How Much Do Dental Implants Cost (and Why)?

Dental implants are one of the most expensive treatments but they are also a dental procedure with huge variations in reported costs. You may find prices from as low as $800 for replacing a single missing tooth up to $100,000 for a full mouth restoration.

The average cost for a single tooth implant in U.S. is around $4,000 for a patient with good dental health and jaw bone structure.

The cost of dental implants is affected by so many different factors that rarely two cases are exactly the same. Additionally, the final cost is the total of several different procedures that sometimes are performed by different dental professionals.

A professional dental implant dentist will give you a treatment cost estimation only after a thorough examination and evaluation of all your individual treatment needs. Only then he can diagnose other existing dental health conditions, develop a treatment plan, calculate the necessary work to be performed and provide a final treatment cost. Do not trust cost estimations given by phone or in the internet, or advertisements for low cost dental implants.

Before you start comparing prices in order to choose adentist or clinic, it should first be clear what exactly is included in the price. It is not unusual for some clinics, that claim to offer affordable prices, to provide you a lower cost that includes just the implant placement, only to find out of other hidden or additional fees much later after starting the treatment. The basic components of dental implants cost are:

• preparation treatments - the cost of any treatments required before the implant surgery.
• dental implant placement - the cost of the actual implant and the oral surgery for its placement
• dental abutment - the post fitted on top of the implant, where the final restoration will be attached
• tooth restoration - this could be a crown, fixed bridge or denture (acrylic or porcelain).

If you do not want to find yourself in the difficult financial situation to be charged with additional costs in the course of the treatment, you should ask your dentist to make clear what treatments you will need and if they are all included in the proposed price. Unfortunately, it is not unusual a treatment with initial advertised cost of under $1000, to end up over $4000 for a single implant.

You must also know that dental insurance that covers dental implants is very expensive, and in most cases standard insurance policies will not offer coverage for implant related procedures.

Each patient has different needs depending on his current dental and overall health condition. Likewise, the aesthetic or/and functional requirements may vary significantly from case to case. The dentists may also have different skills and experience, or use different techniques and materials.

As a result a patient may get variable prices from different dentists, but also the same dentist will give variable prices to different patients. A price variation of -/+ 50% (or more) of the average may seem too big but has to be treated as normal, considering all the variables affecting the dental implant prices.

Providing an average cost for dental implants is very risky. Most of the dentists will give a price only after carefully examining a patient's case and designing a treatment plan.

Single implant prices in USA for a patient with good dental health and good bone structure range from $1,500 to $6,000. Full mouth reconstructions with implants range from $12,000 to $50,000 per arch. Prices for complicated cases that require additional treatments may be even higher.

Average cost is around $4,000 for a single implant and $50.000 for full mouth reconstruction.

Discounts. A discount more than -50% of the average cost has to be treated with concern, examining first the level of experience of the offering dentist and the quality of the materials used. A dental implant failure will cost you much more than you may expect to save from lower price offers.

Treatment abroad. Average cost of dental implants is much lower in some other countries with lower costs of living. Although you can expect similar prices in USA and UK, treatment will cost you 50% less in countries such as Mexico or Hungary, or even 75% lower in Asia.

These price differences explain the big increase of dental tourism. Many patients from US or UK decide to travel abroad for dental implants treatment at much lower prices.

Dental implants treatment is actually a combination of different dental procedures (diagnostic, surgical and restorative) sometimes performed by different dental professionals. This can explain the significant variations of prices from patient to patient or from dentist to dentist. The prices depend on a large number of different factors, such as the kind of treatments required for each patient's case, the choice of materials to be used for the implantation or the restoration and finally geopolitical factors that usually affect the price of every dental procedure:

Preparation phase costs

• Consultation fee. Usually provided for free but some dentists may charge up to $100.
• CT scans. May be required when there is uncertainty for the condition of the jaw bone (~$500). Computerized tomography (CT) scans can give a detailed 3D image of the jawbone and the location of structures such as nerves and sinuses that will help the dentist in treatment planning.
• Extractions. If the implant is about to replace one or more damaged or loose teeth that have not been extracted yet, the cost of extractions may be added to the treatment price (~$75-$200 per tooth).
• Gum disease treatment. Dental scaling will be needed if there are signs of gum disease ($100-$300).
• Bone grafting. If needed, in case of inefficient jaw bone, bone grafting can add $250 to $1000 per tooth to the cost depending on the area and amount of bone to be grafted.
• Sinus elevation (sinus augmentation). When the height of the jaw bone under the sinus cavity is not enough for the placement of a dental implant, you will need a sinus lift operation ($1,000-$1,500).
• Gum grafting. If there is not enough gum tissue to cover aesthetically the restoration due to gum recession, gum grafting can add another $500-$1000 to the treatment fees.

Surgical phase costs

• Dentist. Experienced implant dentists have a much lower failure rate. The prices of a dentist that works only with dental implants and has obtained a high level of expertise will normally be higher than the fees of a dentist who only sporadically works with implant patients.
• Location (country/town). Prices vary greatly from country to country or even from town to town. Dentists located in areas or countries with lower cost of living can offer much lower prices, so many patients decide to travel even abroad for dental implants placement.
• Brand of implant. The prices of premium brands by well known manufacturers such as Nobel Biocare maybe up to 2 times higher than other low cost brands but they offer upto 10 years guarantee for the material and lower risk of treatment failure.
• Special materials. If special diameter fixtures are needed (either narrower or wider), they will raise the cost by about $250. Specially coated implants that claim to help in the osseo-integration process, are also about $250 more expensive.
• Mini implants. Mini implants are a lower cost type with smaller diameter designed primarily to be used for supporting dentures but some dentists, in order to offer a lower price, promote their use also for replacing smaller front teeth instead of regular implants.
• Tooth Location. Some dentists charge up to $750 more for replacing teeth in the posterior mandible (back of the lower jaw) due to the increased difficulty of the surgical procedure in this area.
• Number of implants. Price per tooth will be lower when more than three are placed.
• Abutment. Special types of abutments such as the zirconium coated may cost 100% higher.

Restorative phase costs

• Temporary crown. During the osseointegration phase, in case of a missing front tooth that would severely affect the patient's appearance for about 3-6 months, the dentist may place immediately on the implant a temporary crown that comes with an additional cost.
• Type of permanent restoration. The final restoration (crown, bridge or denture) can be made of different types of materials available with different benefits and prices.

Dental implants are a very expensive treatment but they can provide a permanent, fully functional solution for the patient and a long lasting smile. It is one of the most advanced dental treatments, and several factors contribute to the high cost of treatment:

• First of all is the cost of materials. The material that quality implants are made of is expensive. Using lower cost materials can set the whole treatment at risk due to their lower osseo-integration performance. The materials for the prosthetic restoration that can provide the best aesthetic results are also quite expensive.
• Dental implants treatment is actually not a single treatment but a combination of different dental procedures, diagnostic, surgical and restorative.
• Other dental treatments can be completed by a single dentist, but dental implants may need the combined effort of an entire team of dental professionals.
• All treatments related to dental implants (oral surgery, bone grafting, gum grafting) require knowledge of sophisticated techniques and a high level of expertise for a successful outcome.
• The development of these techniques requires a significant research investment.
• For this reason the continuing education in related procedures is expensive for the dentists and this is normally reflected in their fees.
• Contrary to other dental treatments, there is not a typical implants treatment. Each case is different and the required treatment plan is highly customized to the individual patient.
• Advanced experience is needed not only for the dentists involved but also for the dental lab technicians that must prepare the final restorations to fit on the implants (crown, bridge or dentures).