Your smile is worth a million bucks...literally?

We all want perfect teeth, but at what cost? There are certain procedures that can be performed that can completely change the way your mouth looks, but it’s going to cost you!

Implants
If you have a missing tooth and want the replacement to look very natural, an implant is your best bet. Implants can be very expensive but is the most cost effective in the long run. Basically, an implant replaces the root and crown of a tooth. A post (or pin) is placed in the bone and usually made of titanium. The bone and the titanium post have to osteointegrate, which means the bone and post have to mesh together in order to be successful. Once that is complete, a crown that looks very much like a real tooth, is screwed into the post above the gum. And there you have it, a “new” tooth. The reason it is cost effective is that it only effects one tooth, as opposed to a bridge. A bridge normally involves three teeth, the tooth that is missing, and two teeth on either side of it. Studies have shown that an implant lasts much longer than a bridge. So, if you are missing a tooth and have money saved, this is for you.

Veneers
Do you envy the movie star smile? Do you wish you had straight, white teeth but don’t want to wear those metal braces? Then veneers are for you! Veneers are a shell of a crown, and affix to teeth usually in the front. They give the appearance of many different outcomes. It can make teeth look longer, wider, whiter, straighter, and all around different. But it comes at a cost. Veneers are not covered by dental insurance, because they are considered a cosmetic procedure. Again, if you have the money or can finance, veneers give a wonderful natural look to a new you.

Gum Surgery
You may not want the new you to involve gum surgery, but sometimes it is needed rather than wanted. Gum and bone disease are serious issues and need serious attention. The surgery can be expensive because it takes great skill in order to be performed properly. The down side is that once you have been diagnosed as needing gum surgery there is no getting around it. You can certainly put it off, but it is inevitable. Most people have negative comments about it, but once it’s done, you are healthy and can move on to the more “fun” procedures like bleaching!

Bleaching
Ahhh nothing like a pearly white grin to start the day! But bleach!? No, it’s not the bleach you use to get those whites white in the wash! It’s a special dental bleach that makes virgin teeth whiter. Now virgin teeth are teeth that do not have any crowns on top of them, any fillings on them or have been stained from the inside out. If you have teeth like that, particularly in the front of the mouth, then bleaching is not for you. But if you drink a lot of coffee or want to brighten that smile for a date then sign right up. There are three different ways to bleach and three different price tags. The first and most cost effective is over the counter bleaching strips. They can be messy and take up to 14 days to achieve the whiteness you desire. The second is bleaching trays from a dental office. You can have trays made especially for your mouth and you place bleach given to you by the dentist in them. The bleach concentration is a bit stronger than over the counter but can also take up to 14 days as well. The big hitter and the fastest way to a blindingly white mouth is doing an in-office bleach. It is expensive but you can have the desired whiteness done in about an hour. There are two different ways, ZOOM whitening system or BriteSmile system.

Braces
When thinking of braces, does it conjure up thoughts of horrible adolescent memories of being teased for having a metal mouth? Well, those days are long gone. Traditional braces, metal, can look pretty amazing in 2010. There are now clear braces, gold braces and you can pick any color under the sun to cover the brackets. And now the new trend is to use Invisalign. They are considered braces, just another way to straighten your teeth without the teasing. These procedures can be very expensive but so worth it in the long run. Parents want to see their children have straight teeth, but as a dental health professional I see braces as a way to stay healthy. When teeth are crowded it can make it difficult to brush them properly. If they are very crowded then flossing can seem impossible. If left crowded, over time the bone holding teeth in can be damaged and diseased. Conversely, if teeth are spaced too much, food can be jammed in between. This can be very annoying over time. Many people feel embarrassed by their spacing as well. Crowded or spaced, braces can solve the problems. Many general dentists are doing orthodontia now, so if you don’t want to go to an orthodontist, ask your dentist!

All of these dental procedures are expensive. It may seem daunting or aggravating to spend a lot on your mouth. Yet, these procedures take great knowledge and know how to be performed. Think of your mouth as a part of your overall health. Having the best person do the best job, affects your health!

-Alissa

Before hitting the yellow pages or searching for a San Francisco dentist online there are a few criteria you should be wary of.

Reputation

All dentists, as with any profession, were not created equal but you will be glad to know that the general level of technical capability of San Francisco dentists is quite high for the most part. Searching for dentist reviews online can help as can word of mouth from a friend but remember that it can be difficult for a layman to tell the difference between good, bad and average. Professional referral is a slightly better gauge as a dentist will know a good, bad or average dentist.

Facilities

Did you know there are tools to get rid of or reduce that gagging feeling, or a machine that can build a dental implant immediately on site removing the need for multiple visits or that there is a shot that halves the time you have that numb feeling after you visit? Well, there are and not all San Francisco dentists have all. Some people have such levels of fear when visiting the dentist that full or partial sedation is a definite need – not all San Francisco dentists do this, but some do. If you have an idea of what work you will be doing, ask about the appropriate equipment the dentist will be using or ask him what is available to combat any concerns you might be harboring.

Cost

Depending on the procedure the cost of a visit to the dentist in San Francisco can become somewhat expensive. Factors that determine cost will be primarily reputation or experience, equipment (he has to pay for the machines some way), location (San Francisco rent is not cheap) and of course the procedure being delivered.

Insurance

For most, dental insurance is quite basic so if you are getting more than a check-up or a filling, do not bank on insurance protecting your wallet. I am including this here so sticker shock is somewhat reduced if you are seeking something like cosmetic dentistry.

Convenience

In some cases, you may be required to make multiple visits in a short amount of time so thinking with location, parking and even traffic may be an important factor. What is the point of driving to a cheap part of San Francisco (if there is one) to save a couple of hundred dollars when the time to get off work, drive and park negates that saving.

So there you go. Don’t worry, your odds are good. We at Doctorbase would like to humbly offer our listings of quality dentists in San Francisco as they have been checked for reviews and facilities with many having peer reviews too. They wouldn’t be on our listings if they had a bunch of bad reviews. If you choose not to, you obviously know how to use Google – you found us – so good luck.

E-mail the author with a question, seriously I don’t mind, it’s what i’m here for. If I don’t know the answer, I know a lot of dentists, I’ll get you an answer.

Photo Credit Toestubber

Wikipedia defines Dental Implants as:

A dental implant is an artificial tooth root replacement and is used in prosthetic dentistry to support restorations that resemble a tooth or group of teeth. There are several types of dental implants. The major classifications are divided into osseointegrated implant and the fibrointegrated implant. Earlier implants, such as the subperiosteal implant and the blade implant were usually fibrointegrated . The most widely accepted and successful implant today is the osseointegrated implant, based on the discovery by Swedish Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark that titanium can be successfully fused into bone when osteoblasts grow on and into the rough surface of the implanted titanium. This forms a structural and functional connection between the living bone and the implant. A variation on the implant procedure is the implant-supported bridge, or implant-supported denture.

Photo Credit Rikomatic

Here is a video describing the basic procedure although note there are variations from the different types and brands.

You can find a well reviewed dentist local to you who does implants here, or one that provides dentures for that matter.