3 Things You Need To Know About Getting Dental Implants

Proper dental maintenance is important so you can keep all of your natural teeth. However, even if you try your best to take care of your teeth, you can still end up needing one or more extracted. Whenever a tooth towards the front of the mouth is extracted, many people opt to get dental implants so no one knows they are missing those particular teeth. Here are three things you need to know about getting dental implants.

1. It's actually not the replacement tooth itself - it's more like a replacement root.

Whenever a lot of people hear the words "dental implant," they think the term is speaking about the replacement tooth itself. Actually, the dental implant is a post that the dentist inserts into the gum that serves as an anchor for the replacement tooth (the crown). It is necessary to have the dental implant because, without it, your crown would not have anything to support it.

2. There is a chance the dental implant will fail.

While most dental implants function properly, some fail. There are a variety of reasons for dental implant failure. Some of them include:

• The implant fails to bond with the jaw bone
• Infection
• Damage to the tissue and nerves around the implant
• Sinus issues
• Allergic reaction
• Implant rejection

If your dental implant has failed, your dentist may be able to save it if you get to them quickly enough. However, a lot of the time the implant must be removed. Your dentist will then likely try to insert the dental implant again after the area has healed.

3. Your dental implants may be at least partially covered by your dental insurance.

If you have dental insurance, you could find that a portion of the cost for your dental implant is covered by your policy. However, you could end up owing a lot for your implant because a lot of dental insurance policies only cover a certain percentage after you have met your deductible for the year. 

If you don't have coverage, or they won't pay much for the dental implant procedure, you can always work out a payment plan with your dentist prior to getting it done. Some dentists will require payment for your share of the costs up front before they will do the procedure, while others may allow you to pay an amount down and then make monthly payments thereafter until your balance is paid in full. Either way, you can pay for the dental implant a little at a time until it is completely paid for.