Dental implants are the best solution to replace missing, damaged, or failing teeth. While they may be the best option, patients are often concerned about the cost. In this article, we will talk about the basics of dental implants, what goes into the cost of dental implants, and how to find affordable dental implants.
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are permanent, and highest quality replacement for unhealthy or missing teeth. Implants are titanium screws or posts that are surgically placed into the jawbone and a zirconia crown or bridge on top. Dental implants usually come in single implants, multiple implants, or 4-on-1 full arch styles to replace a full row or full arch of teeth.
What Are Single Dental Implants?
A single dental implant is an implant that replaces a single tooth. It has one titanium screw, one zirconia crown, and is placed into the jawbone by an oral surgeon. Single dental implants are ideal options if there is only one tooth missing and the remaining teeth are otherwise healthy and functioning normally.
What Are Multiple Dental Implants?
A multiple dental implant uses two titanium screws to support several replacement teeth. If you have several missing or damaged teeth that are adjacent to each other, then multiple dental implants can be a less invasive and more cost-effective solution than single dental implants, because it will restore function to a small group of teeth without needing a titanium screw for each tooth. Multiple dental implants are good options if only a few teeth are missing or unhealthy and the remaining row of teeth are in healthy, normal working condition.
What Are 4-on-1 Full Arch Dental Implants
4-on-1 Full Arch dental implants (often called teeth-in-a-day or full-arch replacements) are a dental implant procedure that replaces an entire row (or arch) of teeth using only four dental implants. To do so, the four titanium dental implant screws are placed into the upper jaw or lower jaw, and the prosthetic teeth are permanently attached to the titanium screws.
When patients are looking to restore an entire arch of teeth, 4-on-1 Full Arch dental implants are the gold standard. They are far more cost-effective for a whole row of teeth when compared to single or multiple dental implants, and they are far less invasive than a 1-to-1 replacement of teeth and implants. This makes 4-on-1 full arch dental implants not only less-expensive, but also much safer. Furthermore, the total treatment time is reduced.
4-on-1 Full Arch dental implants are also a better choice than dentures. Whether you have traditional or snap-in dentures, the prosthetic teeth will break down and need to be replaced. They also don’t provide the comfort or security that 4-on-1 full arch dental implants do, and dentures will come with dietary restrictions and intensive cleaning requirements.
How Do Dental Implants Work?
The process to get dental implants has several steps, which helps to ensure that the surgery is performed safely and that your new teeth are a perfect fit for your mouth. First, patients have a consultation with an oral surgeon to determine the oral health of a patient and what type of dental implants would work the best (e.g., single implant, multiple implants, or 4-on-1 full arch).
This preliminary process also includes x-rays and CT-scans to help the oral surgeon determine the best placement for the implant screws. Implants that are placed too shallowly can move and fail, but implants placed too deeply can cause nerve damage and can also cause implant failure. Therefore, preoperative evaluation and planning is critical, and experience of the surgeon is paramount.
Dental Implant Surgery
After the oral surgeon has created a surgery plan specifically for your mouth, the next step is to perform the dental implant surgery. During this process, patients are anesthetized with IV sedation anesthesia, and the oral surgeon opens the gums with a small incision. Then, the titanium screws are placed into the jawbone, and temporary teeth are attached to the screws.
A dentist will sometimes perform dental implant surgery, but there are significant drawbacks compared to having an oral surgeon perform the procedure. For the most part, a dentist is not trained to offer IV sedation, and so you’ll be awake during the entire procedure. This makes the surgery longer and more painful that being administered IV sedation by an oral surgeon.
Recovery
It will take a few months for the patient’s mouth to fully heal from the surgery. During the first week, swelling and light bleeding are common, but most of the discomfort from the surgery is gone in a few days. During this recovery period, patients will have a restricted diet, which will largely focus on soft, easy to chew foods.
After a few months of healing – during which time the dental implant will fuse with your jawbone – then it will be time to put on the permanent teeth.
Permanent Prosthetic Placement
When the mouth has fully healed from the surgery, the oral surgeon will remove the temporary acrylic teeth and will permanently attach the new prosthetics. Unlike the temporary placement, the new teeth will be made with zirconia, which is a naturally white, durable material.
