implants, implants, and more implants!
how many patients have i recommended/referred for implants who were turned off by the cost and/or time involved? so many people walking around with edentulous spaces, and i'm just itching to restore but i have met so much resistance. but times have slowly been changing, as three of the referrals i have sent have not only followed through and have agreed to financial arrangements with the surgeon, but one patient actually underwent the surgery on july 18 at sites 14/15, 25, and 47 and will be ready to restore in 3 months following confirmation of integration! i haven't restored implants since i was a resident about three years ago, and i've been waiting to use my knowlege for some time but haven't found the right practice/patients to do so. needless to say, i'm super duper excited!
posted by Dr. Mommy, D.D.S. at
3:26 PM
2 Comments:
Are you finding that insurance companies are starting to pay towards implants these days?
I'm hearing from other offices that a lot of the companies will consider paying towards an implant what they would pay towards a bridge if they get a letter from the dds. The Ins Co's are realizing that the long-term maintenance costs for an implant are often less than that of a bridge (that can get recurrent caries, need endo, etc.).
By
Unknown, At
Friday, August 25, 2006
depends on the insurance company. most plans have a missing tooth clause, meaning that if the tooth was extracted before the patient started coverage under the policy (which is usually the case) they won't cover a bridge. in rare instances if the plan does cover bridges and it is approved, they may front the ammount of money that they would have paid for the bridge for the implant, usually about 50% ODA general dentist fees. after factoring in the total cost of the implant surgery, the lab costs, study models, etc., it winds up that insurance would for maybe about 25% at most. it also depends on how many implants - a three unit bridge is comparable to the cost of a single implant, but once you get into multiple implants the cost skyrockets. so most people pay out of pocket for prosthetic treatment, which is why treatment planning and following through with implants is so difficult, even though it is, in my opinion, superior treatment.
By
Dr. Mommy, D.D.S., At
Saturday, August 26, 2006
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