Cosmetic Dentistry

Are you missing one or a few teeth and want to fill in the gaps in your smile? Dental implants are an excellent solution! In fact, they’re the closest replacement possible to your natural teeth — they look, feel and function just like the real thing. But before you sink your teeth into this treatment (pardon the pun!), you’ll likely want to know how much dental implants cost.

If you’ve already turned to Google to research the cost of dental implants, you may have noticed the price for this treatment can vary a lot from practice to practice. You’ve probably also seen that some clinics offer a much cheaper dental implant cost than others. Confused? Rightly so! But don’t worry — we’re here to explain. 

When it comes to the cost of dental implants, there are a few key factors that determine how much you’ll pay. In this article, we’ll explore how much dental implants cost in Australia and the factors that affect the price.

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How much do dental implants cost?

The cost of dental implants in Australia could be anywhere up to $8,000 for a single dental implant, and up to $38,000 for an All-on-4 implant solution per upper or lower jaw (depending on the key factors highlighted below). 

At our Mount Gambier and Port Fairy dental practices, a single dental implant starts from $6,975 per tooth. We also offer affordable payment plans so you can spread out the cost of dental implants over time and get the treatment you need without the financial fuss.

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What factors affect the cost of dental implants?

The reason why there’s no ‘set fee’ when it comes to dental implant cost is because no two dental implant procedures are alike. There are a number of varying factors in each case that will ultimately determine the price, including:

• The complexity of the case
• The number of dental implants required
• The quality of the materials used
• The expertise of your implant dentist
• The sedation used during surgery

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The complexity of your case

The complexity of the work involved in your case and whether you require additional procedures, such as tooth extraction or bone grafting, will have an impact on the overall cost of your dental implant treatment.

There are many cases where a patient will need to have damaged, broken down or failing teeth removed before the dental implants can be placed. In more complex cases where a patient has severe jaw bone loss, bone and/or gum grafting may also be required to ensure the implant can be placed successfully. Some patients may even opt to have additional cosmetic treatments, like veneers or teeth whitening, to achieve a better aesthetic outcome. All of these additional procedures will add to the cost of your dental implant treatment.

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The number of dental implants

The number of dental implants required, along with whether you need dental crowns or a tooth bridge, will greatly impact your treatment price. Here’s a few examples of how dental implant treatment could look when replacing one, a few or most of your teeth:

• If you need to replace one missing tooth, you’ll typically only need a single dental implant and one dental crown
  
  
• If you need to replace several missing teeth in a row, you’ll typically need at least two dental implants which can secure a tooth bridge 

• If you need to replace several missing teeth that are in different areas of the jaw (i.e. not side-by-side), you may need multiple dental implants and a combination of dental crowns and bridges
  
  
• If you need to replace all or most of your teeth in your upper or lower jaw, you may require a full mouth dental implant solution like All-on-4, which involves the placement of at least 4 dental implants in the jaw to secure a tooth bridge of up to 12 teeth in place

The quality of the materials used

Dental implants are an investment, so you’ll want to ensure the materials used are top quality and can stand the test of time.

Dental implant treatment involves two key components:

1. The dental implant (a titanium post that is embedded in the jaw to act as an artificial tooth root)
2. The implant tooth or bridge (the false tooth or teeth that fill the gap left by the missing tooth)

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The quality and materials used in these components will greatly influence the cost of dental implant treatment.

The cost of titanium dental implants will vary, depending on whether they are made by a reputable manufacturer or a cheaper supplier. The issue here is that cheaper titanium implants will not be backed by the rigorous clinical testing of more reputable brands, putting you at higher risk of complications like implant failure.

The price of the implant tooth or bridge will depend on the material it’s made from, as well as the level of customisation required. For example, if you need to replace one of your front teeth, you’ll want the implant tooth to perfectly match your other teeth and look as natural as possible. In this case, a ceramist would need to carefully hand-craft the implant tooth using thin layers of porcelain to replicate the natural translucency of your teeth. This type of customisation requires a lengthy process and a highly skilled ceramist, which would increase your treatment costs.

The key thing to remember is that although premium quality dental implants and implant teeth come at a higher cost, you’ll benefit from a more robust and natural-looking result that will last for many decades to come.

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The expertise of your implant dentist

The dental implant procedure is highly complex. It requires meticulous planning and positioning to ensure a good cosmetic and functional outcome. As such, the experience and training of your dentist can make a big difference to the success and longevity of your dental implants. The bottom line? It pays to work with an experienced dentist who performs this procedure regularly and has successful long-term patient follow-ups.

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The sedation used during surgery

Many patients choose to have their dental implant surgery while under IV sedation (also known as twilight sedation). This is a type of ‘conscious’ sedation where you are technically awake, but feel extremely relaxed and drowsy. Sedation will certainly help you feel a lot more comfortable during your dental implant procedure, however, it does come at an additional fee which will increase the overall cost of your treatment.

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Got a question about the cost of dental implants?

We know replacing your missing teeth with dental implants can seem daunting, but we’re here to put your mind at ease. If you have any questions about dental implants and the cost, please feel free to contact us. Or if you’d like more personalised advice on the cost of dental implants and whether this treatment is right for you, call us to book your implant consultation at our Mount Gambier practice on (08) 8725 2441 or our Port Fairy practice on (03) 5568 2577.