Implant cost!?!?!?

[petal]

I just got home from my first consultation with an oral surgeon regarding getting an implant when I get my braces off in august. I was figuring spending about $2000 for the implant. His office said it would cost about $2000 to the surgeons office and another $2000 to my dentist who would be making the top of the implant. I was stunned. I truly don't know how to tell my husband that on top of the $2500 I have spent out of pocket for my braces (insurance covered $2000), I now need to spend another $4000! I also had to pay $380 today for a CT scan to see if I have enough bone to do an implant. I am a little overwhelmed. I know the implant will last for my lifetime, but I wasn't expecting $4000! Has anyone else felt as shocked as I do about the cost??

[Greenman]

This is the reason I avoided implants. Cost is ridiculous.

[vincent168]

I think there should be some doing it for mid 2000's. Have a search around I guess. Implants are really expensive. Have you considered alternatives like bridge?

[petal]

Hi Vincent168, I have a bridge on my upper teeth, left side. I don't like my bridge and was not too keen on getting another, especially right below where the other one is. I hate the idea that they have to file down the "anchor" teeth to attach a bridge. It would mean filing down my back molar and I hate the idea of that tooth being compromised in any way as I tend to chew on my molars and would like to keep them intact. The bridge I have on the upper left side has issues and will need to be replaced at some point. I really want to keep as many of my teeth intact as I can. I just saw my ortho yesterday and we were planning on taking my braces off aug 16th, but he said that he would recommend leaving my bottom braces on until my implant surgery so the space will not be compromised.

[stell4r]

It is really costly but worth it.

[InDueCourse]

I'm still 2 year out from needing one and am afraid of the cost as well, but as you said, it will last a lifetime.

At least you don't need a sinus lift.

[kenc127]

I had 2 extractions done last February. They wanted to prepare me for implants, but I didn't have the money at the time to do it. Luckily, both extraction sites (back top right molar, and lower back bottom molar) cannot be seen when I smile or talk so I chose to not get implants. The surgeon warned me that the teeth might move together and alter my smile, but they haven't budged. To answer your question about costs, it's very pricey. As a rule, an implant is $2000. Then you will also have follow up appointments to ensure the bone is accepting the posts correctly.

I would recommend avoiding implants as much as you can unless the affected areas are completely obvious. In that situation, they're absolutely worth the high cost.

[metalliKa]

Yes, implants, per tooth, are quite costly, much more so than the braces treatment itself. If the missing tooth is far back, I wouldn't even bother getting an implant. I was quoted $4500 just a little over two years ago.

[FixMyTeeth]

If you are really lucky, your dental insurance may cover whatever they would normally pay for the cost of the crown, or even the cost of an equivalent bridge for the implant itself. Small comfort when you are looking at $4500 per tooth, but I save $500 on the crown, which is nice.

[carrieann]

2000 for an implant sure would be nice. My implant will be 4500. Braces are 8400, of course no insurance for either treatment. The dentist won't place the implant until my bite is fixed so braced are manditory. Implant is necessary. No way around it if I want my teeth healthy. Dental work is crazy expensive and it seems many insurance Co won't pay for big stuff.

[FixMyTeeth]

Seems like that varies by location. Mexico is a popular medical tourism location in the States, and Costa Rica is quite popular here in Canada. I have serious reservations about it myself, but when you are looking at $24k vs. $70k for a full mouth restoration with porcelain bridges, it's not hard to see why people are willing to accept any potential consequences. At $70k it might as well be $1m for many people in terms of being able to afford it.

[couldbealex]

Couldn't help but add my two cents.

I needed implants for about 10 years but could never afford them. This summer I came to visit family in Iran. I noticed many women with nose jobs. Apparently, Iran is the leading country for nose jobs. This piqued my interest so I asked about dental work. They said it was expensive, but would put me in touch with someone.

I met with several doctors and got a quote of about $900 per tooth! They also had options of which brand I could choose and how they compared to one another. I chose the dr who was also a professor. I later found out he co-authored a book regarding implants.

Now, I am in the recovery phase of my second implant. This last one required a bone graft and is much more troublesome than the first one. By troublesome I mean, uncomfortable, swelling, soreness, etc.

4500$ per tooth is ridiculous. I could never pay that along with the other work I needed. Now I got my work done and I have to come back, but it is still very much worth it. And I visit with family.

[Bryn455]

I am a new member and live about 25miles outside of Phila in SE PA. i am 64 and had all of my teeth extracted in June. I now am struggling to find unbiased information on options & costs for replacing my teeth. Unfortunately, I was not given complete OR accurate information before my extraction surgery, nor was I told about all of the available options. As even the least expensive solution is far from cheap, I urge anyone faced with this problem to do their due diligence when selecting a dentist. I STILL have not resolved my OWN situation; I am asking millions of questions, going to consultations to see if there is a dentist who can give me a straightforward answer to ANY question I ask. This is not something an individual does numerous times in their lifetime; a professional SHOULD know that and realize that their treatment recommendation will have a life-altering effect on that patient. That being said, I welcome any advice, experiences, warnings, etc. - I am excited to read what all of you are going through and hope i am able to provide some insight as well as to gain some!