Dental Implant Average Cost ?

[Lakewood90712]

What are people paying , excluding the crown , in major metro areas ?

For Implants, I realize the the jaw bone and post take months.Do not know if bone graft is required. Most of this will be out of pocket.

Perhaps I should take the CT scan images that I paid for out of pocket and get a second opinion.

 

[Dawg52]

I guess I shouldn't respond since I don't live in a major metro area but I paid roughly $2500 plus crown 2 years ago. The crown was another $1300. I have another one to do over the next few months and expect it will cost even more.

 

[IMATERP]

$2400 for the implant and $2000 for the crown (incl. abutment) appears to be the going rate. I paid $8400 for two implants and a partial almost 8 years ago. One of the best decisions I have ever made.

 

[Bir48die]

I had two implants put in my place of my back two molars on upper left. It's hard for me to be specific about the costs because both were removed at different times. I think the second was done fairly close to the start of the implants so I'll include that.

Both together I believe we're close to $11,000 total. I think I was able to use $2,500 of my FSA on the prep part and another $2,500 at the start of the new year. Since there is a lag time between putting in the posts and then the implants it helped me spread the costs. I didn't have much choice other than chewing on one side for the rest of my life.

My crowns run $1,000 or so and pretty standard in our area. About the same cost as a root canal. Have spent a considerable amount of money getting out of old fillings and into new crowns. Now I'm old enough that I'm replacing a crown with another one. With new composites my molars look natural and not like MR T's mouth.

 

[Bamaman]

Our local oral surgeon (Vanderbilt M.D.) charged $850 to remove a tooth and put in a graft. The implant would be $2250, and later the abutment $850. Then the crown would be $850 at my personal dentist. Total $4,800.

I went to another state and got the implant done for $900. Other than being numbed up, the implant was quicker and easier than having a filling--5 to 7 minute job.

For simple single implants, our local oral surgeon is a bandit. My dentist says he's got a $450K full head MRI that he's got to pay for--out of patients' pocketbooks. Trouble is that few patients need such an X Ray done.

Even for $900 to do the implant, it's very expensive by the minute.

 

[Nick12]

Never had an implant done but some American citizens that live in Texas and Arizona go over the border to Mexico to get dental work done at better prices. Some of dentists were trained in the US and relocated to Mexico.

 

[zinger1457]

Never had an implant done but some American citizens that live in Texas and Arizona go over the border to Mexico to get dental work done at better prices. Some of dentists were trained in the US and relocated to Mexico.

I live in southern Arizona and had an implant done in Mexico, total cost for everything (extraction, post, crown) came to around $1500. No concerns with quality of care, customer service is better in my experience. It did take a few visits over time so it may not be a practical choice for those having to travel a long distance.

 

[mountainsoft]

the implant was quicker and easier than having a filling--5 to 7 minute job.

Everyone always talks about the costs of implants, but I'm curious about the actual procedure and living with them afterwards.

How do they actually install the implant? Do they pull the old tooth and install the anchor at the same time, or are those two different procedures? Do they cut into the gums and drill the bone to install the anchor? Do you have to get stitches and is the recovery painful until it heals?

How long do you have to wait between having the anchor installed and getting the crown? How do you handle eating and brushing during that time? Is there a temporary tooth like getting a crown?

Once the final crown is installed, can you bite down on it like a regular tooth? Does food get trapped under the crown at all? Any troubles flossing around implants?

How long does an implant typically last? Since they're drilling into bone, are there bone or decay issues later in life?

I'm a real wimp with dental work, but I suspect an implant will be in my future some day. I'm trying to prepare myself...

 

[Koogie]

Everyone always talks about the costs of implants, but I'm curious about the actual procedure and living with them afterwards.
How do they actually install the implant? Do they pull the old tooth and install the anchor at the same time, or are those two different procedures? Do they cut into the gums and drill the bone to install the anchor? Do you have to get stitches and is the recovery painful until it heals?
How long do you have to wait between having the anchor installed and getting the crown? How do you handle eating and brushing during that time? Is there a temporary tooth like getting a crown?
Once the final crown is installed, can you bite down on it like a regular tooth? Does food get trapped under the crown at all? Any troubles flossing around implants?
How long does an implant typically last? Since they're drilling into bone, are there bone or decay issues later in life?
I'm a real wimp with dental work, but I suspect an implant will be in my future some day. I'm trying to prepare myself...

Can only speak for myself. I had it done 15 years ago, I'm sure things have changed a little since. However, I did have one of the teeth crack this past fall and had it replaced, so I am up to date on that.

Do they pull the old tooth and install the anchor at the same time, or are those two different procedures?
- it was two different procedures for me. He pulled all four front top teeth and I went back later to have the posts installed. He gave me fake teeth (like a bridge) between appointments.

