Low Cost Dental Implants - Truth or Trap?

Although dental implants are the best choice for replacing missing teeth, they are an expensive solution that not everyone can afford. Affordable dental implants is a common quest for patients with limited budget. With an average cost of a dental implant at $4,000, it is not surprising that many patients will be tempted by advertisements for cheap / low cost implants, especially if they do not have dental implant insurance coverage.

If you do some research you may find dentists that offer prices as low as $600 per implant. Before you request their services, you should wonder why or how these dentists can offer such a low price while others ask for 5 or 10 times more. Is it a true offer or just a trap to lure new patients?

Some things to consider before choosing an offer of low cost dental implants include the following:

• 'implants from $xxx' - Every patient's case is different. Even in dental implants there are some 'easy' cases with patients of excellent dental health with strong jawbones that need to replace one of the smaller front teeth. As expected these cases are on the lower edge of the prices range. A dentist may advertise cheap starting prices but after the initial consultation you will be likely asked for a much higher price due to various reasons that the dentist will later explain persuasively. Even if your case is truly one of the 'easy' ones, cheap implant prices below $1,000 should make you cautious about the quality of service and materials to be offered.
• dentist's expertise - the level of experience of the implant dentist is crucial for the success of the treatment. Dentists with lower experience will naturally offer lower prices to attract patients and gain the necessary expertise. In these cases you should value if the savings from the low cost offer counter-balance the increased risk of implant failure.
• low quality materials - the cost of materials represents a significant part of the total treatment cost for the dentist. There are many brands that provide materials to dentists but not all of them have the necessary research credentials to prove the quality of their products. The price variation may be huge with some 'generic' implants to cost as low as $5 while another of a well known brand name may cost around $500. A dentist may decide to use these cheap materials in order to be able to offer attractive low cost treatments. The failure rate for these cheap implants is usually multiple times more than the high quality ones.
• mini dental implants - mini dental implants cost much less due to the lower material cost and the much simpler procedure for their placements. But you must be aware that they are not suitable for all cases. Using mini dental implants to minimize the cost for cases where regular ones are required will most possibly lead to treatment failure.
• only the implantation is included - some patients who start a low cost treatment, find out that the offer was just a trap to lure them and the price included only the actual placement of the implant. The dentist may ask later for additional charges for the consultation appointments, the x-rays or the aftercare visits. The most usual 'misunderstanding' between patients and dentists is the inclusion or not of the restoration cost in the total agreed treatment cost. It is not unusual patients who believe that they have found a low cost implants opportunity, to finally pay several thousands of dollars to complete the treatment.

When you look for low cost implants you must always check if the dentist has the adequate experience, check if the materials to be used are of approved quality, and ask the dentist to clearly explain what is included in the offered price and what is not. Otherwise instead of cheap implants, you may face implant failure and have to repeat the treatment with much higher cost.

Even though dental implants may be in the long term the most economic solution vs alternative treatments, their initial cost may be difficult to fit in everyone's family budget. The problem is bigger for patients who do not have a dental insurance coverage and have to pay for the full cost on their own.

Cheap dental implants might hide some risks regarding the quality of service or materials, but that does not mean that there are no safer ways to get affordable dental implants.

Here are some tips to help you have your treatment at a lower affordable cost:

• Get multiple offers.   Due to the big discrepancies in implant prices from dentist to dentist, it is wiser to get multiple offers from different dentists before you decide.
• One dentist for all.   Dentists who take care of all phases of treatment, both surgical and restorative, will usually offer a better price than the combined cost if different specialists perform each part of the treatment.
• Dental implant clinics.   Clinics that specialize in this type of treatments may provide more affordable prices related to a dentist that only occasionally treats implant patients.
• Location.   If you can find an experienced dentist in the suburbs or in a smaller town nearby, you could possibly get a lower price than from a central town clinic.
• Number of implants.   Most of the dentists will give some discount if you need multiple implants.
• Dental tourism.   Traveling abroad has become lately a popular solution for affordable dental implants. Dentists in other countries with lower living and maintenance costs can provide low cost implants without necessarily compromising the quality of the service or materials used.

Affordable dental implants solutions for low income patients

Low income patients may have two more available options in some areas:

• Local dental schools may offer treatment for reduced rates or free as part of the student's training under faculty staff supervision.
• Local dental societies may sometimes have programs where their members offer significant discounts to low income patients that need dental implants to restore severe functional problems and regain the ability to eat properly.

More ways for affordable dental implant costs

If you have tried to find the best price for your treatment but still you can not afford the cost of dental implants, the other options are to either search for financing aid or find a dental plan to reduce the cost.

• The best way to manage the high treatment cost is to have dental implants coverage included in your dental insurance. Or join a dental plan so that you have some percentage of the cost covered.
• Even if you have a dental insurance that does not include dental implants, you should discuss with your dentist and your insurance agent for possible partial coverage. Under some circumstances, your dental insurance provider may agree to pay a part of the cost.
• Many dentists provide in house financing, to help their patients to afford treatment costs.
• Financing plans are also available from some finance companies.
• Dental discount plans despite their restrictions may provide an option for affordable dental implants.