One of the most cutting-edge advancements in restorative dentistry has to be dental implants. When a tooth is damaged to an extent beyond saving, your dentist may recommend implants as a permanent low-maintenance solution. Unfortunately, some patients are hesitant to proceed because of the cost of dental implants.
The initial dental implants cost might look very expensive, and your insurance may not cover it.However, dental implants should be looked at as a long-term investment in your overall oral hygiene. Plus, the overall cost may be lower if you compare it to other options, which can require maintenance and upkeep over the years.
There are many factors to consider when determining the cost of a dental implant. When you choose Dr. Mahsa Esfandiari Dental Group, we want to ensure you have all the information you need to make an informed decision about your dental health. Below, we will cover the steps involved during an implant placement procedure. We will also give you an estimate on how much a single tooth or full mouth of dental implants may cost in our office.
What Is the Purpose of Dental Implants?
Dental implants are one of the best restorative solutions, offering patients the look, feel and function of natural teeth. However, these advanced appliances do more than replace missing teeth. They help fulfill several important purposes:
- Bone loss prevention: Your teeth and tooth roots are critical in maintaining the health of your supporting bone structure. A lost tooth can result in bone loss in the jawbone, which can give the face a sunken appearance. Implants help strengthen and maintain your facial bone structure and prevent future bone loss — a process known as osseointegration.
- Health of surrounding teeth: Along with bone loss, a lost tooth can compromise the integrity of neighboring tooth roots and overall tooth stability. Implants protect existing teeth by helping preserve bone structure.
- Functionality: Dental implants have the strength and stability of natural teeth, allowing you to chew the foods you love and enjoy fully functioning teeth.
- Confidence: Because of their natural appearance, implants give patients the confidence to smile freely.
Dental Implants Are Highly Specialized and Multi-Step Treatments
Depending on your oral health and your teeth condition, there might be different steps involved to replace your tooth with an implant. The cost of your treatment depends on which steps are required and the type and quality of the materials used.
Here, we give you an overview of the steps that can influence the typical price range for this procedure in our office. These steps highly depend on each patient’s needs, which can vary a lot case by case.
- Tooth Extraction: This may be necessary if you need to extract the tooth or if it has already been lost.
- Bone Grafting: This might be needed for patients who do not have a thick jawbone. This will prepare the bone for implant.
- Dental Implant Placement: This is a surgical step to place the implant into the bone. One or more implants are needed depending on your tooth loss condition.
- A Temporary Denture or Crown: This depends on the patient’s cosmetic needs. The healing process could be fast but may also last up to six months. Your dentist may also recommend this step if needed to improve your eating, speaking or aesthetic.
- Abutment: This part connects your implant to the crown. This step is performed after the implant is completely healed.
- Permanent Crown Placement: This is the artificial tooth that attaches to the abutment after the two-week healing process following your abutment placement.
What Determines the Dental Implants Cost?
The first question most patients ask our team before proceeding with implant placement is how much their dental implants will cost. Pricing can vary based on our patient’s needs and whether some or all of the above steps are required.
Your dentist will take the time to walk you through every step of your unique dental implant treatment plan. This includes outlining the different factors that influence the cost, which could be:
- Number of implants: The number of dental implants you need will impact the cost of your overall treatment plan.
- Materials used: Most implants are made of titanium or zirconia, while replacement teeth are generally made of acrylic or porcelain. The type of material you choose can influence the price of your implant procedure.
- Preparation: If your teeth are damaged or decayed, this will likely require extraction. Some patients also experience diminished soft tissue or bone loss after losing teeth. All these issues need to be addressed in the preparation stage before dental implantation to ensure the successful placement of implant posts.
- Sedation: The type of sedation used can impact your overall treatment cost. However, many dental insurances will offset the price of certain sedation methods.
- Dental insurance: Before proceeding with your dental implant plan, we can help you contact your dental insurance to see which steps are covered.
We advise you to be highly cautious when choosing your dental implant provider. Some low-priced offers in the area may not include all the steps involved. Also, many “low-price” advertisements are highly misleading as they just show you the price for one or two stages of the implant process — not the whole treatment. If you are price shopping, you should educate yourself and ask the right questions from your dentist to make sure you have the whole picture with all the costs involved.
How Much Does a Single Tooth Implant Cost in Our Office?
If you are using your insurance, the cost of your overall implant procedure is determined by the insurance company. Unfortunately, we don’t have a say in that.
If you are paying out of pocket, the total cost for a single tooth implant in our office (“without” any discounts or promotions) can vary between $3,500 to $5,500. From time to time, we may offer implant special promotions on top of that. Also, you may use our in-house discount membership plans, which have many benefits and would provide you with up to a 50% discount depending on the membership plan you pick.
How Much Is the Cost for Multiple Implants?
Replacing two to four teeth can cost you between $5,000 to $10,000. As we mentioned above, this is without any promotional offers applied.
A single jaw (single arch) could cost up to $30,000, while full mouth dental implants could cost up to $50,000. The cost of an all-on-4 dental implant-supported denture can cost $15,000 per arch or higher. Again, these are average numbers based on the typical patients we see in our office. The cost varies highly on a case-by-case basis, and we recommend booking a free consultation session with our dentists to discuss your options and costs.
What Are My Options to Cover My Implant Costs?
Although our procedures are not free, we are committed to working with you to find the best financial solution that fits your situation. Let’s discuss some options that may cover or reduce the costs of your implant procedure.
Medicare
Our office is unique in that all our dentists are credentialed by Medicare. We have the ability to maximize the benefits of both your dental insurance and your Medicare part B insurance. Please refer to this article to find out more about the conditions that qualify your procedure to be covered by Medicare.
Dental Insurance
If your dental insurance covers the cost of your crown, it can lower your implant costs. Another situation that can help is checking if the implant procedure is needed for medical rather than cosmetic reasons. That is, will dental implants improve your oral health? This could change the game, and your insurance may be willing to help you cover the costs. Some other diseases and accidents causing tooth loss might also qualify your implant procedure to be covered by your insurance.
Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
Having a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) could also help reduce your costs. Talk to your dentist so you can break up your procedures into two years. A portion could be done before the end of your FSA calendar year, and another portion could be done at the beginning of the next FSA calendar year. This way, you can maximize your FSA pre-tax savings from two years.
In-House Dental Discount Plans
We allow all our patients to sign up for our membership discount plans. These offer you up to a 50% discount on implant procedures and other surgeries, plus many other benefits.
Payment Plans
We are more than willing to work with your budget by offering low monthly payment plans. The overall cost of your implant procedure can be broken down into more affordable monthly payments so you can improve your smile without breaking the bank.
Why Choose Us?
At Dr. Mahsa Esfandiari Dental Group, our dentists and staff are dedicated to helping you and providing a world-class experience. Our implantologist, Dr. Ganji, is one of the best surgeons in the area, placing multiple implants every day. He offers you his expertise, replacing single or multiple teeth or even performing full jaw surgery if needed.
As explained above, our office is in a unique position that could maximize both your medical and dental insurances. In addition to that, we can offer you many different options to fit your financial needs.
Call our office to book your free consultation, or contact us online. Our dentists will help you understand your options and give you a more accurate estimate for your implant treatment plan costs.
