Caring for teeth can seem to be a big effort. Brushing twice a day and paying out for brushes, paste and floss can seem like a waste of time. Even more so the twice yearly visits to the dentist which seem to cost more every time you visit. However, there are financial advantages to caring for teeth which should be considered.
There are many dental treatments that are expensive. By making sure that teeth are well cared for, these should be less likely to be necessary.
An example of some of the dental procedures that people commonly have as they get older area listed below.
Fillings
Having teeth filled is not that expensive. However, fillings do not last forever and so the job will have to be redone every so often and this will cost money.
Even if you have dental insurance, the amount of fillings you have will influence the cost of that insurance.
Not only will there be the risk of them needing to be redone but also an increased risk of you needing new ones in future.
Dentures
Having missing teeth will often mean that you need dentures so that you look better cosmetically and so that you can eat better.
These can cost a lot of money and they can break. Repairs can be dear and in some cases repairs may not be possible and so replacements will need to be bought.
Implants
Dental implants are a more permanent solution for missing teeth. They involve putting metal supports in to the gum and then placing plastic teeth on them.
This is a more comfortable way to have false teeth as they do not need removing to be cleaned and do not get food trapped under or around them.
However, they are very much more expensive and the teeth can come off or break.
Whitening
Teeth whitening is growing in popularity. It is something which can make the teeth look more attractive.
However, by using whitening toothpaste and not smoking or drinking red wine or tea, that stains teeth you can prevent the need for it.
There are some dentists that are cheaper than others, but at the end of the day, if we look after our teeth, we will end up paying less for treatment.
Researching a cheap dentist is wise, but you may not need to have to worry about the cost so much, if your teeth do not need expensive treatments.
By investing time and effort in to looking after teeth and gums it means that you will be less likely to need expensive treatments later in life.
Teeth tend to need more work as we get older and once we retire, we have a lot less money available for this sort of treatment. Dental insurance will also be more expensive at this time.
This means that the more we can do to look after teeth when we are young, the cheaper treatment will be when we get older.
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License: Royalty Free or iStock
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Crystal is a health blogger who occasionally writes unique and informative articles for Phoenix orthodontist.
