Getting dental implants is a permanent tooth replacement option, especially compared to more temporary options like traditional dentures. The up-front cost is high and not fully covered by insurance, but it’s an investment for better dental care.
Dental implants replace missing teeth. More than other artificial tooth options, implants look, feel, and work most like your natural teeth.
Let’s look at the prices you may see for your upcoming tooth implant.
How much do dental implants cost?
The average cost of dental implants ranges from $3,000-$8,000 per tooth in the United States. A full mouth of dental implants costs anywhere from $46,000-$80,000.
According to dental billing specialist Angela Grgic, these individual prices of each part of the dental implant procedure may contribute to the total cost:
- Initial consultation: $50-$300
- Panoramic X-ray: $100-$250
- Cone beam CT (CBCT): $150-$750
- Tooth extraction: $150-$700
- Bone grafting:
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- Simple (cow, cadaver, or synthetic): $200-$300
- Complex (cow, cadaver, or synthetic): $1,000-$1,200
- Simple (patient’s bone): $1,800-$2,200
- Complex (patient’s bone): $2,800-$3,200
- Sinus lift: $1,500-2,500
- Abutment: $300-$600
- Implant crown: $900-$1,500
- Dental implant: $1,500-$3,000
The cost of dental implants varies by location, how long your provider has been practicing, the extent of gum recession you have, and the type of implant you get.
Dental Implants Cost By Type
These are the costs of dental implants by implant type*:
- Zirconia dental implant: $3,000-$4,500 per tooth
- Titanium dental implant: $500-$3,000 per tooth
- All-on-4 dental implants (implant-supported dentures): $12,000-$50,000 per arch (average $25,000 per arch)
- Same-day dental implants: $5,000-$8,000 per tooth
- Zygomatic implants: $30,000-$40,000 per arch
Depending on your dentist, a full mouth reconstruction (implants on both arches) can cost $80,000 or more.
*These prices are for the implant only and do not factor other procedures or costs (such as bone grafting, abutment, etc.).
Does dental insurance cover implants?
Dental insurance companies may cover some of the cost of dental implants. However, yearly caps on most dental plans are around $1,500, which isn’t enough to cover a single implant.
Your dental plan may cover up to these percentages of the dental implant procedure up to your yearly maximum:
- Tooth extraction: 80%
- Single dental implant: 50%
- Abutment: 50%
- Permanent crown: 80%
But dental insurance plans vary greatly. Call your insurance provider before your first appointment to find precisely how much they’ll cover for each phase of your procedure.
You can use money in an FSA or HSA account to cover part of the cost of dental implants.
Be aware that certain “optional” parts of the implant process may also be billed and covered differently. For instance, x-rays may be covered at different rates than CT scans.
How To Save Money On Dental Implants
There are several ways to reduce the cost of dental implants (or make them more affordable over time):
- Talk to your dentist about financing options. Financing such as CareCredit (a popular healthcare credit card) can break up the large out-of-pocket cost into manageable monthly payments. Most dental providers offer at least 1-2 financing options, some with interest-free payments for a period of time.
- Discuss in-house payment plans and discounts. Your dental office may allow you to pay over several months, rather than all at once. In some cases, they may also reduce your total cost (particularly if you don’t have dental insurance and/or can pay in cash rather than a credit or debit card). If you need a number of implants, you may be able to get a “bulk discount.”
- Travel abroad for dental work. This one can be a little risky, but worth it due to the reduced cost of treatment in some countries. Make sure you find a highly-rated specialist with plenty of experience in implant placement. Websites like PatientsBeyondBorders.com and TreatmentAbroad.com have great databases to search for providers.
- Call your local dental school. If you’re near a dental school, call and ask about options for dental implants for oral surgeons in training. The cost will likely be much lower than at a dentist’s office, and your work will be supervised by an experienced oral surgeon. The biggest downside is limited appointments for these procedures, which may take longer because one of the providers is learning.
- Apply for a grant. The CDG Grant Program and the ADA Foundation may have grants that cover the cost of your dental implants. Check out their websites to learn if you’re eligible.
- Contact non-profits that support people in need of expensive dental work. The most common are Dental Lifeline Network (for people with disabilities, those who are medically fragile, and the elderly) and Give Back a Smile (for domestic or sexual violence victims).
- Participate in a clinical trial. Participants in clinical trials are often paid for their time and efforts. Just search ClinicalTrials.gov for “dental implants” (in the “other terms” field).
How effective are dental implants?
The success rate of dental implants is about 94% after 6 years. Risk factors for dental implant failure include:
- Diabetes
- Over 60 years of age
- Current or former smoking habit
- History of head/neck radiation
- Postmenopausal women on hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
Dental implants can be a life-changing procedure for patients with poor oral health due to gum disease and bone loss. A new set of teeth isn’t just good for your self-esteem — it can literally improve your digestion, oral hygiene routine, and overall health.
Alternatives To Dental Implants
Lower-cost alternatives to dental implants include:
- Dentures
- Implant-supported dentures
- Dental bridges
- Dental crowns
- Veneers
These options (particularly dentures) might not be suitable for your case because only implants help keep your jawbone from deteriorating over time. These alternatives may not offer long-term hope for keeping your natural teeth in your mouth, which should be the ultimate goal.
Implant-supported dentures (All-On-4) are a good compromise to traditional dentures. They require no adhesive, like standard dentures, and are affixed to your upper and lower jaw with 4-6 secure dental implants per arch.
Why do dental implants cost so much money?
There are several reasons dental implants are so expensive:
- It’s surgery, not just a dental procedure. Dental implant surgery requires various specialized providers, sedation, and additional costs you don’t usually get with other oral procedures.
- Your specialist must be an oral surgeon. This surgical specialty requires additional training. The more specialized your providers, the more it costs.
- Dental implants take a long time, often over many months. Particularly with patients suffering from gum disease, getting implants can take 6 months or more. Each appointment and phase of treatment adds to the cost.
- Most people that need implants need more than one. Your price will be amplified if you need to replace more than a single tooth or require a full mouth reconstruction.
- High-quality implant materials come at a premium. In part, implant dentistry isn’t cheap because the materials needed for a lasting prosthetic are expensive to manufacture.
Need dental implants? We use the safest technology available.
Call the Rejuvenation Dentistry offices in New York, NY, for a consultation about your upcoming dental implants. We use zirconia implants, not titanium, to offer you the safest and best experience possible.
Let us give your smile a makeover!
Read Next: How much do veneers cost?
Sources
- Esposito, M., Grusovin, M. G., Willings, M., Coulthard, P., & Worthington, H. V. (1998). The effectiveness of immediate, early, and conventional loading of dental implants: a Cochrane systematic review of randomized controlled clinical trials. Dent, 80, 633-4. Abstract: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18271370/
- Charyeva, O., Altynbekov, K., Zhartybaev, R., & Sabdanaliev, A. (2012). Long-term dental implant success and survival–a clinical study after an observation period up to 6 years. Swedish dental journal, 36(1), 1-6. Abstract: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22611899/
- Moy, P. K., Medina, D., Shetty, V., & Aghaloo, T. L. (2005). Dental implant failure rates and associated risk factors. International Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Implants, 20(4). Abstract: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16161741/
