The old adage, “You get what you pay for,” also holds true in implant dentistry. On the one hand are truly remarkable, life-long, and highly aesthetic dental implant treatments performed by trained experts. These services often do come at a higher price. On the other hand are second-tier, cheaper quality dental implants, and poorly planned treatments provided by unqualified dentists who lure patients to their offices by offering weekly specials, coupons, and discounts.
Both offer dental implants. Both are medical professionals. So why pay more? Well, let’s see what you’re really paying for in each instance…
With higher cost of remarkable dental implant treatments, you get:
- A highly trained oral surgeon who places the dental implants working in collaboration with a prosthodontist or highly trained general dentist, with each professional working within their core of competency;
- A full diagnostic work-up using study models, photos, accurate x-rays, and CT scan imaging as well as ample discussions, collaborations, and extensive planning to design a custom treatment plan that meets the patient’s functional and cosmetic objectives;
- Surgical guides for precision implant placement along with accurate impressions, high quality dental labs with master ceramists, precision prosthetic components, and natural looking crowns with great color match and shape;
- A comfortable and balanced bite with teeth that look natural and feel comfortable chewing and smiling;
- Close follow up and care after it is all done; and finally,
- Teeth that you will love for long to come.
With lower cost of compromised dental implant treatments, you get:
- A visit with a dentist who seems to have all the solutions at the outset with more focus on scheduling and procuring a down payment than understanding the patient’s needs;
- Minimal work-up in a one-stop shop dental office with a weekend-course trained ‘super’ dentist who is probably a self-acclaimed expert in both implant surgery and restorations;
- Inadequate diagnostics with no forethought or collaboration;
- Highly questionable techniques without surgical guides which almost always result in poorly positioned implants,
- Cheaper “copy” implants and low cost dental labs that produce poor quality and ill-fitting restorations; resulting in
- Poor aesthetics and bite which are usually followed by inadequate post-treatment care, usually requiring even more costly re-treatment.
Don’t be fooled. Excellent dental implants are the result of experience, expertise, great skill, detailed planning, professional collaboration, and high-quality products. These resources don’t come cheap. The fact remains low-cost implant dentistry ends up being more expensive. So remember another adage that stands the test of time: “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”