This two-part article series discusses the benefits of dental implants over traditional teeth replacement techniques: conventional bridges and removable dentures.

Welcome back to our two-part article series on the price for new teeth using dental implants as opposed to traditional teeth replacement techniques, such as conventional bridges and removable partial and full dentures. In our previous article post, we looked at the price patients REALLY pay when they opt to replace single missing teeth with bridges instead of implants. This included the frequent need for restoration and replacement every 10 to 12 years, whereas implants can last decades without the need for any repeat dental work and costs.

In this article, the second installment of the series, we shall now look at how dental implants can actually work out to be less expensive than removable dentures in the long run.

Reasons Removable Dentures Ultimately AREN’T Typically Cheaper Than Dental Implants

Removable dentures are bulky, plastic false teeth that are custom made to fit over the gums and soft palate. They rely on their bulk to prevent them from slipping around while you eat and speak, but this in itself becomes a major source of discomfort. They also need to be taken out for cleaning after meals and at nighttime to allow your gums a chance to breathe and heal.

Dental implants can be used to provide people who have lost most or all of their natural dentition with a complete set of brand new teeth that are non-removable and feel, look and function like natural teeth. There are a number of techniques that can be used to achieve fixed oral rehabilitation using dental implants, but the most popular one is known as the “All-On-4”. This protocol can provide candidates with brand new teeth in as little as a single day with a single surgical procedure.

So, how is it that removable dentures, which are a couple of hundred dollars, can work out to be more expensive than dental implants, which carry a price tag in the thousands of dollars? Are you aware of the true cost of dentures?

• Dentures deteriorate jawbone health: Because removable dentures only replace the crowns of your missing teeth, they fail to maintain the health of the underlying jawbone (as was discussed in Part 1 of this article series). Over time, your dentures will need to be refitted and replaced to accommodate the changing shape of your jawbone. This is a repeat expense that you will need to cover for as long as you wear false teeth. So, when it comes to the price for new teeth, it’s not just one pair of dentures you’ll be buying.

• Dentures can cost you your youthful appearance: The loss of bone volume in the jaw can cause one’s facial appearance to age and become sunken-in around the mouth. You simply cannot put a price tag on your youth and beauty!

• With time, many denture wearers end up needing implants! Eventually, a denture wearer will have lost so much bone volume in their jaw that not even dentures will be able to provide them with a viable teeth replacement solution. At this juncture, they will likely have to undergo bone grafting and then dental implant surgery. It makes so much more sense to simple opt for dental implant in the first place!

These three points are bad enough, but a life with removable dentures is one that requires a constant investment in associated products such as anesthetic gels to numb the pain caused by ill-fitting dentures and adhesive strips to help prevent them from moving around. So, if you are facing the need for brand new teeth, consider the true long-term cost you will be paying for inferior teeth replacement technologies and make the right choice.