This is wayyyyy more than I'd planned to share here or online-- as honestly, I am still dealing with the emotions around it all... but i am part way through getting bone implants and full upper all-on-4 implants. My situation is different -- my teeth were fine. I never had a root canal, caps or tooth breakage. I have severe bone deterioration -- likely due to a number of causes but genetics didn't do me any favors (mom got dentures in her late 30s). I am about 1/2 way through the process. I had tooth extraction and a large number of bone grafts in Oct. I will be getting the implants in a few weeks. They need to bond with the bone grafts and heal-- i should have the snap in all-on-4 denture in June/July timeframe (in the in between here I have a temporary denture-- which I HATE but my sisters tell me it looks great (and at least one of them would not LIE to me). I don't know that individual implants are even done for a whole upper but it wasn't an option for me. There was an option for a permanent (vs removable) prosthetic but it was MUCH more expensive (approaching 80K) and there were some downsides (including some hygeine-related challenges) that concerned me. I opted for the all-on-4 approach which is going to end up being more in the 18K range -- only about 1/4 of which is covered by insurance. I could have opted to do a partial or limited implants to start-- but honestly, my bone loss didn't improve with preventative efforts and it was escalating so I sucked it up and pressed forward with the whole upper. It would have been much more expensive to chase the bone loss-- and would have been years of major dental work. Eventually, I will need to do the same on the lower jaw also. I would have much preferred to have had a beautiful, healthy mouth but since I do not, I am so far pretty ok with where I am going. The process wasn't fun but it wasn't the worst surgery Ive had. The pain wasn't horrible-- in fact, my eye surgeries were much worse. Eating was an issue-- but it wasn't horrible and I made it through. I have a severe lactose intolerance so much of what they recommend you eat was off the table for me. Thank god for Rita's Italian Ice-- as I lived on that and scrambled eggs for the first 2-3 weeks. I had my surgery at the end of October and by Thanksgiving I could eat very finely cut turkey and many of the sides. I only just graduated to apples (sliced-- not biting into it whole) and yesterday I had steak! Probably shared more than you need just yet-- but I am hoping my experience helps you to make a decision. Now that I have openly shared this online-- feel free to ask any questions. Again, i am only part way through the process but the first part is the scariest and the most emotional (at least it was for me). I skipped over some of the challenges-- all with the temporary denture-- but would be happy to address them if you go this route.

@sushipup2 you are probably right. I can't remember exactly what dad had; sadly he passed away a few years ago. I believe he did have vision coverage. We have vision care through my former employer but not dental insurance. What was offered through work did not cover our (wonderful) dentists, and I would rather pay than change. So, I guess we'll be used to that if need be, when we go on Medicare.

I was given info on a few different policies for dental insurance. What it boiled down to was that you were essentially paying for your cleanings with the policy premium. They usually had a waiting period for a year or two to cover a larger repair. We decided to self insure as we are both pretty much crowned out. We were told that some dentist have plans in office for seniors where they will do cleanings for a reduced rate for cash payment and give a discount for larger items. Ours will give a discount for cash on larger repairs. @Oakley I have a vision plan thru United Healthcare that cost $10/month. That isn't much different from my employer coverage and covers pretty much the same things. I don't think that is unreasonable in cost. I would suggest contacting a senior insurance broker and see what they can come up with for you.

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