It all started at the carnival in 4th grade.
The man at the ring toss game told you all you had to do was ring 3 milk jugs and you’d win a goldfish!
You stepped up and threw 10 rings at those stupid milk jugs and didn’t ring ONE. What happened?
Well, you fell for a trick! You got ripped off! You felt cheated and angry and ever since then, that “rip-off” radar has been up, because that is NOT happening to you again!
We all have this story. The story that made us start looking at everything we buy with a level of skepticism and a healthy dose of distrust.
And when it comes to dental implants, the price tag and lack of specific information can make that radar go way up.
Because are these price tags necessary? Do they really have to charge that? And why is it so hard to find specific pricing for specific procedures? Are they hiding something?
In other words, we have to know, are we getting ripped off?
We’ve learned our lesson
Asking these questions is smart. It means we’re not suckers. Let’s get some answers.
The first shift to make is to stop looking at dental implant pricing as if you’re shopping for a new laptop, and start looking at it as if you’re shopping for a custom home build.
Lack of easy to find pricing – why?
Before you start building your house, you’ll need a surveyor to come out and assess your property.
They’ll survey the area and look for things like lot dimensions, positioning, distance from other structures, accessibility of equipment to the construction site etc.
The same goes for the location of your dental implant(s). Your dentist will not only assess your overall oral health, but will also use x-rays and scans to survey the implant site and look for things like health of your gums, proximity to other teeth, jaw thickness etc.
And just like it would be tougher and more expensive to build your house on a steep hill that also needs 3 trees cut down, it will be tougher and more expensive to place your implant in a site with thin gum lines that also needs a bone graft.
A building contractor can’t quote you a price without seeing your lot, and a dentist can’t quote you a price without assessing your overall oral health and implant site.
So now we understand the why behind the vague information, but we still need to know if these estimates we’re hearing are really necessary. Does it really have to be this expensive?
Let’s make sure.
Materials
When you get a quote for your home build, it’ll include the cost of the materials needed to construct your house. Things like lumber, sheet rock, insulation…
When you get a quote for your dental implant(s), they’ll include the cost of materials needed to construct your custom implant(s). Like the implant ($300-$500), abutment ($200-$650) and crown ($200-$2500). *Material prices vary depending on quality and if they need to be custom- made.
Equipment
Your home build price will include the cost of using equipment to construct your house like cement mixers, concrete grinders, caulk guns etc.
Your dental implant price will include the cost of using equipment to place your implant like a fixation screw kit ($900), an implant placement a kit ($4,000), a center point trephine kit ($915) and the list goes on.
Training and expertise
Paying for the time, money and effort an expert has put into their craft is always WELL worth the cost.
That’s why when we’re building a house, we end up paying an entire team of experts that all specialize in different parts of the process, like foundation specialists, excavation crews and trained carpenters.
The same thing goes for your implant experts. Your dentist is highly trained in not only classic dentistry, but has completely separate training and expertise in implant dentistry (that includes constant ongoing education). He/she will also work with experts that specialize in different parts of the process like restorative dentists, maxillofacial surgeons, CAD/CAM technicians, etc.
So, we’re starting to understand why this procedure needs some money thrown at it and our “carnival conman” fears are starting to subside, but if you’re like me, you still have that nagging question… Will this REALLY be worth it?
At the risk of sounding way too excited…
YES!!!!!!!
Your dental health is everything. If you have periodontal disease or need one or more teeth replaced, it’s not even an option of if, but when?
If you have even just one missing tooth, your bone is deteriorating. And while your bone is deteriorating, your teeth are also shifting to make up for that missing tooth, causing serious pain and misalignment. Then, All KINDS of problems start happening.
If you’ve already had other expensive dental procedures done, there’s a great chance you’ll be back in that dentist’s chair sooner than later to have them repaired, AND to discover you need even more work.
Remember that getting dental implant surgery is a permanent fix for your smile and dental health, saving you massive amounts of money, time and pain in the long run.
Is it worth it? YES! And the sooner you go, the better.
So, call your dentist and schedule a consultation today!
And if your radar is still halfway up, just remember that there’s no downside to getting a consultation. Our dentists aren’t trained in the art of the “ring toss” con and probably couldn’t pull it off, even if they wanted to 😉
Article originally published at yournewteethnow.com.