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Dr. Ivan Chicchon received his DDS from the University of the Pacific in San Francisco.

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Tips to Save Money on Dental Implants

Which Specialist should I go to?

Help! My Dental Implant Fell out!

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Fixed Dentures: The good, the bad, and the ugly

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Custom abutment vs Stock abutment

Money Saving Tip #3

Some dentists are able to make an all-in-one abutment and crown. (Also known as a UCLA abutment crown). By doing a one-piece abutment-crown, the dentist can save some lab costs and potentially pass on the savings to you. The longevity of these one-piece abutment crowns is not significantly different from the conventional two piece option. It is worth bringing this up to your dentist to see if you can save yourself a few hundred dollars.

An incorrectly placed implant can damage adjacent teeth.

A one-piece abutment and crown can significantly reduce laboratory costs to make a crown.

Hopefully this article has clarified some of the costs involved with dental implants and provided some useful tips on how to save some money at the dentist. While cost is certainly an important criteria, make sure that it is not your only criteria.

Spending a little bit more for peace of mind--especially for something that has the potential to say with you for the rest of your life--may be worth it.

Money Saving Tip #2

While a custom abutment may be critical for a front tooth, it might not be necessary for a premolar or molar. You can ask your dentist for the price difference between a “stock” and a “custom” abutment and ask if it is necessary to choose a custom abutment. Sometimes it is not necessary and you can easily save yourself $100 or more! The cost to the patient for a stock abutment can be $200-300, while a custom abutment can cost $300-500.

The crown is the “tooth portion.” This is just like any crown that a dentist would make for a natural tooth, except that it can also be retained with a screw instead of cement. Screw-retained and cement-retained implant crowns seem to have similar results and longevity. Dental laboratories typically charge more to the dentist for implant crowns, therefore the dentist usually charges a higher fee for them. The cost to the patient for an implant crown can be $1000-2000.

The abutment is the connection between the implant in your jawbone and the crown. This portion can also be made of titanium or zirconium. In front teeth, it may be beneficial to select a zirconium abutment because of its white color. This may help achieve a lighter shade for the crown and it will lead to a better esthetic result in the event of future gum recession. The dentist can use a “stock” abutment, which means that they buy a prefabricated abutment directly from the manufacturer. Also, they can order a “custom” abutment which means that a special abutment is specifically made to fit the space of the missing tooth in the most ideal manner. Sometimes a custom abutment is necessary, especially for front teeth where esthetics is supremely important. Also, for back teeth a custom abutment can provide more support for the crown to give it a longer “lifespan”.

Money Saving Tip #1

Even if you have been going to the same dentist all your life, now it is easier than ever to find yourself a good deal by doing a little “shopping around.” Some dentists may offer a lower fee for the “implant placement”, but then charge a relatively more expensive fee for the abutment and crown or vice versa. You might consider going to a few dentists for quotes for the “implant placement” and the “abutment and crown.” To get the best price, you can go to one dentist for the implant placement and to another for the abutment and crown.

the crown

the abutment

the implant

Tip #1:Shop around! You can have the implant installed at one office and have the abutment and crown at another.

Tip #2: Ask your dentist if its possible to use a "stock" abutment instead of a "custom" abutment.

Tip #3: Ask if you can have a one-piece abutment-crown (aka. a UCLA abutment). Not all dentists do this however.

Tip #4: To maximize insurance benefit, you can get the implant placed one year, then the abutment and crown the next.

Article Snapshot:

The implant is a small, screw-like rod that is placed into your jawbone to provide a foundation for the “tooth portion.” Most implants are made of titanium because this material will actually biologically bond to your bone through a process called osseointegration. There are also some dental implants that are made of a white zirconium material. While they offer the advantage of being white, this material has a lower ability to bond to your jawbone. As the actual implant is usually not visit, it is not really to your advantage to choose zirconium instead of titanium implants.

Don't let the cost of dental implants drain your bank account! Here are some tips you can use to save at the dentist.

With all the talk of the benefits and the advantages to dental implants, you may have been happy when your dentist told you that you are a candidate for dental implants--but not so excited when you were shown the astronomical bill for the procedure!

I am often asked, “Why is the cost of dental implants so darn high?”

By Dr. Ivan Chicchon Feb 16, 2015

Tips to Save Money on Dental Implants

Prices for a replacing a single tooth can commonly range between $2,000 to 6,000 depending on where you live and what dentist you go to. The cost for a full arch of implant dentures or implant bridges is much more expensive still (from $10k - $50k per jaw...this can range considerably depending on how many implants and what type of prosthesis you choose). In this article, I will try to explain the costs involved for dental implants and some of the most common implant options.

When replacing a single tooth with an implant, there are usually three parts to consider:

The cost charged to the patient for this portion varies considerably. A general dentist might charge $1000 for the placement of a dental implant, while a specialist may charge $2000.

The “mark-up” of the specialist’s prices is due to the additional years of training and experience they have earned through a specialty residency. Whether you choose to go with a specialist or not, it is very important that the implant be placed precisely. While a small deviation in angulation might be corrected with a custom abutment (see below), an incorrectly placed implant can result in a completely un-usable implant. If the implant is grossly malpositioned, it would have to be removed and a new implant placed along with adjunctive bone grafting procedures. Also, a misplaced implant can cause irreversible damage to adjacent teeth.

(There are several different “implant specialists”. You can read more about them and how to choose which one is right for your procedure in this article.)