How Dental Implants Are Easy On Your Pocketbook

By Richard Hughes, DDS, FACS

Due to the advances in modern medicine, nutrition and healthy lifestyles, people are living considerably longer than they use to.

Because tooth loss is directly related to age, an increasing number of adults are missing teeth.When an adult reaches the age of 65, he or she many times feels an investment in health is less appropriate.

A healthy 65 year old woman will live 23 more years 50 percent of the time and 29 more years 25 percent of the time. A healthy 65 year old male will live another 20 years 50 percent of the time and another 27 years 25 percent of the time. So from the above, one can see that an investment in their oral health is actually a better investment than a new automobile, that depreciates rapidly after purchase.

Dental implants are 97 percent successful over 10 years. Lets compare a single tooth replacement with a dental implant verses a three tooth cemented bridge. The estimated life span of a cemented bridge is 50 percent at 10 years.

Cavities are the most common cause of crown or bridge failure. 15 percent of the teeth anchoring (abutments) require root canal treatment. Failure of abutment teeth is eight percent to 12 percent at 10 years and 30 percent at 15 years. 80 percent of teeth adjacent to the sites of missing teeth are with no or minimal fillings.

The potential lifetime cost of a single crown replacement prior to dental implant treatment is at least $9,000 or more. The potential lifetime cost for a three unit fixed (cemented) bridge replacement is at least $19,300-$22,300.

The cost of a single implant, crown and abutment in Northern Virginia is $2,777-$5,000 or more. So one can see that dental implants are actually a cost effective way to replace missing teeth and maintain their oral health, function and esthetics.