Why is there so much difference in Dental Implants cost?

[Jim]

Hi

I have been to four different implant practices in London and been quoted different prices for my implant treatment. I essentially need one dental implant to fill a gap between my top front teeth. I have been quoted four different prices by four different clinics. Can you explain to me why there is so much variation in dental implant cost?

[admin]

Hi Jim

There is a lot of variation in dental implant costs because there are a lot of variables in dental implant treatment. Here are a few examples of the differences:

1. There are many different types of dental implants (over 1000). The top two implant brands (Straumann, Nobel Biocare) have done a lot of research and development on their designs and have produced great implants that are clinically sound and evidence based. However good research & development is expensive and as a result these implants are expensive to buy.

There are a lot of cheap copy implants that are sold at a fraction of the cost of Straumann & Nobel Biocare implants but these implants have little if any clinical research behind their designs. Also should in future your implant need spare parts for maintenance, these small implant companies may not even be around anymore to provide the spare parts.


2. The experience of the Surgeon is very important. Specialists such as Oral Surgeons & Gum specialists have had many years of further training at recognised universities and hospitals and have had to verifiably demonstrate that they have a higher level of skill in their field.

So its not simply the case that they say they have placed thousands of implants, but in fact their quality of work has actually been verified and recognised by experts. Like in other fields such expertise and specialist knowledge costs time and money.


3. Different dentists and specialists place their implants in different ways. For example some place temporary abutments and temporary crowns before they place the permanent abutment and crown. This produces much better final aesthetic results but costs much more. Is this included in the prices that you have been quoted? If you are having an Implant in the smile zone, having a temporary abutment and crown will improve the aesthetic result greatly.


When deciding on which practice to choose, ask the implantologist to show you photos of their previous cases and look carefully at the aesthetic result and the location of the implants. Are the implants in the right locations from a restorative point of view or simply placed where ever bone could be found.

Find out if they are a recognised specialist. Ask them exactly which implant system they will be using in your mouth and what guarantees they give for their work. Simply stating that they use ten different implant systems in their practice, does not mean anything. Make sure that you will not be getting the cheap implants in the end.

So you can see that comparing different implant quotes from different practices on cost alone is not wise and you should do a lot of research to find the right practice and surgeon for your needs.