Strategies for Keeping Dental Implant Costs Down

Dental implants are the best tooth replacement option available. They are basically like getting your natural teeth back because they look and function like your natural teeth and don’t require any special maintenance. As long as you treat them right, they can last for a lifetime , too.

The only problem is: that kind of quality procedure don’t come cheap, and for some people dental implants might seem like they can get too expensive. Over time, though, they are a better bargain than other tooth replacement options, especially once you factor in the quality of life and extra health benefits. And there are ways you can help make dental implants more affordable.

Act Now

The longer you wait, the more expensive your dental implant procedure is likely to be. That’s because once your teeth are lost, your body begins to remove bone from that area. If too much bone is removed, you will require a bone graft to support your dental implant.

And waiting to pull a failing tooth won’t necessarily help, either. An infected tooth or infected gums can also damage your bones.

This is definitely one case where dental financing can actually decrease the costs of your procedure. Getting a loan lets you have your procedure sooner, which can make it less expensive.

Give Up Bad Habits

Your dental implant procedure will be most expensive if you have to pay for it a second time. To try to minimize this risk, you should give up habits that can lead to dental implant failure, such as cigarette smoking or other oral tobacco use. Biting your fingernails and using your teeth as tools are also damaging to your dental implants.

Buff up Your Oral Hygiene

And while we’re on the subject of protecting against implant failure, oral hygiene is one of your best tools for protecting your dental implants. Start better brushing and flossing today to combat gum disease bacteria that can attack your dental implants.

Eat Right

You can also promote the healing of your dental implants by improving your diet. Make sure you are getting all the nutrients your bones need to heal. This includes calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, silica, zinc, vitamin D, folate, vitamin K, and more. Tip: Silica is one of the first things removed in food processing, so eating fresh veggies is a great way to get it. It’s also found in high levels in beer, where it’s been predigested so it’s all ready for your body to use. Also, adding probiotics like Lactobacillus to your diet can protect your implant health.

Plan for the Future

If you have just lost a few teeth, the odds are high that you will lose more in the future. Try to identify which teeth are at risk and get your implants placed and restorations designed so that they can be integrated into new restorations–such as a dental bridge or full implant dentures –in the future.

Follow All Instructions

Most importantly, we will give you clear instructions for maintaining your dental implants. All you have to do is follow them to maximize the effectiveness of your implant procedure.

If you want to learn more about dental implant options, including other ways we can keep your costs down, please call (918) 528-3330 for an appointment with a Tulsa implant dentist at élan Tulsa Cosmetic Dentistry.