This is a story about Winston and how his dental implants improved the quality of his life. In this article you’ll learn why exactly Winston felt the need to replace his partial dentures with dental implants, in spite of their higher cost. We’ll also share exactly how he made the cost of his dental implants affordable.
Who is Winston?
Winston is a 55-year-old second-generation landscaper. His father taught him everything he knows about the profession of making residential yards more attractive. Winston also learned from his father just how difficult it can be to live a life with upper and lower denture plates.
“Even as a young kid I would watch my dad struggle to eat his lunches that my mom would prepare for him,” recalled Winston. “So, when it became too difficult for dad to eat things like ham or turkey sandwiches and apples with his dentures, my mom began packing dad’s lunch with more soups, pasta dishes and canned fruits since it was much easier for him to chew.”
Now, Winston is middle aged. Fortunately, he has not lost all of his teeth like his dad. He does wear partial dentures in his upper and lower jaw to replace a total of ten missing teeth; six in the upper jaw and four in the lower jaw.
Winston’s six-year-old partial dentures are beginning to cause discomfort
Winston’s upper partial denture was becoming increasingly difficult to chew with, so he sought the advice of his dentist. The dentist advised Winston to strongly consider replacing his partial dentures with dental implants.
He warned that a new partial denture would only last about five years and would likely cause more wear and tear on his adjacent natural teeth. This wear and tear could lead to additional tooth loss and the eventual need for full denture plates, like the ones his dad wears.
“Having watched my dad struggle with his dentures, I knew that losing all of my teeth and ultimately having to wear dentures was not an option,” said Winston.
Winston’s dentist treatment planned him for dental implants
Winton’s dental office presented him with a dental implant treatment plan. Because of the areas of his missing teeth, in his upper jaw, four dental implant bridges could be used to replace six missing teeth. Four single dental implants would be required to replace each of the remaining four missing teeth in the lower jaw.
Winston’s dentist explained that dental implants could actually last him for the rest of his life. He’d simply need to maintain his recommended twice a year dental cleanings, daily tooth brushing and water pick cleaning around his natural teeth and dental implants. An additional major benefit included the fact that implants would not cause wear and tear to his remaining natural teeth.
Winston’s dental implant treatment plan would cost him a total of $43,000. Winston experienced initial sticker shock, to say the least. This expense made Winston reconsider replacing his six-year-old, poorly fitting partials with two new partials. After all, the cost for two new partial dentures would be less than $5,000 total.
When comparing the two expenses of $43,000 (eight implants) to $5,000 (two partial dentures), it would not be unreasonable to opt for the latter. But Winston kept thinking back to the regret his dad experienced with eventually losing all of his teeth and resorting to dentures.
Winston gets serious about making his dental implant cost affordable
Winston didn’t think that he could bear the pain and anguish that his dad experienced with chewing his food with dentures. This led Winston to contemplate on how he could possibly make his preferred dental implant treatment plan affordable.
While Winston did not have dental insurance of his own, he was on his wife’s dental insurance. His wife’s dental insurance plan came with a $1,500 annual maximum. Normally, this would mean Winston could likely use this full amount for his dental implants. However, since his insurance was billed $200 for his examination and x-rays, Winston had $1,300 of his annual maximum available. This available amount could be used for his implant treatment.
Assuming Winston would be able to apply the remaining available $1,300 from his insurance coverage to the cost of his dental implants, this would still leave him with a balance of $41,700.
After speaking with his wife, they both agreed that it was worth it to finance the difference. Doing so would allow Winston to fix his missing teeth problem, now, before it gets worse and costs more money. This would also make his implant procedure affordable as long as they could pay for it over time.
His dental office had previously told him about a dental financing company called Proceed Finance. Winston applied for a Proceed Finance loan and was approved
Let’s take a look at the strategy that Winston and his wife devised to make his preferred treatment plan affordable.
| Payment Method | Funding Amount | |
| 1. | Dental insurance | $1,300 |
| 2. | Proceed Finance loan | $36,700 |
| 3. | Personal cash savings | $5,000 |
| Total |
