The cost of dental implants to replace missing teeth varies considerably from patient to patient, but it’s fair to say that they are not the cheapest of dental treatments available.
However dental implants are the nearest thing to real teeth and patients who have opted for teeth implants, instead of traditional bridgework or removable dentures, have felt the cost justified their improved quality of life – increased self-confidence, comfort and the ability to eat anything they want. Furthermore, dental implants last far longer than other types of teeth replacement – in some cases more than 40 years – proving to be a great investment in the long term.
To give you some further insight into why dental implants are not cheap, here are some factors which influence the cost of dental implant treatment.
1. The experience and qualifications of the dental implant surgeon
For simple dental implant cases a general dentist who has undergone additional implant training, can place and restore dental implants. However, for more complex cases where advanced surgical procedures are required, your general dentist is likely to refer you to a specialist in oral surgery.
Oral surgery specialists have a more detailed knowledge of how to restore a complex case with implants. They can provide you with a variety of treatment options to suit your requirements and are highly experienced in dealing with problems which may arise during a surgical procedure.
The General Dental Council offers a facility to search their specialist register for dentists in your area. If you want to find an oral surgery specialist, you should search the ‘Speciality Lists’ with the speciality option of ‘oral surgery’. The Implant Experts’ very own specialist in oral surgery – Anthony Bendkowski – appears on this list.
Unsurprisingly having dental implant treatments by a highly skilled oral surgery specialist will cost more than having routine dental surgery with your general dentist.
2. The type of dental implant used
Cheaper implant components are available from overseas markets which can help to keep the overall cost of dental implants down. However these are less robust than high-quality dental implants and so unlikely to last as long.
The Implant Experts keep abreast of new technology. We have seen a variety of dental implant companies come and go over the years. What happens when patients fitted with their implants need further work? – there is no support from the supplier if it has gone out of business.
This is why we prefer to use high-quality dental implants from tried and tested companies which have been established for many years. Their ongoing research and production of high-quality dental implants may not be cheap, but we know we provide our patients with implants which will last for many years – in effect keeping costs down as additional work will not be required.
3. The quality of your jaw bone
When we place a dental implant we need a given amount of bone into which we can place your new implant. The dental implant is effectively a new root for your tooth and so it needs to be very secure.
Unfortunately, some patients with missing teeth have poor quality and quantity of bone. This means we need to carry out a bone regeneration procedure to provide firm foundations for the implant. This is something we do regularly but does increase the overall cost of the dental implant treatment.
4. The number of missing teeth
Quite simply the more teeth you have missing the more dental implants you will require – and consequently the cost of the entire implant treatment goes up. The good news is that the cost of implants doesn’t go up directly in proportion to the number of teeth missing. For example, if you have one tooth missing you will require one single-tooth dental implant. But if you have 3 teeth missing you may need multiple dental implants, one at each end of the three tooth gap – this is what we call a three unit dental implant bridge. For a complete set of teeth you may need a “full arch” or same day dental implant treatment.
Please see our blog post regarding how many dental implants will I need?
5. Anaesthetic
As with all dental procedures, dental implants can be placed under local anaesthetic. However, we do offer intravenous sedation for patients who are anxious about their procedure. This adds on a slight cost to the overall price.
Conclusion: As you can appreciate the cost of dental implants depends on a number of factors which are specific to each patient’s situation. For more information about costs and dental implant procedures, we recommend you schedule a free consultation with our Dental Implant Co-ordinator and you can take a look at our standard fees here.
