One of the most frequent questions patients ask us is about the cost of dental implants, and in this post, we are going to explain the factors that go into dental implant pricing, and why implants are a worthwhile investment.
Dental Implant Steps
The dental implant procedure usually consists of three steps – we place the actual dental implant in the mouth, place a bone graft if necessary, and then once the implant is osseointegrated (stable in the jaw), we restore the implant with an implant crown.
Implant Costs
In general, the cost for a dental implant can range from $3000-$4000, and a bone graft can add approximately $500 to the cost of the treatment. Other factors that can affect the cost include whether or not you need a CT-scan before the procedure, if you need a tooth extracted first, and whether or not a sinus lift is indicated.
Insurance and Dental Implants
Most dental insurance plans will not cover the cost of the implant or the bone graft, but some will reimburse you for part of the cost of the crown (an implant crown is similar to a crown (or cap) that we would place on a natural tooth).
A Long-Term Investment
Dental implants need to be thought of as a long-term investment, and the prognosis of an area restored with a dental implant is much higher than that of a natural tooth restored with a root canal, periodontal surgery, post and crown (provided you are a candidate for dental implants). All of these steps are points of failure – a root canal can fail, gum surgery can lead to recession, posts can weaken, and crowns can get decay over time. But because dental implants do not get tooth decay and do not have these other potential points of failure, they tend to last for decades as long as they are maintained properly (regular dental visits and cleanings, etc.).
While the cost of a dental implant and implant crown is a significant up-front cost, consider the cost of the restoration over the course of 20-30+ years. And as fantastic as is today’s current dental technology, there are virtually no dental restorations that have that long of a lifespan.
Further, the chair time for dental implant treatment is often much less than the time you would need to spend for all of the procedures above, and less chair time means less time off from work and fewer visits to our office.
While no dental restoration can last forever, and as we cannot replace what Mother Nature gave you in the first place, when you have a tooth that needs to be replaced, dental implants make dental sense and financial sense. And we do understand that implants are expensive, and as such we have payment plans and financial arrangements available to help you manage the costs. Please don’t hesitate to ask us questions about implants or about the financial aspect of treatment, as that’s why we’re here!