Dental insurance policies are typically written to cover basic health needs. Keeping in mind that these companies are in the business to make a profit and not to ensure your lasting, overall health and well-being, Dental Implants are not a feature of most group insurance policies provided by employers.
Dental Implants are an upfront expense, which means the total cost is incurred all at once. Those who opt for Implants versus a three unit crown & bridge have a higher treatment fee for Implants. However, Dental Implants are designed to last your lifetime. Therefore, future expenses are not incurred.
When insurance covers the lesser expense of crown & bridge, they realize there is a liklihood you will change insurance companies and they won’t have to cover a broken bridge, root canals, replacement crowns and other dental work that may occur down the road.
Another underlying issue you’ll be dealing with is bone loss from missing tooth roots. When a tooth is lost, the tooth root no longer provides stimulation to the jaw bone where it was positioned. Therefore, the jaw bone begins to melt away, or ‘resorb.’ This resorption is the reason why people are bothered by dentures that move around while trying to chew.
As the jaw bone continues to shrink, there is less of a foundation for the denture to adhere. Eventually, denture creams and pastes are of little use and even relines don’t help. In desperation to get their denture to stay in place, some people use so much denture adhesive that they have become victims of zinc poisoning, an ingredient of the product that can have devastating effects when too much is absorbed in the system.
However, dentures are less expensive than Dental Implants, so naturally insurance companies would much rather cover them. The fact that Dental implants are not covered by insurance has nothing to do with their effectiveness. It has to do with what gives the insurance companies the best deal. And what is best for you has nothing to do with what is best for them.
Until we take our health care decisions back from the insurance companies and make them based upon what is in our own best interests, we are only allowing our well-being to be sacrificed by corporations who are seeking only profits. Don’t assume what is covered by insurance is what is best. Learn all your options thoroughly.
