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With more and more people requiring the replacement of missing teeth with dental implants we thought it would be good to write a blog post specifically about the costs of dental implants, how they are made up on how you might keep them as low as possible.

The information taken from this blog is made up from the experience of our dentists at Evolve Dentistry in Portishead, Bristol.

How is the cost of dental implants calculated?

The cost of the dental implant is calculated by adding together the various components, which include the implant itself and the surgery. Here is a brief list of everything that is required in order to restore a missing tooth with dental implants.

• Diagnostic and planning.
• Implant surgery.
• The titanium implant itself.
• The new Crown/bridge/denture on top of the implant.

Diagnostic and planning stages.

This is often a lengthy process which can extend over weeks or even months. It is critical that the placement of the dental implant is planned meticulously to ensure that the final crown on top is in exactly the right place for cosmetic and functional reasons.

The planning phase often will include:

1. Full impressions where casts will be made of your teeth.
2. Example crown/bridge/denture  made on this model to show you what the final result will look like.
3. Surgical guides which can then be created from this mock up to help the surgeon when he places the implant.

Planning and diagnostic stages are important to get right so that the preparation for the final implant and the surgery goes exactly to plan.

The implant surgery.

Once the planning stage has been undertaken we can progress to the placement of the dental implant itself. This is often done by a special dental implant surgeon who will take precise note of the exact location of your bone and gum tissue in order to ensure that the final aesthetic and function of your dental implant are as planned.

The dental implant surgery can take anywhere from one hour to a full day depending upon the complexity and the number of implants placed.

The titanium implant.

The titanium implant itself is precision made to tolerances of 000ths of a millimetre, literally down to a few microns!

This is to ensure that bugs and bacteria do not creep into the delicate interfaces between the various implant components when they are placed into your mouth. The implants also have internal screw mechanisms to hold the crowns in place, these screw mechanisms are intricate yet very strong to withstand the biting forces.

The new Crown/bridge/denture.

This will be precision made by a highly skilled dental technician. He/she will match your final restoration to the diagnostic and planning stages, this shows how important the initial planning is in ensuring that your final restoration looks and functions well.

You should always be given the option of seeing what the Crown/bridge looks like prior to final fitting on top of your implant. Always ask your dentist for a mirror to see what your new tooth/teeth look like before fitting.

How to keep the cost of dental implants low.

The best way to do this is to look after your teeth throughout your life, if you do this the chances of losing your teeth is greatly reduced and therefore the chances of having to have dental implant is also reduced.

They can also be a tendency to look at ways to cut costs, the simple fact is that if costs are cut quality is often compromised. Either planning and diagnostic stages are removed, the dental implant surgeon is not so experienced, the titanium implant can be sourced from a cheaper parts of the world and lower quality dental technicians can be used to make the final restoration.

As you can see, all of this will compromise the overall quality of your final implant which could leave you highly dissatisfied.

Many dentists offer finance or payment plans to pay for a dental implant, this means the cost can be kept as low as possible on a monthly basis, making them more affordable.

Going abroad for dental implants.

Dental tourism is a growing industry in the UK. Many people travel abroad to places like Budapest and India to have their dental implants. There are a few things to consider before going abroad with your dental implants:

• Do you have regular access to your dental implant surgeon? If your surgeon is based overseas. How do you get to see them for the diagnostic and planning stages and what about any problems?
• What happens in an emergency? Although it is unlikely infections and other problems can occur immediately after the placement of the dental implant. What provision is in place. If you have to travel overseas?
• Is it actually cheaper? By the time you have added in flights and hotels for numerous appointments does it actually work out any cheaper going abroad?
• Can you rely on the reputation of the person doing your implants? If you go to a local dentist, you can be assured that this dentist wants to maintain their reputation in the local area. Is this true of dentists abroad and how will you know?

Dental implants summary.

Dental implants are one of the best ways to replace missing teeth and our dentists in Evolve Dentistry based in Portishead on the outskirts of Bristol would be pleased to offer you a free consultation to discuss your options.