Each year, more than 2.6 million cosmetic dental procedures are performed in the United States alone. With Americans spending approximately $1.4 billion on teeth whitening each year, and the average cosmetic dentistry patient spending between $5000 and $6000 on other dental procedures to improve their smile, oral care and cosmetic dentistry is clearly on the list of priorities for most Americans. But, what about the individuals who are suffering from missing or damaged teeth?

100 years ago, about half of all adults in North America were toothless. In a little under a century, thanks to improved dental care and awareness, less than 30% of adults over age of 65 suffer from missing teeth. In addition, the number of younger people who have lost teeth continues to decline drastically every decade. For those with damaged or missing teeth, one of the most successful dental solutions involves the dental implant process. Dental implants are the only cosmetic dentistry procedure on the market that provides a natural tooth like experience for patients suffering with missing or severely damaged teeth. The implant consists of three parts: a titanium rod, covering for the rod and an artificial tooth crown.

Unlike some cosmetic dental procedures, dental implants have a bit of recovery time associated with them. However, the benefits of dental implant courses far outweigh the downtime you will experience in recovery from the procedure. Once the dental implant is placed into the root of the missing tooth, it can take up to 12 weeks for the jawbone to fully heal around the implant and anchor it in place. With proper care, dental implants can last a lifetime. All you need to do is make your way through the healing process, after that you’ll rarely need to set foot in a dental office for your implants ever again.

Dental implant procedures feature a 98% success rate, and much of this success is due to improved technology in recent years. New technology such as all on four implants and provide efficient and effective tooth restoration using only four implants to support a full set of dental implants. All on four implants bring stability, even with minimum bone volume, and all on four implants features a wide variety of prosthetic tooth options. However, this success rate can come at a high price, Unfortunately, for the patients without dental insurance, dental implant procedures will have to be paid for out of pocket. However, with adequate dental insurance coverage, dental implants can be rather affordable. Helpful links.