Evolving Costs of Dental Care: What Is Driving Costs Up in the 2020s?

When it comes to having beautifully straight teeth, cosmetic correction is usually involved. There may be other dental corrections done as well, including laser therapies to repair a gum line or a tooth, dental work to keep cavities at bay, and other dental care that adds up in cost.

Cosmetic dental work is often considered elective by dental insurance companies, which means the dental work you desire may not be covered by dental insurance. This, in addition to the overall rising costs in dental care, can make you wonder — what is up with the evolving costs of dental care in the 2020s? How can you justify getting dental work done — especially something like straightening your smile — when dental care is more expensive than ever?

Let's explore just what is causing your dental care to appear more expensive than it has been in the past, and in learning this, you’ll know the value of what you’re getting. After all, with modern times come modern advancements in technology, including dental care. In the end, you’ll see that the benefits of dental care evolution far outweigh the evolution of costs associated with it. 

Advancements in Dental Care for Pain-free Treatments

Do you enjoy having access to sedation dentistry so you can get your dental work done with less pain and with more comfort? Do you find yourself relaxing in the dentist’s chair when your cavities are treated with state-of-the-art dental technologies like lasers? Pain-free dentists specialize in dental care that is completely or nearly painless, that can be enjoyed by patients who otherwise don’t enjoy going to the dentist but wish to be responsible for their oral health.

Advancements in dental care allow for painless and more comfortable dental treatments more accessible than ever, without the need for anesthesia or laughing gas in several scenarios. With these modern advancements in dental care, however, come price adjustments that are hard to ignore. And this is not even considering the rising cost of dental office rentals.

The benefits of having more comfortable and pain-free dental care is quite worth the investment to many patients. Visit a local pain-free dentist to learn more about the procedures you can get, as well as how much they cost compared to other more traditional dental treatments.

Advancements in Dental Correction and Cosmetic Dentistry

Remember the days where braces were giant metal contraptions worn over the teeth that made picture day a thing of nightmares? Modern advancements in the 2020s have produced braces that are nearly impossible to see and don’t give you that dreaded cyborg appearance.

You can enjoy clear aligners as an adult and no one will even know you have them on. Modern dental technologies even allow you access to clear retainers to keep your newly straightened teeth straight — all without heavy and uncomfortable metal braces.

Dental correction has come a long way, and whether you want to straighten your crooked bottom teeth due to wisdom teeth eruption or get porcelain veneers to make your smile whiter and more even, the advancements in dental correction come with their own advanced costs.

Why? For starters, many dental correction procedures are considered cosmetic in nature so dental insurance doesn’t often pay for as much of the services as they might for a root canal or dental extraction. Secondly, cosmetic dental work is often done by a dental specialist who has undergone additional schooling, therefore resulting in a higher price demand for the procedures.

However, the hefty price tag due to the evolving costs of dental care in the 2020s pales in comparison to the benefits, which include:

I. Greater Confidence

Have you ever had someone tell you you’d look more approachable if you smiled more?

When you have a smile that you can feel proud of due to modern dental technologies, you have more confidence and are willing to show it off. This can raise your self-esteem, make you feel more accomplished in everyday activities, and can lead to more confidence in relationships, work, school, and more.

Having greater confidence simply by investing in your smile is something that modern dental technology has afforded you.

II. Youthful Appeal

Think about it: Your teeth say a lot about you and if your smile is chipped and your teeth are crooked and yellowed or stained with age, you’re going to give the impression to others you’re older than you are.

If you want to nearly instantly give your face a youthful appeal, getting veneers, clear aligners, replacing missing teeth, or having your teeth professionally whitened is going to get you moving in a positive direction.

III. Mental Health Improvement

Sometimes having crooked or poorly aligned teeth takes a toll on a person’s mental health. In the days where the only solution was to undergo painful dental correction treatments or get very awkward braces, dental corrections may not have been as accessible or accepted as they are today.

With evolving dental treatments that can get you in and out of the dentist’s chair to fix dental issues that plague your mental health easily, it’s easy to see how the evolved cost of dental care actually benefits you greatly.

Advancements in Dental Treatments and Results

You may be paying more for your dental care than you did in the past, but the value of what you’re getting is better than it ever has been, too.

Think about it: your fillings are lasting longer, dental caps are more natural-looking and durable, and your overall oral health is being addressed in a more targeted way. In other words, your oral health is improving in ways it never has in the past, and it goes way beyond getting regular fluoride treatments and flossing.

When advancements in dental technology and how long the results from procedures last are taken into account, the cost of dental treatments are put into proper perspective. Call this the useful life of a filling or the depreciation of your oral care.

However, you want to add it up, you can’t ignore that your dental care is better than it was when you were younger (and when it was cheaper, too).

In Conclusion: The Evolution in Dental Technology Benefits You

Yes, costs in dental care are increasing, just like costs are evolving with other advancements in technologies outside of dental work. However, in the end, there is peace in knowing that no cost is too high for quality dental care and what you do get is worth every penny. So, protect your investment in your smile and visit your dental provider regularly for checkups and cleanings.