In this edition of our blog, we talk about something that a lot of people don’t even realize they are a candidate for. Full mouth reconstruction is a lot like restoring an engine. In some cases one small thing, if not taken care of when it’s small can lead to this procedure. In other cases there may have been an accident, mouth disease or your jaw may have been misaligned for as long as you remember. In any case, a lot of patients don’t really understand when a full mouth construction would be beneficial versus repairing one thing at a time. Not to say that this is not common, it is and as a matter of fact a lot of dentists in San Antonio realize and recognize that there are patients who can’t afford this type of procedure all at once, and in the course of the treatment, their “one by one” approach ends up actually costing you more in the long run.

What Exactly is a Full Mouth Reconstruction?

A full mouth reconstruction combines multiple dental procedures into a customized plan to get your oral health back on track. As with every dental treatment plan we do here at Orsatti Dental, each plan is based on individual needs and goals and this also means that the cost of treatment can vary greatly from patient to patient. Your full mouth reconstruction cost will be dependent on the current condition of your teeth, as well as the extent of planning required to start treatment. In addition, the quality and type of restorations you receive, and the technology we will be using will all ultimately affect the final price of your reconstruction. The total cost of full mouth reconstruction is largely shaped by the state of your oral health and the complexity of your case. However, there is a general rule I like to follow, that a lot of our clients agree with because it ends up saving them money in the long run. Basic rule of thumb, if a full mouth reconstruction costs less than the total of the individual procedures needed, then we will recommend the full mouth reconstruction. This way you basically get a whole new smile. If you have gum disease that has effected multiple teeth, it may in fact be cheaper to do a full mouth reconstruction than to repair a handful of teeth. Or it may even be more effective to do a bridge of dental implants. Whatever the best treatment is for you, that is what we will recommend and we will make sure you have all the information to make the best decision. If you do not know when a full mouth reconstruction is needed, let’s help with that and identify what it actually is.

Due to the personal nature of a full mouth reconstruction, the planning stage is crucial. If your San Antonio dentist is not taking great care in the planning and recommendation of a big procedure like this, then please come and see us. Every patient is different, so every mouth is different so every preparation and planning each treatment should be customized to you, the individual patient. Just like preparing for a big presentation or spending a lot of time on a project. We don’t approach this procedure lightly and we will make sure we take you step-by-step through each part of this process and ensure that we come to a decision together that will ultimately be best for you. During the planning stages we will most likely include a full smile evaluation. Our San Antonio dentists may use x-rays, computer imaging, computed tomography (CT) scans, and intraoral photography to understand the issues affecting your oral health and develop a plan to treat them. Now all of these tests sound super fancy, and some of them are, but at the risk of sounding like a broken record, we will explain each test and method we will be using in our evaluation to make sure you are as informed about your dental health as possible. The types of tests performed can absolutely impact the overall treatment cost. But rest assured, we will not enter into any test or treatment if you don’t feel as though it helps us get closer to your goals for your overall dental and oral health. Your treatment timeline can also affect the cost of restoring your smile. In some cases, patients choose to stage treatment and spread the cost of procedures over months or even years. However, when you wait for long periods of time between treatments, your smile can change and require additional treatment, increasing the final cost. So we urge you to keep this in mind if you are considering this type of treatment.

The condition of your teeth will greatly affect the overall cost of your full mouth reconstruction. In most cases, this is one of the major factors that determine overall cost. Generally, this type of treatment plan is recommended for patients with multiple oral health concerns affecting the functionality of their smile. Your full mouth reconstruction may include procedures to treat tooth decay, gum disease, missing teeth, damage such as cracks, chips or fractures, TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder and misalignments. Individually, all of these are treatable, but in some cases when these exist together or appear to be getting worse in parallel, we will talk through this with you and possibly recommend a full mouth reconstruction.

To be honest, there are actually a variety of treatments can be used to restore health and aesthetics. Among those and if this is right for you, dental implants. This is whole other blog that addresses this with the link to that here(insert link to dental implants blog). More extensive treatment generally requires a larger financial investment. For example, replacing a single tooth with a dental implant and crown can cost $3,000 to $4,400, while a traditional bridge typically costs between $500 and $1,200 per tooth. These are just ballpark numbers, and like we’ve mentioned before, if the total of the work necessary to fully correct your smile is more expensive than either dental implants or a full mouth reconstruction, then we will recommend one of those treatments. Your insurance company may also be on board with this as it does end up costing them less too.

