Totally agree, it’s wild how insurance draws the line at “cosmetic” for implants but will happily pay for a bridge that messes with two perfectly good teeth. I had a similar situation—lost a premolar and my dentist pushed a bridge since insurance covered most of it. Regret it, honestly. The prep felt invasive, and the sensitivity in those teeth never really went away.
Implants are pricey upfront, but when you factor in the long-term maintenance on bridges (and sometimes even replacements), it’s not as big a gap as insurance makes it seem. I’ve seen some plans now that’ll cover like 50% of an implant, though you have to dig through the fine print. If you’re thinking about switching or open enrollment’s coming up, definitely worth checking the policy details—sometimes they sneak in new coverage without making a big deal about it.
Partial dentures… yeah, not my favorite either. Tried one for a few months and just couldn’t get used to it. Steak was a no-go, apples were a definite nope. Implants just feel so much more natural, even if the process takes forever.
