I am currently wearing dentures, but they just aren’t going to work for me anymore. My dentist says I need to get an entire set of dental implants in my upper jaw, but there is no way I can afford the cost. Are any of the dental insurance plans you know of good about paying for dental implants? Even if they will only pay for part of the cost, that would help.
Thanks for your help.
Theo in Indianapolis
Dear Theo,
It sounds like you are in a bit of a tough spot. Many people do not know that when they get all their teeth extracted, the bone of their jaw is reabsorbed gradually by the body, causing the jawbone to shrink over time. Over 20 years, the jawbone may deteriorate so much that wearing conventional dentures is impossible. It sounds like you have reached this point, which may also mean that in addition to dental implants, you may need bone grafting to provide a stable base for the dental implant root forms, which will add to the expense of the procedure.
The bad news is that you are not going to find a dental insurance plan that will cover the cost of your dental implants. If you think about it logically, it would not make any sense for a dental insurance company to sell you a policy, then agree to pay out for a procedure worth many, many times the cost of the policy. They would not stay in business long that way!
The best dental insurance plans are almost always available through an employer, and even those do not like to pay out for dental implants. As a general rule, most dental insurance plans will pay for the least expensive treatment, which in your case is dentures. Sadly, the insurance company does not really care if the treatment will work well for you or not.
Talk to your dentist about less expensive alternatives, or ask what kinds of financing he has available. Best of luck to you.