Dental implants are long-term solutions for replacing rotting, broken and missing teeth. Deciding if dental implants are right for you likely requires multiple visits and examinations with your dentist.
Various procedures, factors and options are involved with getting dental implants, but how much do dental implants cost? Dental implant procedures are carefully planned. The materials used, estimated expenses and the health of your surrounding teeth must all be discussed before decisions are made. Are there ways to save on dental implants in 2021? What factors impact their costs? Read ahead for an informative guide on what you need to know about dental implants costs today.
Dental Implants 101
Damaged teeth sometimes lead to excruciating nerve pain when not repaired fast. It is possible to cap a chipped tooth if the damage is not too severe, but what about when a tooth is broken in half or completely knocked out? Rotting teeth also sometimes lead to unbearable nerve pain, especially when a tooth erodes beyond the point of basic repair and/or the erosion reaches the gum line. When teeth need to be replaced dental implants might be the best option available.
What are dental implants? Dental implants are ideally permanent solutions for replacing rotting, broken and missing teeth. Procedures are multi-faceted and likely involve several visits for consultation, evaluation, operation and maintenance purposes. Impacts are surgically screwed into your gum and connected to your jawbone where your replaced tooth was once naturally embedded. Crowns, which take the shape and structural form of natural teeth, are placed on top of the implants. Single and multiple implants are possible, with multiple implants utilizing a bridge for additional support. Follow-up maintenance is required for a period of time until your mouth fully adjusts to and accepts the implants.
Average Cost of Dental Implants
Estimating specific costs of dental implants is challenging to do because every situation is different in varying ways. A single tooth implant might cost between approximately $1,000 and $3,000. Costs for various materials and pre and post-op office visit fees might cost an additional $1,500 to $3,000 on average. Therefore the average cost of a single dental implant might range from approximately $2,500 to $6,000 depending on a wide variety of circumstances and the type/quality of materials used. The national average cost in the U.S. for full-set dental implants is approximately $34,000, although high-end materials and extenuating circumstances sometimes push the costs to upwards of approximately $90,000.
How to Save on Dental Implants in 2021
Because a single dental implant might cost $2,500 to $6,000 many patients want to know how to save on dental implants in 2021. Money-saving options exit, but how do you find them? Dental savings plans, alternate/DIY methods, government/private insurance and additional savings methods are detailed below.
Dental Savings Plans
Dental savings plans are one option to save on the costs of dental implants. Dental savings plans, also referred to as dental discount plans potentially save you 10-60 percent on out-of-pocket dental expenses with over 140,000 dentists nationwide. Comparing dental savings plans is easy to do on convenient websites such as DentalPlans.com.
Alternatives to Dental Implants
Choosing an alternative to dental implants is another possible way to save money on replacing you tooth or teeth, but it is not always an option to make such a choice. Over-the-counter DIY dental repair kits are available to purchase online but can only improve minor issues. Dentists in some foreign countries charge significantly less for dental implants than dentists in America. For example, the cost of a single dental implant in Croatia averages $850 per, but is the cost of plane tickets, hotels and other expenses worth the savings? The answer to this question might depend on if you need one implant or a full set.
Medicare Advantage & Medicaid
Some Medicare Advantage plans include dental coverages. Medicaid dental plans cover only certain dental costs for qualified members in participating states. While Medicaid does currently cover medically necessary dental services in all fifty U.S. states, what is deemed medically necessary varies. Government-sponsored emergency, preventative, restorative, periodontal and even denture-based dental services are also all regulated differently in each state if available at all. Contact your local Medicaid office for more details.
Private Dental Insurance
Private dental insurance is another option to save on dental implants. How do you find the best dental coverage plan for you? Insurance rate comparison sites such as eHealth and DirectBenefits.com make it easy and convenient to do.
Additional Savings Options
You might get a significantly discounted rate if you choose to have your dental implants procedure performed at a dentistry school through its clinic or other free/discount program. Comparison-shopping for dentists in your region might help you find lower prices as well. Companies such as CareCredit finance dental expenses for creditworthy patients. Grants through CosmeticDentistryGrants.org might pay for some or all of your implants expenses. Finally, ask your dentist if he or she will give you a discounted self-pay rate when no other options are available.
What Impacts the Cost of Dental Implants?
The primary factor affecting the cost of dental implants is whether or not you replace a single tooth or multiple teeth. Materials needed also affect your costs. The quality, type and specialty-nature of the materials also affect your total prices. For example, custom crowns are more expensive than stock crowns. Certain higher-quality metals are more expensive than others. What else impacts the cost of dental implants?
- Abutment (connects implant to the crown).
- How much your dentist charges for tooth/root extraction.
- Costs of office visits, x-rays & additional services
- Amount of pre and post-op services required from initial examination/evaluation through the time your mouth accepts the implants and no further treatment is necessary.
