Cost of Dental Implants
How much does a dental implant cost?
The short answer is “it depends”.
What does it depend on?
- The location of the implant in the jaw,
- The quality and quantity of the bone foundation,
- Whether the bone has been resorbed and requires bone grafting,
- Any other health conditions that might cause complications,
- The cost of the actual implant and crown, and
- The doctor’s experience and expertise.
Placing a dental implant requires a number of steps, involving Dr. Farthing and your restorative dentist.:
- Examination and consultation,
- Extraction and bone graft or site preservation,
- Placing the dental implant – the titanium “tooth root” with Dr. Farthing; many times the surgery can be accomplished all in one step.
- Placing the Crown – the porcelain “tooth” with your dentist.
Continuing Cost of bridges and Dentures
While bridges and dentures may be less expensive at the outset, you should consider that both options have sometimes considerable continuing expenses. Bridges, by their structure, cut down the neighboring abutment teeth – which can lead to weakness and additional treatments (i.e. root canal treatment). Dentures cannot preserve the jaw bone the way dental implants can, so the jaw shrinks as the bone is resorbed, leading to ill-fitting dentures and repeated appointments of re-fitting and re-placement of the dentures. Over a lifetime, dental implants can be the cost-effective as well as the aesthetic choice.