Understandably, most people don’t think of their teeth when they think of the word “investment,” but take a moment to consider this. A complete set of dentures can cost as much as $20,000 depending on the type of denture and the material needed. That price wouldn’t include the cost of any extractions necessary to remove any of your remaining teeth. The average cost of a basic, routine dental visit for a cleaning and a checkup without insurance is around $50 (this cost varies by location and practice). What that means is this, you could go to the dentist twice a year, every year, for two-hundred years, paying for your visits completely out of pocket (even MORE years if you have insurance) for the same price that you could pay to have someone build teeth for you that your body already grew.
Talk about a return on investment! When you think about the emotional, physical, and financial long-term costs of regularly avoiding the dentist – it really doesn’t seem worth it in the long run. We only get one set of teeth to last us our entire lives. It’s easy enough to push that knowledge aside, to lose track of it with the hustle and bustle of life, or to put it off thanks to the fears we have of visiting the dentist. But the fact remains, that you could almost guarantee that you could keep most, if not all, of your own teeth for your entire life without requiring any major surgery, just by making a routine trip to the dentist. If you could invest your money knowing with almost absolute certainty that you wouldn’t lose a single penny, would you do it?
An Investment in Your Health and Wellbeing is the Best Investment You'll Ever Make
While many people prefer to take the “damage control” route when it comes to their teeth in order to save money, a proactive and preventative approach is the less expensive option by far. If you wait until you are in pain, or you know without a doubt that there is a problem, you will spend quite a bit more money to correct the issue than you would have spent to prevent it from occurring in the first place. You could be looking at five times (or more!) the cost of multiple checkups and cleanings to fix even a somewhat minor issue such as a cavity or a toothache. According to the Coalition on Oral Health, for every dollar that you invest in preventative care for your teeth, you will save anywhere from $8 to $50 on future corrective care. That’s a significant return on investment.
And that’s not all. Treatment for a large, well-established dental problem will not only be more expensive still, but it will likely also be far more invasive. The procedures and recovery time will be longer and, in some instances, the treatment may stop the spread of the issue or disease but the removal process can ultimately lead to weaker teeth or other lasting issues.
As surprising as it may sound, your oral health can affect more than just your mouth and gums. When left untreated, gum disease can be linked to other health-related issues such as cardiac disease, strokes, digestive trouble, trouble with conception, and respiratory infections.
Less Grim Conditions are Still a Concern
Even without the above, severe health concerns, skipping out on your routine dental appointments can result in less than ideal results. Chronic bad breath, cracked teeth, or gingivitis are all things that, given the choice, most of us would absolutely choose to avoid. The good news is, it really is as easy as going to the dentist regularly to avoid them. There is no better investment you can make in your own health than choosing to maintain your oral well-being and keeping up with the preventive care recommended to you by your dentist.
Healthy, happy teeth are beautiful teeth and it is important to know the power of a gorgeous smile.
The Best Teeth are Teeth that Last
Taking good care of your teeth by investing in regular dental visits will pay for itself, and not just financially. When you make the choice to invest in your smile, you will not only feel healthier, but you will feel more confident. We all value self-image to some extent, and when you can grin without any doubt or self-consciousness because you know you are smiling your best smile, those regular dental appointments are going to feel like a no-brainer. So, rather than letting fear or finances sway you away from making an appointment, instead push yourself to invest in your oral health and be as preventative-minded as you can by making dental visits a priority!