Do they cut into the gums and drill the bone to install the anchor?
- yes.

Do you have to get stitches and is the recovery painful until it heals?
- yes.

How long do you have to wait between having the anchor installed and getting the crown?
- about a week as I recall.

How do you handle eating and brushing during that time? Is there a temporary tooth like getting a crown?
- yes.

Once the final crown is installed, can you bite down on it like a regular tooth? Does food get trapped under the crown at all? Any troubles flossing around implants?
- biting is no problem. But be careful on bones or hard foods... these things are expensive and worth protecting !! No issues with food getting trapped. Flossing is fine. They make sure of that.

How long does an implant typically last? Since they're drilling into bone, are there bone or decay issues later in life?
- mine lasted 15 years until I bit down on a popsicle stick.. I went to a dentist. He drilled off the old tooth and put a temp. on (no fun). I went to have a color match done at a dental laboratory and a week later he installed the new one in about 15 mins, fixed with some sort of light activated adhesive. He told me my posts were in great shape and should last another 15 years at least.

 

[Rianne]

Everyone always talks about the costs of implants, but I'm curious about the actual procedure and living with them afterwards.

How do they actually install the implant? Do they pull the old tooth and install the anchor at the same time, or are those two different procedures? Do they cut into the gums and drill the bone to install the anchor? Do you have to get stitches and is the recovery painful until it heals?

How long do you have to wait between having the anchor installed and getting the crown? How do you handle eating and brushing during that time? Is there a temporary tooth like getting a crown?

Once the final crown is installed, can you bite down on it like a regular tooth? Does food get trapped under the crown at all? Any troubles flossing around implants?

How long does an implant typically last? Since they're drilling into bone, are there bone or decay issues later in life?

I'm a real wimp with dental work, but I suspect an implant will be in my future some day. I'm trying to prepare myself...

I have 11 crowns and 1 implant(+crown). I eat very little beef and no caramel type (chewy) candy. My first crown was when I was 12 (fell off my bike), 50 years ago. Never had to replace any of my crowns. Implant is just fine. When I drink water, I always swish in between my teeth. I don't like to floss.

I'm super careful with testing food to see how easy it is to chew before I chomp down. My DB was served Greek olives and they had pits. This cost him 2 teeth and a bridge. He thought they took the pits out. I always remember that and am careful chewing.

 

[pacergal]

DH has had 2 implants. Tooth removal, implant and crown were about $8000 for both.
I have one implant, done as final resort after trying to save a tooth. Total cost for one me was about the same as DH two! $7600, and took 1 1/2 years start to finish (second root canal due to missed root, apioectomy, bone graft, implant, crown). I will not choose that route again. Tooth breaks or goes bad, I will go directly to implant, or possible go without if its a back tooth and not visible. I really do not like dental work, so I floss several times a day, brush after eating and use fluoride mouthwash.
OP--Once the site healed and crown placed,I did not have any trouble eating, flossing, etc.

 

[TrvlBug]

SF Bay Area here. DH had an implant and 2 crowns 2 years ago and IIRC it was around $10K. His jaw bone was destroyed due to a bridge that was in too long and he elected to go the stem cell route to rebuild the bone. Very successful. All in all, the process took a year. I'll look for the paperwork later today to get a more precise $ amount for you. The cost for the stem cells was $1,800 then another $2K for the stem cell surgery and follow up appts. $500 for the scan, $2K each for the 2 crowns. Don't recall the other costs.

 

[gerntz]

Just finished one. All in: $4200 - extraction of tooth remnants, implant, peg, crown. It was cool to watch him use computer to create the shape digitally, then print it, fit it, & then bake it at 3000 degrees to set it. Totally elapsed time was 13 months but that was my fault to spread insurance over 3 calendar years for more coverage. Have an annual max of like $1500-1800.

 

[fh2000]

I have 2 implants done. Each took a lot of visits (5 or 6): extraction, bone graft, anchor, crown. My dentist sent crown work out to other place. Each time it came back, there was something off so he redid the mold and send work out again. Once crown is back and put in place, he also adjusted a little here and there. I have to come back in a couple of days to check the result and the bite.

He does good work and very detail on all the procedures.

As to the cost, I only have a ballpark since I spread out into 2 calendar years to take the advantage of insurance annual max payout. I believe the total is around $5000 and my out of pocket is about half of that.

I now no longer have dental insurance. I plan to use HSA account if anything happens.

 

[SumDay]

DH just had this done. It started last year when I was still working and had dental insurance, and he quickly hit my $1500 Max with about $500 OOP from us. When I retired, we went with the dentist's "discount plan" and actually had the tooth molded and installed on the post, which cost us another $1400 OOP. So, $3400 for this tooth that could have been a vacation. And it took 11 months. Thank God that's over - I never knew anyone think of so many things to discuss and fret about over one tooth.

