One of the biggest concerns of any dental implant patient is not just how great their new smile is going to look or how long the process takes, but how much the treatment actually costs. The cost of dental implants—especially full mouth rejuvenation—is really hard to give a specific price quote, and for a very good reason. There are just so many variables that impact the price of full mouth dental implants. And really, without considering all of them, we can’t even “guesstimate” how much a person’s treatment will be.
Here are just some of the examples of factors that can impact dental implant costs:
How Healthy Your Bone and Gum Tissues Are
First of all, your mouth needs to have a healthy foundation to support any dental implants that you need. Your gums need to be free of any periodontal infections and the bone below that ought to be dense enough that it can completely surround an implant.
For people who don’t have healthy gum or bone levels, augmentation or grafting may be necessary. That’s where we graft new tissue into specific spaces, to recreate the shape of your gums or bone so that it can fully anchor an implant at that location. Grafting adds a bit of time to your overall smile reconstruction case, as well as the total out-of-pocket price.
The Number of Dental Implants You Need for Full Mouth Treatment
With full mouth reconstruction, we can typically use a few as four dental implants total (per arch.) That’s why you hear phrases like “All-on-4 implants” used; the four implants anchor the full-arch restoration. You’re essentially replacing 14 teeth in a row with only four implants to support them.
Depending on the anatomy and stability of your bone, you might need more than four implants. Sometimes “All-on-6” is better than “All-on-4”. If you need 5-6 implants to support your full mouth implants, the cost of treatment is adjusted to accommodate for the extra dental implants being used.
There are even instances where some people use as few as two dental implants to stabilize a removable overdenture. While removable appliances aren’t necessarily the same as full mouth dental implants, it might be what some individuals are looking for.
While it’s fair to say that four implants are the most common, it’s not all that uncommon for additional costs to be incurred because of more implants being required. Much of it simply depends on your unique oral anatomy.
The Type of Full Mouth Implant Restoration You’ve Chosen
There are multiple different types of dental implant restorations and materials used to make them. While you can definitely find cheap full mouth implants or affordable “teeth in a day” options, those inexpensive prosthetics tend to be used for temporary purposes only. You still have to update them with something more permanent after your mouth heals.
Our practice utilizes high-quality zirconia dental implants instead of acrylic. Since zirconia is more aesthetic and durable, it best resembles natural teeth. It’s also better for chewing and eating with.
However, some people want a prosthesis that’s more like traditional acrylic dentures. Acrylic is obviously more affordable than zirconia is, but it also wears out more quickly, scratches, and can develop more stain accumulation over time. That’s why we only use those materials for temporary healing restorations.
Additional Steps (Extractions, etc.)
Sometimes there are other factors not associated with dental implants that add to your full-mouth reconstruction costs.
For instance, maybe you have several teeth that still need to be removed before dental implants can be placed. Depending on the type of extraction required, the fee can vary from a simple to a complex procedure. Simple extractions tend to be the most affordable, while surgical extractions are those that involve impacted or embedded teeth.
If you’re having teeth extracted, there’s also a good chance that you may need to have bone grafting placed into those areas, to make sure your jaws are stable enough to support a dental implant.
Maybe you’re not replacing all of the teeth in your mouth and you’re only restoring one arch (like all of your upper teeth at one time.) If there is any type of disease—be it periodontitis or tooth decay—on the opposing arch of teeth, those infections need to be addressed before we can start the implant installation process because your mouth needs to be completely healthy.
The Type of Sedation You Choose
There are a few different levels of sedation/anesthesia that we use in dentistry. You’re probably already aware of local anesthesia, which is the numbing medication that we use to deaden a specific point in your mouth for working on one or two teeth. If you’re only having a couple of dental implants placed, local anesthetic and a mild to moderate sedative is perfectly fine.
On the other hand, if you’re getting full mouth dental implants, we highly recommend deep sedation during your procedure. While we still use local anesthetic at the areas where the implants are being installed, deep sedation ensures optimal relaxation and an enhanced recovery once your treatment is complete. Since we bring in an anesthetist to administer and monitor the sedation medications throughout the duration of the appointment, there are specific fees attached to those types of visits.
A No-Fuss Full Mouth Implant Consultation
Fortunately, you can find out how much dental implants will cost in your unique situation by planning an exam with one of our implant specialists. During your consultation, we’ll evaluate all of the above-mentioned factors, discuss what your individual goals are, and tabulate the coverage when it comes to your unique insurance plan benefits. From there, you’ll receive a black-and-white printout of your proposed treatment plan, with all of the pricing included. Yep. Right there on the paper. So, if you’re ready to get started immediately or you just want to sleep on it, you’ll have the information you need to take the first steps toward a new smile.
Reserve an Appointment Today
Get your individual dental implant price quote with our DFW specialists today. Contact us now for your no-fuss implant assessment.
