Live Life Team
If you’ve lost one or more of your teeth and you’re finding it difficult to eat or are worrying about the way you look, a dental implant can make all the difference. it involves a simple, comparatively low risk procedure after which you will have an artificial tooth that looks just like your others and can do the same job. Although it used to take months to complete the procedure, many dentists now offer it on the same day that an unsalvageable tooth is extracted. The only major issue for most people is that dental implants can be expensive. Will getting an implant on the same day cost you more?
What are you paying for?
To understand how dental implant pricing works, it’s useful to think about what exactly you’re paying for. First of all, there’s the dentist’s fee, which varies a great deal. Since this procedure counts as surgery, it’s understandable that fees are high because dentists need to be highly qualified in order to be permitted to carry it out. Then there are assistants’ wages, the cost of materials and equipment and – optionally – insurance, which it is a very good idea to pay for if you want to be confident of avoiding spiraling costs if a problem should develop.
Because you have to meet some of these costs every time you receive treatment, getting a same day dental implant can actually save you money. This is because you’ll only need a single operation. It will take much less time overall and you won’t need as much anesthetic (usually local) or sedative in total as you would for two separate treatments.
Why it’s complicated
So, same day dental implants are cheaper, right? Usually, yes, but the big picture is a bit more complicated. That’s because the same day procedure has only a 70% success rate, as opposed to a 95% success rate otherwise. This is due to an increased risk of poor bone health (a common contributor to tooth loss in the first place) and the fact that there’s no opportunity for the screw that attaches the artificial tooth to the jaw to bond with the bone before having a tooth to support.
If your implant fails, you’re going to need further treatment, and even with insurance in place this is likely to add to you your overall costs. Be aware that it could add a substantial amount.
Making the right decision
Whether or not a same day implant is right for you is a decision you will have to make with your dentist. It will depend on your general health and knowing your past dental history will help your dentist to make a good decision. If you are generally healthy and have no history of problems with your bones, and if you have never taken medication that could weaken your jaw, the chances are that a same day dental implant will be recommended to save you time, trouble and money. If not then, despite the initial costs being higher, it might be in your best financial interest to wait and go through the procedure more slowly.
