I made the statement in an earlier post that a dental implant can be a smart choice even financially. My assumption, if you are reading this, is you are looking at different treatment options and the dental implant certainly isn’t on the cheap side. So allow me to show you how a dental implant can be a wise economic decision.

If the choice is between a single implant restored as a single crown versus a 3-unit bridge (see diagrams nearby)  — and the dentist says that both are reasonable options (meaning that each one has a high probability of success) then go with the dental implant, even if it’s a little more expensive. Here is why.
When you replace a missing tooth with a 3-unit bridge, you have to cut down the teeth on either side of the space in order to place essentially three crowns fused together. You have turned a one-tooth problem into a three-tooth problem. On top of this, now flossing is more difficult.
Later on, if one of the two teeth decays, it is very likely the bridge will have to be replaced. It is not uncommon for the decay to have weakened the tooth to the extent that it now is lost. In this way more teeth are lost over time.

On the other hand, should a tooth on either side of a dental implant have a problem, it is still a one-tooth problem, not affecting its neighbors. And if there is a problem with the crown on the dental implant, it can be replaced without having to remove the dental implant. You see, the dental implant was engineered in such a way that the problems that might develop from chewing stresses over time (and obviously it is impossible for the implant to ever decay) will most likely affect parts that are easy to reach and replace.

Therefore, the economy of the dental implant will be experienced by the patient in the years to come. Oh, and did I tell you that the dental implant has the longest track record of any restoration in dentistry? It’s well over 25 years and counting. The 3-unit bridge, on the other hand, has an average life-span of about ten years.

 

 

4 Responses

  1. Dr Benjamin W. Young

    Would you please expand on the types of materials available today. In your practice do you use use Cera Root Zirconium implants and if so what is the cost per implant including the crown.

    Thanks for your consideration

    Edison Cardenas

    1. Thank you Mr. Cardenas for your question.

      My basic calculation for the cost of a single dental implant with crown here in San Antonio is to assign the surgical placement at $2,000 and placing the crown at $1,500 (including abutment — the part that connects the crown to the dental implant or fixture). Then multiply the number of implants to be placed. Now that is a very rough ball park and there may be other expenses if teeth are to be removed and grafting accomplished.

      As to CeraRoot out of Barcelona Spain, I went and read the 5 year report in the International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Implants.

      http://www.ceraroot.com/upload/store/downloads/5-year-success-rate-ceraroot-implants_st3h.pdf

      The report appears to be written by the inventors of the system who are officers of the company. Also it is interesting to note that one of the criteria for using this particular dental implant is the patient should have no allergies to metals. Having said all this, at this 5-year interim stage, it certainly looks promising. I have a difficult time interpreting the radiographic results from the pdf but would like to clearly be able to see bone levels around the implant. It is understandable that this might be difficult to show through print media because the contrast between the implant being so white because of its density washes out the subtle elements of the bone right next to it.