How Much Do Dentures Cost Without Insurance
If you need dentures, there’s no real way around it. But what if you don’t have any dental insurance? Fortunately, it’s possible to get affordable dentures without insurance. You just have to know where to look.
Most People Don’t Have Dental Insurance
If you don’t have insurance, you’re not alone. 40% of adults between 21 and 64 don’t have any dental benefits at all. This problem is even worse for seniors: 70% of adults over 65 don’t have dental insurance.
Employers are offering fewer benefits than they were in the past. And for many people, dental insurance isn’t something that’s readily available at an affordable price.
Without coverage, even going to the dentist for a routine checkup might be financially out of reach, let alone something major like a full set of upper and lower dentures.
What Are Dentures?
Teeth can fall out for many reasons. Aging, injuries, and taking certain medications can make your teeth fall out. Luckily, if you lost a lot of your teeth, there’s a way to restore your smile easily with dentures.
Dentures (also known as fake teeth) are replaceable teeth that you can take in and out of your mouth at will. There are complete dentures, which fit the entirety of your mouth, and partial dentures, which replace specific missing teeth.
Dentures are made of a rubber material and fake teeth. They’re custom-made to fit your mouth perfectly. And you can wear your dentures 8-12 weeks after your tooth extraction when your gums heal.
Dentures are extremely useful for people who have lost their teeth. They restore your ability to chew and eat solid foods without pain, they help you talk, and (not least of all) they restore your smile. This makes dentures worth the high cost.
How Much Do Dentures Cost Without Insurance?
Without dental insurance, dentures are quite costly. The average cost of complete dentures can be anywhere from $1300-$3200. If you need your teeth extracted first, the price goes up even more. (Without insurance, extraction can cost up to $350 per tooth.)
Here are the average costs of different types of dentures:
- Complete conventional dentures: $1275-$2750 for upper or lower dentures.
- Complete immediate dentures: $1475-$3150 for upper or lower dentures.
- Cast-metal partial dentures: $950-$1900 for upper or lower dentures.
- Acrylic partial dentures: $650-$1050 for upper or lower dentures.
- Flexible acrylic partial dentures: $1000-$1450 for upper or lower dentures.
If you have dental insurance, it will probably cover part of the cost. However, most plans set a savings cap, so it might not cover all of it. In short, even those who have dental insurance often worry about getting affordable dentures.
How to Get Affordable Dentures Without Insurance?
Dentures will always be relatively costly, but you can find providers who offer reasonable rates. If you compare your options, you can minimize the amount that you’ll pay for dentures without dental insurance.
Here are some tips that can help you get the dentures you need at a lower cost:
- Compare prices: Shopping around for dentures at local dental offices can help you choose the cheapest option available. However, you’ll often find that the overall cost of the dentures will be on a similar level.
- Opt for a cheaper version: Not all dentures are the same. Some materials and types are much cheaper than others. If you need to get your dentures for cheaper, you can opt for a lower quality version.
- Get a dental discount plan: If you want to get quality dentures at a lower price, a dental discount plan is your best option. This membership allows you to visit participating dentists and get the same dental work for cheaper. And the best dental discount plan out there is definitely Carefree Dental.
How the Carefree Dental Card Works
Carefree Dental offers a dental discount card that you can use immediately, helping you save off the cost of dentures and other major dental work, at participating dentists. To get your card, you just sign up and activate it. It costs $15.95/month for individuals and $19.95/month for your entire household, without any additional fees.
After you’ve paid your first monthly payment and activated your card, you can use it with one of the largest networks of providers nationwide. As of April 2020, there are over 262,000* available dental practice locations nationwide.
The membership is month-to-month, so you can stop any time—you’re not locked into an annual or multi-year contract agreement. You only need one card for your entire household with the family membership, and it also provides benefits for vision and prescription discounts.
How Much Do Dentures Cost With a Dental Discount Plan?
Does the Carefree Dental Card sound too good to be true? Luckily, it's as real as you and me.
Depending on what you need, the Carefree Dental card can save you 15-50%* per visit in most instances at participating dentists.. And since dentures can cost thousands of dollars, that's a big chunk of cash you can save.
While the exact price of dentures is always up to the individual dental offices to set, customers save a lot of money with a dental discount card.
If an average denture costs $1500, a 30% savings can shave $500 off the total cost. And that’s only talking about one denture.
The Carefree Dental blog is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The text and pictures within the content are intended for information purposes only. Readers should consult with a licensed dentist or healthcare professional before seeking treatment.
The Carefree Dental Card is not insurance and Carefree Dental is not an insurance provider.
