The (Surprising) Harm Of Waiting To Replace Your Teeth

By: Britely

Dental Implants Are A Big Investment

You’ve visited the doctor and had your mouth examined. You did your research. Maybe you even shopped around. You learned everything you need to know about getting dental implants. After all this work, you’re just not sure. It’s a big investment to get dental implants, and you’re thinking about waiting a year before committing to a plan.

While I commend you on being thorough in your research, let me caution you on one thing. Don’t put off getting help longer than you need to.

Delaying treatment can actually increase costs

One of the most common objections I hear from my patients is that dental implants are expensive. While it’s true they aren’t cheap, there’s a reason for that. As with anything in life, you get what you pay for, and implants aren’t an exception. They are widely recognized as the best replacement for your real teeth.

That said, my patients are right. They aren’t cheap. It could be more expensive for you, though.

Did you know, putting off treatment can actually cost you more in the long run? 

As you lose teeth your jaw bone loses the stimuli needed to maintain proper bone levels. When a tooth or several teeth are lost, the bone will start to resorb or “melt away” due to the loss of supporting tooth structure. Most times this causes a chain reaction in your mouth that can lead down a very long and expensive path to recovery if not dealt with properly up front.

Delaying treatment can also harm your health

Bone loss doesn’t just signal signs of increased costs down the road. It can also harm your overall health.

When you start to lose bone in your jaw structure, your teeth start to shift. This can eventually lead to declining health of surrounding teeth and ultimately accelerate the process of losing additional healthy teeth.

Without a solid jawbone structure, it’s also likely you will see signs of premature aging.

Dental implants can help

The beauty of a dental implant is that it’s an artificial replacement not just for the look of your tooth, but the function of your actual tooth root. That means that it helps prevent the bone loss issues that are associated with increased costs down the road, other oral health complications and premature aging.

Basically, the dental implant does the job of your natural tooth root. Just another reason why dentists always recommend dental implants when possible.

If you’re debating a dental implant treatment, I encourage you to consider all your options. But once you’ve done your due diligence, choosing treatment in a timely manner is extremely important to prevent further complications.