Restorations

As we go through this process together, and discover that your full mouth reconstruction requires the placement of a restoration, the type and material will affect your final price. This is completely normal, so let’s get into the different types of restorations. As you will see, there will be many different types, combinations, materials and procedures available to you and we will work together to figure out what is best for you.

Types of Restorations

There are several different types of restorations available. One of our dentists can recommend the restoration best suited for your needs based on how many teeth are affected. I typically don’t like giving a price range to customers in a blog because the cost fluctuates so much depending on a number of different factors as you will see. Restoring a single tooth with a traditional dental crown typically costs between $500 and $2,500. The cost of replacing a full arch of teeth with a denture spans from $300 to more than $5,000. Now there is nothing wrong with dentures, but it’s not our favorite procedure to recommend to our patients as there are now much better options available to you.

Patients who are missing teeth often choose dental implants for their superior support and comfort. I’m a lot of cases, dental implants may in fact be our recommendation. However, implant-supported restorations typically cost more than traditional versions and require a greater investment of both time and money. Many implant patients also require preparatory procedures, such as bone grafts, which can increase the final cost of treatment. Again, we will work together to make sure that we are recommending the BEST procedure for your case and overall oral health.

Materials Used for Full Mouth Reconstruction

Another key factor that can affect the cost of your reconstruction is the material used to fabricate your restoration. There is a range of materials available, from more inexpensive metals to high-quality dental porcelain. Your dentist may also offer porcelain-fused-to-metal restorations, which are less expensive than all-porcelain, but not as natural-looking. Advanced materials, such as zirconia and IPS e.max®, will cost more than metal restorations.

Advanced Dental Technology

With new dental technologies available, treatment for most all extensive treatments is now safer and more effective than ever. Devices such as dental lasers can enhance results and reduce the risk of infection. While many of the restorative treatments involved in a full mouth reconstruction are covered by dental insurance, advanced technologies are often excluded from coverage and we will make sure that you are fully informed along the way so that we can make the best decision for you. In a lot of cases, we will also work with your insurance company to keep them informed and consult with them as well before we administer any test that may or may not be covered by your insurance. As always, we do everything we can to make sure the out-of-pocket cost to you is as minimal as possible. We also want to ensure you receive the best care and best result for your case. This is something that we at Orsatti Denatl have become quite good as we have developed and maintain relationships with all dental insurance providers. We are trusted by your insurance providers and while they do require proof from us, they often concur with our recommendations for treatment.

Investing in Your Future

As if you weren’t already aware, a smile that is not it’s best can affect every aspect of your life. It’s one of the things that we have had personal experience in and not making the initial investment in your smile can lead to possible short-comings in other areas of your life. Now we are not trying to create a sense of fear in this for you, but we have had patients come back to us after visiting another dentist who gave them a cheaper option for treatment rather than going with the dental implants or full mouth reconstruction that we were recommending. Yes, we were recocomending a more expensive treatment, but we know that at the end of the day this particular patient would benefit more from a full mouth reconstruction than from a piecemeal treatment that may have in fact been initially cheaper. Taking the recommendation of another dentist ultimately ended up costing this patient almost 35% more.

In every aspect of life, from a relationship with a potential significant other, to going on job interviews and just the overall way you are perceived by others. That sense of self-consciousness about your smile is real and can affect your overall confidence in everything that you do. So when let us at Orsatti Dental take care of you , you can rest assured that we will ensure that you feel like family. We will never take the easy way out and our recommended treatments are the ones that we give our own family. To us that is what you are.

So whether it is via damage or decay, missing teeth can make chewing and speaking a struggle and cause you to feel self-conscious about your smile. This is something that most people don’t even know that they don’t have to go through. At this point, I hope it goes without saying that at Orsatti Dental, we will make sure to take care of your overall dental health. Even if you just come to us for a cleaning and filling. Our doctors

A properly planned and executed full mouth reconstruction can be a life-changing experience and an investment in your future relationships, overall health and well-being. Be sure to discuss your insurance coverage and financing options with your dentist before treatment to ensure your full mouth reconstruction is as affordable as possible.

Full mouth reconstruction is one of the many dental procedures that Orsatti Dental has to offer. Contact us today to learn more.