You will have to drink boost or ensure daily for more calories. When my teeth started failing in 2009 I had to modify my diet to eating only soft foods. There is a food blender you can buy also for soups that contain meat and noodles. It won't be appetizing but it will keep you from losing too much weight. I really miss grilled cheese sandwiches. I'm sorry you are going through this. Good teeth are a blessing, so are great dental plans. Medicaid only covers 1 tooth extraction each month in Kentucky.
Highly unlikely implants will ever be covered on insurance. Dentures are much more affordable and certain policies already cover all or most of that cost. Implants are considered more in line with cosmetics - face lift, butt lift, etc. Hasn't been that long ago that weight loss surgery was totally cosmetic as well - except - the long term effects of being overweight play into other costly medical needs, sooo things changed. Even medicare and insurance only pay for the basic cataract lens replacement. Those better lenses than can eliminate glasses altogether are an out of pocket cost of the surgery.
Many people get medical credit cards to pay for implants, cosmetic surgeries, etc. Some borrow from their 401/retirements, savings accounts, etc. Lots of the doctors also offer certain credit plans. Get a credit card with the cheapest interest and invest in what you want.
As a side note - if you live close to a dental college, you might get a good price. Dentists who do implants are graduated dentists returning to school to specialize. So you aren't getting a kid off the street working on your mouth.
at the age of 29, i started having bone loss problems in my upper teeth. Bottom was fine. I was going to dentist every 3 months for deep cleaning…..after about 15 yrs of doing that, had cadaver skin grafts, and everything possible to keep my teeth. At 29, my dentist said the bone loss would keep getting worse and i would probably have dentures by the time i was 40. Well i finally had to have the top teeth removed and got a denture…at the age of 55. After a month and the antibiotics etc, i found that i felt physically 100% better. I had one bottom jaw tooth that he wanted to put an implant in…..at the cost of $1000+…….so had to decline that. I dont get all these dentists that think that regular hardworking people can afford 20-30 thousand $$ for implants. Good luck in whatever you choose to do. Liz
Two of my kids were born without their permanent incisors -- a very common thing -- and our insurance deemed implants to be cosmetic work and wouldn't cover it. For my daughter, I had estimates ranging from $11,000 to $2,000 for each tooth!
The cost of implants varies a lot in part due to whether bone grafts are necessary. The older you are, the more likely you'll have bone loss that needs grafting. You need to know what the work actually involves, and that might explain some of the costs.
I've always known that implants are never going to be in my future, they are still very much out of reach for the average person. People manage to eat without any teeth at all, food can be modified to make it easier to chew and there are many meal supplements on the market - why are you starving yourself?
You can apply for care credit which is for medical and dental expenses. Payments are spread out over time and there is no interest as long as you pay on time.
Are there any dental schools in your state? They offer services at much lower prices.
Also, get more opinions. I had one dentist tell me I needed implants or a bridge. I found someone else who agreed to do crowns. There's a huge price difference between dentists, too. I've had quotes ranging from $800-$3200 for crowns.
Many people get medical credit cards to pay for implants, cosmetic surgeries, etc. Some borrow from their 401/retirements, savings accounts, etc. Lots of the doctors also offer certain credit plans. Get a credit card with the cheapest interest and invest in what you want.
As a side note - if you live close to a dental college, you might get a good price. Dentists who do implants are graduated dentists returning to school to specialize. So you aren't getting a kid off the street working on your mouth.
Two of my kids were born without their permanent incisors -- a very common thing -- and our insurance deemed implants to be cosmetic work and wouldn't cover it. For my daughter, I had estimates ranging from $11,000 to $2,000 for each tooth!
The cost of implants varies a lot in part due to whether bone grafts are necessary. The older you are, the more likely you'll have bone loss that needs grafting. You need to know what the work actually involves, and that might explain some of the costs.
Also, get more opinions. I had one dentist tell me I needed implants or a bridge. I found someone else who agreed to do crowns. There's a huge price difference between dentists, too. I've had quotes ranging from $800-$3200 for crowns.
American Dentists have priced themselves into irrelevancy for anything more expensive than a filling.