The cost of dental implants may appear high, but the price continues coming down. And if you consider the benefits, the time involved and the expertise of your specialist implants are worth every penny. To help you understand and appreciate the cost let’s explore the aspects of price and how different dental implants may differ depending on various factors.
If the price is too good to be true? It probably is.
The cost of a dental implant ranges from around $1,500 up to $5,000.00 . Anything less may be an indicator that you’re getting an inferior product or an implant that’s not designed for a particular location in your mouth. Short term the implant device may appear to be fully functional, but operationally it won’t last. The difference may be likened to the difference between Toyo’s and Michelin tires. Here again you may get what you pay for and the initial cost may appear affordable, but in the long term you are going to get a better result with how it functions and how long it lasts if your provider installs Michelins.
The real concern for the patient is ‘where and how’ to find an inexpensive quality dental implant, and most likely the driving adjective is ‘inexpensive’. This perception by the patient is that teeth are utilitarian to their daily life. That’s really not the case, but to put the cost into perspective let’s examine what goes into the cost of a dental implant.
4 Factors that Drive the Cost of Dental Implants:
The Material:
The traditional materials – prices of cobalt-chromium alloy and titanium are not the same. Implants from cobalt-chromium (CC) alloy rods are cheaper than comparable titanium implants, but when it comes to zirconium dioxide, then cost of a dental implant may appear to be cost prohibitive to the patient. However, depending on where the implant is being placed, you may end up with a less than satisfactory result with the less expensive CC implant. You just won’t know it for a while.
The Size:
This variable is a significant factor. The bigger the implant, the more material, the more it costs, but also the more it may do. Also, special coatings applied to the surface of the implant, contributing to better osseo-integration with the bone, will affect the cost of the dental implant.
The Manufacturer:
Different manufacturers put different prices on similar rods made from the same material. Some manufacturers include some kind of an extra charge in the dental implant’s price for their brand name. This is a lot more esoteric and therefore harder to explain. It’s like trying to explain the difference between Polo and Hanes T-shirts. However, some of these manufacturers provide lifetime guarantees and replacement for failure.
Finally, it may depend on where your dentist gets his implants from. And this factor may be a function of how motivated your provider is in providing you with the best implant material for the least amount of cost to you. Some of that may just end up being economies of scale by your provider. Does your provider have contacts directly with manufactures in China or Israel, where the dental implant cost can be significantly reduced, while the indirect purchase of dental implants from U.S dental suppliers may ratchet up the price?
A lot of your choice and cost may depend on the choice of your provider. It’s not to say the more you spend the better you will be. Rather, a reputable practitioner, who is truly trained in the placement and restoration (and this may be two providers), may be a significant factor in what you end up with and what it costs. Trust and reputation are the more difficult factors to define for the patient.
Novy Scheinfeld, DDS, PC
290 Carpenter Drive, 200A
Atlanta (Sandy Springs), GA 30328
404-256-3620
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