I really struggle with my teeth. So far, I have three partial dentures and two dental bridges. I do struggle with some periodontal disease. I do not enjoy my dentures. Is it possible for me to get dental implants? Because it is essentially a medical condition, is there a way to get medical insurance to cover some of it?
Lisa
Dear Lisa,
We get this question more often than you think. Because not being able to eat is bad for our health, it is easy to assume that medical insurance to cover it. However, medical insurance always has a dental exclusion policy, which means they will not cover any dental procedures.
You will find that dental implants are a better solution for tooth replacements. If you have a dental insurance policy, it may cover some of it. One thing you will need to deal with first is the periodontal disease. If that is left untreated, you will begin to lose more teeth. This is because gum disease eats up the bone support. That bone is needed to help retain your teeth.
The same is true for dental implants. In order to keep them secure, your jawbone has to be intact. Then, after the implants are placed, the bone has to integrate with it, in a process called osseointegration. If that doesn’t happen, the implants will fail.
My suggestion would be to first get your gum disease dealt with and then start looking into dental implants.
This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.