Dentures – Richardson, TX

Effects of Missing Teeth

According to the American College of Prosthodontists, the most common reasons why people lose their teeth include tooth decay, gum disease, and trauma. When you are missing teeth, you are bound to experience some negative consequences. Here are just some of them:

• Lower Confidence: When you have gaps in your smile, you may feel less confident about your appearance. This can affect both your professional and personal lives.
• Difficulty Speaking: Without all of your teeth in your mouth, it can be difficult to express yourself clearly. This can make it much more challenging for people to understand you clearly.
• Facial Sagging: When you are missing teeth, the muscles in your face aren’t being supported. This can make your cheeks appear hollowed out and your lips can become wrinkled prematurely. Both of these characteristics will make you appear older.
• Difficulty Eating: Chewing your food thoroughly is important for proper digestion and absorbing the vitamins and minerals you need.

What Qualifies You for Dentures?

Dentures are ideal for people who have experienced significant tooth loss or no longer have any healthy teeth in their mouth. People who receive dentures must be committed to maintaining a healthy oral hygiene routine and maintaining their restoration.

The number of teeth that you are missing will determine the type of denture you need. Dentures tend to be more affordable than other tooth replacement methods, making them a good option for patients who are on a budget.

Alternative Tooth-Replacement Options

If you don’t make a good candidate for dentures, other options may be ideal for you. You may want to consider the following:

• Dental Bridges: If you are only missing one or a few teeth a dental bridge is likely ideal for you. A dental bridge requires healthy teeth surrounding the missing tooth or teeth to support it.
• Dental Implants: To support one or more replacement teeth, a titanium post is inserted into the jawbone, so patients must have a solid bone structure. This option is more costly than traditional dentures, but it’s intended to last for many decades.

Learn More About Dental Bridges

Learn More About Dental Implants

Factors that Affect the Cost of Dentures

The three most important factors that influence the overall cost of your dentures include the following:

• Preparation – This may include treatments like tooth extractions to remove decayed teeth or gum therapy to address gum infections beforehand
• Acrylics – The type of acrylics used for the base can be higher or lower quality depending on your budget and are color-matched to blend in with your gums
• Replacement Teeth – The teeth used for your denture can be made from either acrylic or porcelain, with the latter being the more expensive variety

Keep in mind that cheaper is not typically better. For something that’s going to be kept in your mouth for hours (and years) at a time, it’s better to invest in something that is of high quality and designed to last!

Are Implant Dentures More Expensive?

Implant dentures require the placement of dental implants before the restoration can be attached, which inherently makes the treatment more expensive. As a result, your tooth replacement will not slip out of place or shift while in use, making them more permanent and lifelike overall. Additionally, implant dentures largely pay for themselves in the long-term when you’re not forced to pay for replacement dentures (which occurs every 5 to 7 years on average).

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dentures?

Most of the time, dental insurance will provide some level of coverage for dental insurance. However, they generally only offer to pay for some of the costs associated with treatment. The level of coverage you receive will depend on the plan provided by your insurance company and can fall anywhere between 80% and 50% coverage. Our team is more than prepared to help guide you through the process of confirming your benefits so you get the best value possible.

Other Options for Making Dentures Affordable

Just because you don’t have dental insurance doesn’t mean you can’t still make your care affordable. Those who need to fit dental services into a budget can look into our office’s financing options. Not only do our solutions allow you to enroll into payment plans that range between 6 and 36 months in length, but you can expect little to zero interest attached in many cases. Additionally, our VIP Member Plan provides discounts on many services, including 15% on dentures!

If you’d like to learn more, please give our office a call to set up a consultation dedicated to dentures!