Dear Mr. Rasmey,
My husband and I have listened to your show for years and we have a lot of respect for you and all of your money philosophies (The Seven Baby Steps is the backbone of your teachings). Recently, however, a listener called in asking for advice regarding a Dental Implant procedure he was considering and you advised against it based on the cost of it alone.
Your policy of advising against taking on any debt for any procedure we understand. My concern is that listeners may have taken it that the procedure itself is not worth the investment in their health. The caller mentioned he had been quoted $46,000.00 to have a procedure for both his upper and lower teeth removed and replaced with implant supported bridges. Although you did qualify your remark, stating if you were him you would do some more research, you advised he could probably have it done for much less money. The reality is that although there are cheaper options, none are near the equivalent of this amazing procedure. (See the incredible benefits of an All-On-4 procedure on our website).
Replacing an entire arch of teeth with just 4 implants, also known as the All-on-4 Procedure or Teeth In A Day is a huge benefit to patients. The average fee is about $25,000.00 per arch, $50,000.00 for the whole mouth. So in his case, $46,000.00 is a very fair price. It involves same day surgery to remove teeth, place the 8 implants, and place the fixed bridges (not dentures). It restores the patient to about 90% of the function they had when they had all of their natural teeth. The All-On-4 is an investment in their future health and is not merely cosmetic. They can eat like a normal person and maintain a healthy diet which increases their longevity and quality of life.
When having this treatment with an experienced, board certified Oral Surgeon and a restorative dentist who work as a team to care for the patient, the fees will generally be in this range. There are some dentists who are not trained specialists, a sort of a "Jack of all Trades" who offer it for slightly less but are still in the $35-40,000.00 range for the whole mouth. Alternative, less expensive options exist, but are not as effective. A patient could opt for traditional dentures or implant supported dentures and have some level of function restored but currently, the All-on-4 is the only procedure available that can replace a patient's teeth to this level of function and aesthetics.
Some benefits cannot be quantified. As with any prosthetic, it's expensive. It is not yet covered by medical insurance as a prosthetic for any other body part would be, so the bulk of the cost is currently the patient's responsibility. In comparison, there are some alternatives to having a hip replacement surgery as well. It will be less expensive for patient to have a wheelchair or a walker but that does not give them the equivalent quality of life.
I invite you to visit our website at nevadaoralandfacialsurgery.com if you would like to see more information on this subject. I have worked for these oral surgeons for more than 11 years and we perform the All-on-4 treatment on almost a daily basis. Although we also offer some less expensive options, the patient will not get the amazing result they get with the All-on-4 procedure. It's truly amazing to see our patients leave with their new smile, the same day in some instances, with the ability to eat whatever they choose again. You can see some examples for yourself here at Patient Testimonials and Before and After Photos.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,

Kathy Schweiger
Las Vegas, NV 89128‎
(702) 360-8918