeth can either opt to cover the cost of “All on 4” dental implants, which offers a fixed and non-removable replacement solution, or traditional removable dentures.

Teeth Replacement Alternatives to Dental Implants, Continued

Removable dentures (above) are bulky devices that resemble a complete set of teeth mounted in pink plastic gums. They rest on the patient’s gums and depend up their mass and adhesive strips to remain stable in the mouth. While you may spend a few hundred dollars having dentures fitted as opposed to a few thousand on dental implants, you’re also signing up for the following:

• Sore, inflamed gums
• A reduced bite function
• The inability to manage tough foods
• Chronic halitosis, otherwise known as “denture breath”
• Taste impediment
• Triggered gag reflex
• The need to take your dentures out after meals and at nighttime for cleaning
• Acute oral discomfort
• Dentures that slip around and can fall out
• Unnatural smile aesthetics
• Low self-esteem and poor confidence

While the discrepancy between the cost of dental implants and dentures may compel more patients to opt for the latter, the difference in quality of life afforded simply cannot be compared. Dental implants feel, function and look like natural teeth. Dentures do not.

In addition to this, dentures incur certain repeat expenses that, in the long run, can actually add up to more than the All on 4 cost, which is the advanced dental implant protocol used to treat edentulism (the state of having lost all of one’s natural teeth). These expenses include adhesives, soaking solutions, anesthetic gels and the need to have dentures refitted periodically as a result of bone loss in the jaw.

Dental Implant Costs in Houston: Cost Effectiveness and Quality

Now that we’ve examined the various options patients needing new teeth face, let’s take a look at the following analogy.

You have a good and reliable car, but one day, it gets totaled in an accident. For some reason, you don’t have insurance, so now you need to buy yourself a new mode of transport. You could spend the thousands of dollars necessary to buy a new car, or you could spend a few hundred dollars on a bicycle. Obviously, you bite the bullet and buy a car. Why? Because a car is a far more sophisticated way of getting from A to B. You can travel long distances out of the onslaught of the elements and while listening to music or the radio. You can also safely transport yourself and your family wherever it is they need to go. There’s no question about the benefits of using a car as opposed to the bicycle.

Well then... why are your teeth any different?

You could spend a few hundred dollars on an inferior teeth replacement technology, but the toll these take on your health, quality of life and even bank account exponentially exceeds the short-term expense of having them fitted. Dental implants really are the way to go!

Stay Tuned for Part 3

In our next article installment, we shall focus on the cost of the “All on 4” protocol and how it undercuts traditional dental implant techniques by thousands of dollars.

Obliterating the Misconceptions About “All on 4” Implant Costs in Houston, PART 1

This four-part article series explains, through looking at the differences between the various tooth replacement technologies available, why dental implants are the most cost effective option.

There is a general and widespread impression amongst American society that dental implants are prohibitively expensive and that only the upper economic echelons can afford them. If replacing one missing tooth will put a substantial dent in your bank account, then treating rampant tooth loss and edentulism (the state of being toothless) or near-edentulism is simply impossible, unless you land a five or six figure monthly paycheck.

Well, this simply isn’t the case and in this four part article series, we shall be explaining why fixed oral rehabilitation with dental implants is actually far more cost effective in both the short and long term. Throughout the course of this series, we shall be emphasizing the importance of value in terms of quality of life in addition to the money low cost dental implants procedures, such as the “All on 4,” save patients.

First, however, let’s take a look at what dental implants are and why the various tooth replacement alternatives fail to surpass them.

What are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are fixed and non-removable devices that are used to replace missing teeth. They consist of a durable ceramic crown supported by an artificial tooth root, which is fabricated from medical grade titanium metal. This makes them exceptionally strong and able to support a natural bite force. It also makes dental implants immune to rust or corrosion, which is an important characteristic to have if it is to spend many decades in the perpetually moist and acidic environment of the mouth.

Once a dental implant is placed, the surrounding bone tissue in the jaw actually bonds with the surface of the titanium root, essentially making the replacement tooth a part of your body. Dental implants restore full bite function, promote the health of the underlying jawbone, can last many decades without the need for restoration and additional expense and are virtually indistinguishable from any natural tooth.

In short, dental implants are the most sophisticated and comprehensive solution to missing teeth modern medical science has to offer patients. However, owing to the materials, resources and expertise that go into their fabrication and surgical placement, they are not inexpensive. But before you dismiss the expense required to replace a missing tooth or teeth with dental implants, consider the alternatives.

Alternative Teeth Replacement Devices

During the course of investigating your alternatives, you come across dental bridges, which can be used to replace single missing teeth. Bridges can seem attractive at first and why not? As long as you get that conspicuous gap filled and at a lesser cost, you can’t see how you’re short-changing yourself. In fact, it may seem to be the better deal.

It’s not. Here’s why:

• Dental bridges require two perfectly healthy teeth on either side of the missing tooth to be completely ground down in order to support the replacement tooth.

• The bridge itself lasts about 10 years before it needs restoration or replacement.

• The supporting teeth are extremely susceptible to decay.

• The bridge only replaces the visible portion of the missing tooth, the crown. Because it doesn’t replace the root, the underlying jawbone atrophies from disuse and wastes away, causing long-term stability problems for the neighboring teeth.

Then, for the replacement of a whole arch of missing teeth, there are removable dentures... but we’ll delve into that next week.

Stay Tuned for Part 2

We’re far from done. In this article, we looked at what dental implants are as well as some of the alternative tooth replacement technologies that are available. In part 2 of this series, we’ll examine dentures and their shortcomings before tying everything together and comparing the costs and expenses of these various technologies. You will come to see that the all on 4 costs in Houston is in fact far more favorable.