I have been trying dentures. Really trying. The problem is the denture plate makes me gag every single time I try to wear it. I haven’t been able to eat solid food for weeks. I had a little weight to lose, but not as much as I am losing. Will medical insurance cover the cost of me getting dental implants because of the impact it is having on my health?
Madeline
Dear Madeline,
Implant Overdentures
The good news is that getting dental implants to support your dentures will solve the gagging problem you have been having. There is no apparatus to cause gagging. The dental implants serve as teeth roots and the dentures will attach directly to them. Not only will you be able to eat, but you will be able to eat absolutely anything you want to.
The bad news is that medical insurance will not cover them, even if not having teeth is having a negative impact on your health. Medical insurance always has a dental exclusion clause.
If you have dental insurance, that will pay for some of it. Probably not as much as you are hoping, but some. Most dentists have you pay in two parts, so that helps some as well. You’ll pay the first portion when the dental implants are placed. Then, after a period of healing and time for osseointegration to take place, you get your dentures and pay for the second part.
If you are in difficult financial circumstances, you may find a dentist who offers a further break down of payments.
I will tell you, in the long run, it will be much better and less expensive for you to get the implant overdentures now. The longer you are wearing dentures, the more jaw bone structure you will lose. In about ten years or so, there won’t be enough bone structure left for you to retain your dentures at all. This is known as facial collapse. Getting implants prevents this because it signals to your body that you still have teeth and it leaves your jawbone intact.
This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.