Patients will leave this appointment with fully functioning teeth. There will be no more dietary restrictions, and the only upkeep required is standard oral hygiene (like brushing your teeth, flossing your teeth, using mouth rinse, and regularly seeing a dentist for cleanings).
Average Cost of Dental Implants
The average cost of dental implants can be intimidating. Single implants range between $3,000 – $6,000/tooth, and multiple dental implants have a similar per-implant cost. 4-on-1 Full Arch dental implants have a national average of $25,000 – $45,000 per row of teeth, which puts them out of reach for the majority of patients. In our office, our all-inclusive cost for 4-on-1 full arch dental implants is priced at $14,950/arch, which is backed by our Lowest Price Guarantee and Lifetime Warranty. Below, we’ll talk about how we make it possible.
Why America’s First Dental Implants Has The Best Affordable Dental Implants
There are several factors that allow us to provide the most affordable dental implants in the country without sacrificing quality of care or quality of the implants.
Experienced Oral Surgeons
Our offices only use oral surgeons to perform dental implant surgery, and our surgeons have extensive experience in placing 4-on-1 full arch dental implants. They have placed over 5,000 4-on-1 Full Arch dental implants, and over 35,000single implants. This experience allows them to effectively and efficiently perform the surgery without sacrificing quality of care, which helps to keep the overall price of the procedure low.
Oral surgeons can also administer IV sedation (unlike general dentists). This allows the dental implant surgery to be painless while using less time. This helps to reduce the general risks of complications during the surgery since the surgery is easier to perform while you’re under IV sedation, the time it takes to heal from the surgery is also shortened.
Lack of Corporate Overhead
America’s First Dental Implant Centers is owned by the oral surgeons who perform your dental implant surgery. That allows us to avoid costly overhead and provide a more personalized experience at a fraction of the cost of national corporate providers. Lack of corporate overhead also allows us to provide premium materials (like zirconia) without the excessive pricing that is common in other offices.
Dental Implant Costs in Miami Compared
Dental implant costs in Miami regularly outpace the national average. It’s not uncommon to see patients pay upwards of $90,000 for two rows of dental implants. Even with financing, a cost approaching six figures easily puts dental implants out of the reach of most patients.
Our price of $14,950 per row of teeth opens the door for the majority of patients to get high-quality dental implants. Even if patients need two full rows of dental implants, our price is still 40-60% less than local and national competitors. We also offer financing, so patients have the option to pay for their dental implants over time.
FAQs
How much is the cheapest set of dental implants?
At America’s First Dental Implant Centers, we offer the cheapest set of 4-on-1 Full Arch dental implants at $14,950/arch. The cost we advertise is the all-inclusive cost. It includes:
- All appointments
- All x-rays and CT scans
- IV sedation
- Surgery
- Temporary acrylic and permanent zirconia teeth
We have no hidden fees or hidden costs. If you see dental implants that seem suspiciously inexpensive, then you can expect those offices to have several hidden costs.
Most offices advertising low-cost dental implants are advertising the price of using the lowest quality materials possible. Materials like metal crowns, low-end ceramic, or even acrylic may be advertised in the price, and these materials should be avoided. They offer a poor experience for patients and are more likely to become damaged.
Next, offices may not be using oral surgeons to perform the procedure. If you see a dentist with a title like “implantologist” or something similar, keep in mind that the title means absolutely nothing as “implantology” is not a dental specialty that is recognized in the US. Dental implant procedures are a surgery and should be performed by surgeons.
Finally, less trustworthy offices will often hide the cost of other necessities. For example, many offices will not include the cost of x-rays, CT-scans, consultations, or IV sedation into their advertised price, but will add it on as a patient moves through the steps of the procedure. It’s easy for patients to feel trapped by this, since they’ve often already invested a significant amount of money by the time they start to see hidden charges.
What is the downside of dental implants?
There are very few downsides to dental implants. Dental implants provide a permanent solution to missing and damaged teeth. Unlike dentures, dental implants have no dietary restrictions and do not require special cleaning. For many, the primary downside is the cost, which we help to reduce by providing low, approachable pricing without needing to sacrifice quality. Our oral surgeons will make sure you’re an appropriate candidate for dental implants and will craft a plan specific to your health needs.
