This article explains how the more modern approaches to treating rampant tooth loss are able to undercut traditional dental implant techniques by tens of thousands of dollars.
Many New Jersey residents have avoided replacing missing teeth or have opted for more traditional technologies, such as partials or full removable dentures, because they are under the impression that dental implant treatment is simply prohibitively expensive. Well, with the innovation of newer, less expensive dental implant protocols, this simply isn’t the case any more! The cost of new teeth is not only inherently lower, but also with the help of the financing offered by most NJ dental implant practices, it’s affordable. Let’s take a look at how the “new kid on the block” – the “All-On-4®” dental implant technique – is changing smiles and bank balances.
The All-On-4 Compared with Traditional Dental Implant Protocols
You wouldn’t be incorrect in the assumption that having all of your teeth replaced with dental implants is incredibly expensive. It was. But in 1993, with the introduction of the more sophisticated All-On-4 technique for fixed oral rehabilitation, the cost of getting new teeth became substantially more affordable. Here’s how!
Fewer Implants Needed
Traditional dental implant procedures could require as many as 10 implants per jaw in order to give patients a full set of new teeth again. The All-On-4®, as the name suggests, only requires four (see image below).
Each implant represents an investment in the region of $2,000 to $3,000, so by cutting down on the number of implants required, the All-On-4® already affords patients massive savings on the cost of new teeth. But we’re only getting started…
Only One Surgery in Most Cases
In order to place as many as 10 implants per jaw (20 in total if you’re undergoing full mouth reconstruction), the dental implant surgeons who treat NJ patients would frequently recommend that they come in for a series of surgeries, rather than one very long and complex procedure. Primarily because most patients who need their teeth replaced no longer have enough bone to place 10, 8, or many times even 6 dental implants. So many patients are told they need bone grafting before they can have their implants. This not only adds additional expense, discomfort and recovery periods, it also significantly delays the time until you can have new implanted supported teeth!
The All-On-4, however, only requires that four implants be placed, which can quite easily be done in a single surgical session, strategically utilizing the bone that is maintained. This saves patients a decent chunk of change on all the repeat bills that would be associated with multiple surgeries, including anesthesia, the surgeon’s time, hospital stay, surgical equipment and resources, etc. And the results are amazing!
Typically, No Bone Grafting
Where many thousands of dollars are saved, however, is by the All-On-4’s ability to avoid the need for bone grafting surgery, which is highly invasive, painful and expensive. As stated, older dental implant protocols would frequently require more implants (so they thought) and hence bone grafting was often performed before a dental implant professional could even begin oral rehabilitation for a NJ patient.
This is because tooth loss and the diseases that cause it, i.e. gum disease, leads to the atrophy and destruction of the bone tissue necessary to support dental implants. But through the strategic placement and precise angulation of implants, the All-On-4 is almost always able to bypass bone grafting, saving patients a lengthy recovery period and the bill for a most unpleasant surgery.
A Final Note
For all these reasons, the All-On-4 technique comes with a much lesser price tag than traditional dental implant procedures and, better still, can give patients new teeth in as little as a single day! The direct and indirect savings are incredible and the outcomes: priceless.