Tooth Decay Can Cost Up To $28,000 When Left Untreated — DentalPlans.com Helps Americans Get The Dental Care They Need At Steep Discounts
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
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March 06, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time
By Rachael Green, Benzinga
The most common chronic disease in the United States is tooth decay, with nearly 90% of adults between 20 and 64 having some decay in their teeth which can lead to tooth loss and gum disease if left untreated. As a result, an estimated 120 million Americans are missing at least one tooth and 36 million have no remaining teeth at all.
However, 77 million Americans don’t have dental insurance, and even those that do still end up paying an average of $874 out of pocket per year for dental care because the coverage they do have is limited. Many dental insurance plans set their total annual maximum at around $1,500. Once a patient exceeds that limit for the year, they have to pay any remaining costs out of pocket.
To understand just how easy it is to exceed the annual maximum of most plans, let’s look at the average costs, without insurance or a dental savings plan, of three common procedures: root canals, dental implants, and dentures.
A Root Canal Can Cost Between $1,000 to $4,350 on Average
Over 15 million root canals are performed every year in the United States. The procedure is used when untreated decay progresses all the way through the tooth and into the nerve, causing inflammation, infection, and a lot of pain.
Root canals are essentially the last option for saving a tooth that has been left to decay for too long. In one large-scale study, it was found that teeth that received a root canal can survive an average of 20 more years. But that’s if the patient also received a crown and filling to restore the tooth afterward. For those that just received a root canal with no restorative work, the tooth survived an extra six and a half years on average—better than nothing, but not great.
While pricing varies, a single root canal costs between $1,000 and $1,600 without insurance, depending on the location of the tooth. For patients who want restorative work that can extend the tooth’s life as much as possible, they’ll have to add between $50 and $250 for the filling and $900 to $2,500 for the crown. The total cost of a root canal, filling, and crown can vary between $1,950 and $4,350 without insurance.
A Single Dental Implant Can Cost Up To $4,500
In the United States, 3 million people already have at least one dental implant and an estimated 500,000 new implants are placed each year nationwide. Each one of those tooth replacements costs about $3,000 to $4,500 on average without insurance, according to the American Dental Association (ADA). A full set can cost as much as $45,000 without insurance.
A Full Set of Dentures Can Cost Up To $28,000
Given the high rates of tooth loss in the United States mentioned earlier, about 40 million Americans wear full or partial dentures, with a full set costing anywhere from $1,000 to $28,000 without insurance depending on permanence. Traditional removable dentures range from $1,000 to $3,000 while the more permanent implant-supported dentures average $21,500.
Even for partial dentures or bridges for people who have only lost a few teeth, prices range from $450 for a temporary denture up to $3,100 for a permanent, custom-fitted denture without insurance. These costs don’t factor in the added costs of maintaining dentures including tissue conditioning to prepare gums for wearing dentures and periodic denture adjustments or relining to make sure they still fit even as gums change.
Savings Plans on DentalPlans.com Can Make Life-Changing Oral Care Affordable
To help curb the costs of important dental care, dental savings plans that provide plan members with big discounts on most procedures have emerged as an alternative to or supplement for traditional dental insurance. DentalPlans.com, a leading marketplace for dental savings plans since 1999, is helping Americans find the right plan for their needs so that they can afford the care they need.
A dental savings plan is not insurance. That means anyone can join anytime throughout the year, and start saving quickly. Plans activate in just 1-3 business days. People just sign up for the plan that suits their needs, pay the fee to activate their membership, and then receive reduced rates each time they visit the dentist. Both routine preventative care and more expensive procedures like root canals, dental implants, and dentures mentioned above are discounted between 10% and 60% for plan members. Plan members have reported an average savings of 50% off.*
All they have to do to get the discount is show their membership card to one of the more than 140,000 participating dentists nationwide. There are also no restrictions or exclusions based on current health conditions and no limits on how much can be saved each year.
A dental savings plan can mean the difference between being able to afford the care needed or having to go without.
To learn more about dental savings plans visit DentalPlans.com
*Discount Health Program consumer & provider surveys indicate average savings of 50%. Savings may vary by provider, location, and plan.
This article was originally published on Benzinga here.
DentalPlans.com, founded in 1999, is a leading online marketplace for dental savings plans in the U.S., helping more than a million people to affordably access quality healthcare services. Our mission is to empower consumers with the tools, information, and services that they need to live happier, healthier lives.
This post contains sponsored advertising content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.
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