 

[Bamaman]

I found a dentist that has a 3D scanner and a CNC machine that carves crowns out of a solid piece of porcelain. It takes about a 1/2 hour to scan the mouth and she uses a mouse to make adjustments. Then the crown is carved in 6 minutes. She took maybe 30 seconds to finish the crown and then glued the crown in. She charges $750 or $100 cheaper than my regular dentist who requires 2 sittings 2 weeks apart. And it fits so much better.

 

[Texas Proud]

DW has bad bones and have had bone grafts that have not taken...


We pay about $5K per post... we are doing 3 posts for 4 teeth...


Have already done 2 posts for 2 teeth and 2 posts for 3 teeth...


Still have way too many more to go

 

[IBWino]

My wife has had two implants over the past six years, and she too had to have bone grafts prior to the actual implants. Both cost about $5K start-to-finish.

 

[steelyman]

This is a very helpful and informative thread in many ways, not just cost. I haven’t yet had an implant but expecting the first this year.

The term “dental implant” makes it sound like a one-and-done thing. But it’s good to read/learn of others’ take on their experience and result.

 

[athena53]

I've had 5 over the last 10 years. Each time they ran about $5K all-in: removing what was left of the failed tooth, bone graft, putting the threaded plate into the jawbone, adding the prosthetic tooth. For the most recent one, the surgery to remove the old tooth and put in the implant was October 4. I have an appointment this week to get the impression done for the prosthetic tooth and I suspect it will take a couple of months till it's installed unless they've switched to 3-D printing technology. The only post-op pain I've had after the anaesthetic wore off has been relieved by a single dose of OTC pain relievers.

My replacements are all molars and I love them. They don't decay, they don't need root canals, they just grind food up. I do get cleanings 4X/year because my dentist recommends it for implants.

 

[FreeBear]

$5K/each, to place implant and crown. Maybe another $1K for extraction and bone graft. This is fancy office in a better neighorhood of a HCOL area in northern flyover country.

The entire process lasted almost 9 months with 3-5 month's wait between placing the implant and finally installing the crown. There were around 5-6 visits during this time, although a few were just quick checks. We though about going overseas, but the costs of the flights (2 people, wouldn't send DW on her own!) and hotels would overwhelm any savings.

The only way overseas would have been competitive, especially for a single implant, was to install both implant and the crown at the same time. Our local dentist decries (not surprisingly) this one step approach. Just the thought of putting chewing pressure on a fresh implant and crown makes me queasy.... Think of what could go wrong.

Once installed the implants and crowns are wonderful, according to DW and many friends who have worn them, often for years. The only problem we have heard about is one friend had implants that failed to heal properly. So, if the implant "takes", you should be golden.

 

[athena53]

<snip>
The only way overseas would have been competitive, especially for a single implant, was to install both implant and the crown at the same time. Our local dentist decries (not surprisingly) this one step approach. Just the thought of putting chewing pressure on a fresh implant and crown makes me queasy.... Think of what could go wrong.

Once installed the implants and crowns are wonderful, according to DW and many friends who have worn them, often for years. The only problem we have heard about is one friend had implants that failed to heal properly. So, if the implant "takes", you should be golden.

I agree that the idea of doing the whole process in a day sounds risky. My oral surgeon (who's an MD and a DDS) gave me a pile of post-op instructions and noted that even after a couple of weeks it's only about 5% healed. A lot of the caveats described symptoms that might get worse before they got better. It's annoying to be missing a molar right now but I'd rather be sure it's healed.

Every time my dentist or oral surgeon reviews an X-ray or scan, they marvel at how well the other implants have "osseo-integrated", so I must be doing something right.

One unfortunate consequence of implants: if you have a bone graft you can't donate blood for 6 months, apparently because of some perceived risk with cadaver bone grafts. Mine was timed nicely to occur 6 months after I got back from India, which deferred me for a year anyway. I'm sure they'll be happy to see me back at the blood bank in April!

 

[Texas Proud]

Relating to time... if there are complications, and life getting in the way, it can take a LONG time...


My DWs current implants for 4 teeth on 3 posts have been going on for 2 years now... the first attempt at bone graft had the Dr do a sinus lift and take out 'stuff'... seems that her bad teeth were eating away at the jaw and it was not able to take a graft at that time...


Six months later the first graft... which failed when she went in 3 months after... so wait for things to heal and another.. failed again as she got a sinus infection which prevented the graft from taking... we have also postponed some surgeries since she was taking trips... just got a steroid shot for her allergies and will be scheduling the post implants soon...


BTW, my $5K price did not include the crown which cost about $1500 each... we have expensive but good Drs and Dentists...