DENTAL IMPLANTS:
ARE YOU LETTING FEAR AND COST BE AN EXCUSE?

For many patients, the loss of teeth is a cause of great concern and discomfort. It wasn’t until approximately 30 years ago the use of metal roots to replace missing teeth was first researched in Europe and finally approved and brought to Canada in the mid 1980”s. This has revolutionized dentistry.

Missing teeth can now be replaced with metal roots and natural looking crowns, bridges and dentures. Aesthetics have been dramatically improved. Loose, Ill-fitting or even painful full or partial dentures are a thing of the past. If dental implants are such a wonderful thing, then why aren’t more people getting them? Perhaps FEAR and COST are the biggest reasons and obstacles.

Unfortunately, most implant procedures required two surgical procedures. One to insert the implants within the bone and second procedure or operation to uncover the implants approximately 3-6 months later. There is a cost associated with each step or operation, as well as possibly some discomfort with each procedure, although usually minimal, but the patient had to have two operations.

There were few other alternatives. Following the surgical procedures, the restorative dentist could then proceed with the construction of the replacement tooth, bridge or denture. However, in most cases there had to be a waiting period of one to two months following the second operation consisting of exposure of the implant root, before the restorative dentist could complete his treatment.

Now there is a new advance in the use of dental implants called the “one stage implant”. A dental root is inserted into the bone but has a cap on it that sticks above the gum tissue. Therefore, as the bone is healing, the gum tissue is contouring itself so that a replacement tooth can be placed as soon as the bone is healed anywhere from three to six months.

In this manner, the patient avoids a second operation. The cost is decreased significantly because a second operation is not needed. In addition to this, one the bone is healed in the 3-6 month period of time, the healing cap is removed, impressions are taken and the final tooth placed into position right away. The one to two month delay after healing is completed is avoided as with the two stage procedure.

We realize that cost is a factor for most people. Dental insurance unfortunately usually doesn’t consider this a benefit. If you truly believe that dental implants are the best treatment for you, are you going to let your dental insurance company tell you that you can’t have implants? Since the dental insurance companies generally don’t pay for this procedure, don’t let the insurance company make this important decision for you. The insurance company doesn’t care how you look, what you can or cannot eat or how you feel. They are concerned with providing coverage for you as dictated only by your dental plan.

If payment is a problem, there are several payment options in my office as well as finance programs commercially available to you at a fixed favorable rate of interest. Because of the development of the one stage procedure, time of procedure, cost of treatment and surgical discomfort has been reduced dramatically. This new procedure certainly reduces the “fear and cost” of dental implants.

What are you waiting for? You have no excuses now.