I have snap-on dental implants with four posts. Periodically, I have to replace the male retention caps. My dentist charges $25 per cap, which sets me back $100. It was already hard to do that but with inflation as high as it is, I’m having to choose between food and other bills at the moment. I see that I can get a set of four online for $20, but you can only order them if you are a dentist. Do you know of any way to get these without being a licensed professional?
Jack
Dear Jack,
I am so sorry to hear about the financial hardship you are facing. I’ve heard similar stories from others, especially those who are retired. The savings that they thought would last for the duration of their retirement is being devoured by inflation.
I have some good news for you. There are several options for you to get these dental implant retainer caps at the lower cost. Your first option is to explain your situation to your dentist. Most dentists went into their field because they wanted to help people and are quite compassionate. While your dentist has overhead he or she needs to cover, this would make up such a small percentage of it, that it really would not hurt him to give them to you at cost or very close to it.
If that doesn’t work, you could call around to some other dental offices and explain your situation. It isn’t usually the dentist who orders these things, but one of the staff and they just input the dentist’s information. You are likely to find someone willing to order an extra pair for you.
Finally, I do see them for sale by overseas sellers on eBay for the price you quoted. They are not requiring you to be a licensed professional. The only real downside is that you would need to know what you want, how to pop them into your denture, as well as the strength and resistance you prefer.
I recommend going through these options in the order I gave them. I hope this helps you.
This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.