How much do dental implants cost?
Dental implants these days have evolved as the most sought after treatment modality for fixed teeth due to their advantages over conventional fixed bridges(for more details read our blog on dental implant versus bridge)Although the latest tecnology remains the most sought one for the patients but the COST remains a major deciding criteria for the patients. Hence my motive to sit down and write this blog is to put across the patients the reasons behind this gtreatment being expensive and why the cost of dental implant varies so mich from one dental surgeon to other and from area to area.
A dental implant is made of a highly nobel material called Titanium which in itself is expensive and what matters more is the layering of a biologically active material over this titanium surface. The better this coating is (in terms of bone formation around implant) the better the implant is.........ULTIMATELY IN THE FIST PLACE THIS BONE FORMATION AROUND IMPLANT IS GOING TO FORM A FIRM BONDING OF IMPLANT TO BONE FOR THE FUTURE TOOTH OVER IMPLANT.
hence different dental implant companies(eg nobel, dentsply, biohorizon, alpha bio) etc have their patent design of implants and the differenent coatings over them and hence the different costings from the manufacturer itself.
Another very important fact It is that most health insurance companies do not cover the complete cost of getting a dental implant because they also fall under the category of cosmetic dentistry. (let me be very clear and precise that in INDIA none of the insurance companies cover the dental implant procedure.............for overseas patients coverage under your medical plan may be possible, depending on the insurance plan and/or cause of tooth loss. Detailed questions about your individual needs and how they relate to insurance should be discussed with your dentist and insurance provider clearly before hand if you have to get the treatment cost reimbursed from an insurance company)
The procedures that are involved in the placement of a dental implant include bone grafts, implanting a titanium post into the jaw, placing the implant onto the post, and finally the placement of the crown or the false tooth.
The average cost of a single dental implant in USA ranges between $4000 to $5000 with the cost of the titanium post and the crown being the most expensive of all the procedures that are performed in the surgery. It is for this reason that only few people can afford to replace their missing teeth with implants.
THE SAME TREATMENT IN INDIA COSTS AROUND $500-$1000.( THE COST OFCOUSE MAY VARY IF ADDITIONAL BONE GRAFTING ETC ARE REQUIRES ....OR MAY BE IF A PATIENT WANTS A ZIRCONIA CAP OR A METAL FREE CAP FOR THAT MATTER.
Why does the cost of dental implants vary?
It has been noted that the cost of dental implants varies greatly depending upon the area and the dental surgeon. A major observation is that dental surgeons with private practices charge more for the placement of implants that those that work as part of a hospital or dental implant training centres.( the cost varies depending upon the diffrence of armamentarium(equipments ...digital xrays etc), sterilization protocols and the prosthetic lab support(the kind of lab being used and let me be clear that after the implant has been put the rest half of the battle is won only if the crown/artificial tooth being put over it fabricated properly....as that is the visible outcome of treatment to the patient and in terms of functional viablity of the implant)Which dentist is ideal for the placement of dental implants?
The cost greatly varies for clinician to clinicain depending upon the years of experience. A more experience implant dentist is genrally more expensive too(as compared to the implants being placed at training centres where the implants are placed by trainees as compared to experienced surgeons......and let me add to this too that if you are travelling from overseas then beware of the lots of QUACKERY HAPPENING AROUND HERE IN INDIA...AS IMPLANT IS NOT JUST DRILLING AND PALCING THE SCREW......ITS SUCCESS TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE METICULOUS PLANNING, STERLIZATION, IMPLANT COMPANTY etc).And let me ask a question here that would anyone put money from his/her pocket to give a quality service to others....no....so think twice before you get attracted to a low cost implant deal.
And then let me add to this that implant placement is a TEAM WORK. The story does not end with the drilling of bone and putting a titanium screw(the IMPLANT).....the position at which this is done should be planned before the placement and this is done by a PROSTHODONTIST. In short the team generally at most of the places have an implant surgeon, a PROSTHODONTIST(artificial teeth specialist) , and a PERIODONTIST(gum specilist if any soft tissue grafting is required.Many dentists and hospitals readily advertise and publicize their expertise in the area of dental implants but these must be ignored. In order to determine which dentist is the best in your locality for the placement of implants, one must read reviews posted by other patients regarding their experience with a particular dentist.
So if i summarize what i intended to put across through this blog i can put it under these points....
1.Does the price include just the implant or the abutment and crown/restoration?
2.What is the experience of the dental surgeon carrying out the treatment?
A more experienced surgeon will usually charge more for his time.
3.Where is the clinic that I am having my treatment?
The cost of implants can vary in different parts of the country due to differences in overheads of running the dental clinics.
4.Which brand of implant does your surgeon use?
There are various different manufacturers of dental implants,
such as alpha bio, Nobel Biocare, dentsply to name a few(being regulary practised in india). The
different implant types do vary in price and so this will be reflected
in the final costs of your treatment.
5.Additional costs : bone grafting, sinus lift procedures etc.
I HOPE I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PUT ACROSS MY POINT.....AND NEXT TIME YOU SIT TO BROWSE LOOKING OUT FOR DENTAL IMPLANT TREEATMENT IT WOULD BE EASIER AND A WISER DECISION TOO.
DR.NAINA TALWAR CHOPRA
B.D.S,M.D.S-(PROSTHODONTIST AND CERTIFIED IMPLANT SPECIALIST)
GOLD MEDALIST
