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What Do Dental Implants Cost, and Why?

There is more to figuring the costs of dental implants than just getting prices for the actual surgery involved. You will also be paying for the abutment, or extension, fitted onto the healed titanium rod which was implanted in your jawbone, and the prosthetic ceramic tooth which is placed on the abutment. And if you are having more than one implant, each of your abutments and prosthetic teeth may be individually priced. But as a general rule, you can expect to pay between $1000 and $3000 per tooth implant.

The Most Expensive Dental Implants

The most expensive dental implants are undoubtedly those which require either natural or synthetic bone to be grafted to the patient's jawbone at the site of the implants. These grafts are necessary when a patient has experienced bone erosion his or her jawbone after losing a natural tooth.

Unless the jawbone is sufficiently dense, the process of inserting the titanium implant rod into it will fail. A bone graft will require a surgical procedure and healing period prior to the actual implant operation. The cost of dental implants which are not part of reconstructive surgery following an accident are almost never covered by medical or dental insurance.

If you need dental implants, and especially if you need dental implant with bone grafts, try to find a dental surgeon who will let you finance your surgery. And get a very clear statement of exactly what you are paying for with each of the fees. It can be very uncomfortable to be hit with a financial surprise in the middle of a dental implant procedure!

Cost Benefits of Dental Implants

While there are definite cosmetic benefits to having dental implants, there are also some very real cost benefits. People with missing teeth have difficulty chewing their food thoroughly, and improperly chewed food does not break down in the digestive tract enough to release all its nutrients.

Having missing teeth also causes individuals to shift their bites, and can eventually lead to problems with their mandible (jaw) joints. And the teeth surrounding a gap left by a missing tooth or teeth will shift from their natural positions over time because they are no longer properly supported. So having permanent dental implants can ward off a whole host of long-term health problems, any one of which could cost more to treat than the implants did.

While less-expensive dentures and bridges can serve as substitute teeth, they are never as secure as dental implants, and do not let people bite and chew their foods with the same force. They also require their users to pay for messy adhesives, special cleansers, and regular refitting. Dental implants must be kept clean or they will develop plaque and possible gum infections, but they can be brushed and flossed just like natural teeth, at no additional cost.

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