The cost of dental implants
Losing teeth is never fun. Whether it’s one tooth or many, losing a part of yourself may make you feel like you are falling apart at the seams.
Finding out about the wonderful benefits of dental implants can fill you with hope and make you feel optimistic that you can replace what you’ve lost with a life-like substitute. I can get my teeth back! you might think. But then, a week later, you hear stories about a friend of a friend who had to refinance his mortgage to pay for his dental implants. Your balloon of happiness suddenly deflates with an almost-audible hiss.
While it’s true that dental implants do cost more than traditional tooth replacements, such as bridges and dentures, the cost of dental implants varies significantly based on several unique factors.
Type of Implant Procedure
All dental implant procedures are going to incur procedural fees, but there’s a great big difference between the cost of a single implant and crown and a set of implant-based dentures. Generally speaking, an implant bridge requires two dental implants, so it will cost at about double the cost of a single implant procedure. The most expensive implant procedure will be for patients who require full dentures (usually four implants), on both the top and bottom arches (eight implants, in total).
Pre-Surgeries
There are some cases in which patients will need to undergo pre-surgeries, and this can add to the cost of dental implants. For example, bone grafting may be needed if a patient has been without teeth for many years or has suffered bone loss in the jaw due to gum disease. While bone grafting can often be done at the time of the implant surgery, it often requires a separate surgical procedure and healing period. Sinus augmentation (sinus lift) surgery may also be necessary for patients who have lost teeth on the top arch. When you meet with Dr. Lee or Dr. Proctor, part of your initial consultation will include determining whether any pre-surgeries will be needed.
Comparing the Cost of Implants to Traditional Restorations
An important thing to remember when thinking about the cost of dental implants is that, for many patients, dental implants are a permanent restoration. They do fail infrequently, but dental implants that are well cared for will rarely need to be replaced. This means that you probably won’t need to spend money on having them re-done or maintained in the future. This is a sharp contrast to traditional tooth replacements. Conventional dental bridges and dentures have a finite lifespan. Bridges fail and need to be replaced after a number of years and dentures need to be relined frequently to ensure a proper fit.
With implants, you may need to pay more up-front, but you are saving yourself the headache and the extra costs associated with repeat dental work. With non-implant restorations, you will continue to pay over time. For many patients, the unique benefits of dental implants make them a worthy investment in their future quality of life.
Ask Us About Financing
At Every Smile Family Dentistry and Orthodontics, we want everyone to have access to the unique benefits dental implants can provide. Implants are simply a better choice for your overall oral health. For this reason, we offer flexible financing plans for patients to help make the cost of dental implants more affordable. When you come in for a consultation, ask about our financing options and we’ll explain how it works.
Schedule a Consultation Today
If you’ve lost teeth, call us today to schedule a visit to our dental office. One of our dentists will take a look at your situation and assess your suitability for implants. Based on your unique case, we will draw up a treatment plan that outlines each step of the implant procedure, including estimated costs and the treatment timeline. We will also investigate whether your insurance will cover some of the costs, and share some of the ways that our other patients have been able to finance their dental implants. There is no commitment required for a consultation, so come and see us—the cost of your dental implants may be lower than you think!
