5 Options For Low(er) Cost Dental Implants

The price tag for dental implants can give many interested in them sticker shock. Coming in an an average of around $4000 per tooth for implants, many are on the lookout for cheaper, more affordable options to replace their missing teeth.

As expensive as implants are, they are a highly effective, safe and proven successful way of replacing teeth. And they don’t just have to be for the rich. Below we share 5 options for low(er) cost dental implants that may be available to you. There’s no guarantee these options will work for your situation, but they could potentially save you thousands of dollars and are worth looking into.

Try a Dental School

What we are not suggesting here is to go to dental school yourself! What we mean by this is that you contact dental schools and see if they offer dental implant procedures at a discount.

Dental schools may offer discounted procedures by having students perform the dental implant surgery. They do so under the supervision of a trained faculty member. It gives the students much needed experience in performing the dental implant procedures. And it gives patients who are willing to give these students a chance, the opportunity to get implants at a steep discount.

This is a popular option and many dental schools have a wait list of people wanting to take advantage of this low cost option. The number of implant procedures offered by dental schools usually is limited. Also, many schools only offer these discounted procedures to low income individuals. This may not be an option for everyone but for those who have limited income and are patient, it could be a great opportunity.

Shop Around

It shouldn’t be much of a surprise to hear that different implant dentists charge different amounts for their services. And when you’re talking about something as costly as dental implants, it can really pay to shop around and visits 2, 3 or more dentists. You want to find one you’re comfortable with and think will do a good job and also see the difference it cost between different dentists.

If you live in a major metro area, it may pay to check out implant dentists in less populated areas as the cost savings may be worth the additional travel time. The research you do into different implants dentists can result in huge savings of $1000s.

Alternative Options

Dental implants are not the only options out there to replace missing teeth. There are removable partial dentures and fixed bridges available that cost a lot less than dentures. These are not permanent options, however. So you have to balance the cost saving with these alternatives that won’t last as long, are more prone to chipping/breaking and may not look, feel or function like real teeth as implants do.

Dental Discount Plans

Another good option to investigate is signing up for a dental discount plan. These are plans where you pay an annual fee to join and become a member. Once you’re a member, you can go to dentists that accept the dental discount plan and save 10% to 60% on many dental services and procedures. These plans offer other benefits as well. They don’t have co-pays, they don’t have limits on how many times you use your plan each year and they don’t have health restrictions.

Before you select a plan, you specifically want to look at what kind of discounts the plan offers for dental implants as the savings will vary between plans. An average savings rate for these plans is around 20% which can result in some massive savings.

Dental Tourism

With the cost of implants so high in the US, a lot of people look overseas as a way to save a significant amount on implants and other health related treatments and procedures. In fact, it’s estimated almost 1.5 million Americans will travel abroad for dental and other health care needs.

For dental care, Costa Rica, Mexico, El Salvador and Thailand are the most popular countries people travel to for treatment. Travelling overseas for medical procedures does come with its risks. So if you are looking into this, you really have to do your research and make sure that the healthcare provider you choose is well qualifies and trustworthy. The savings can be great but you don’t want to get scammed or be treated in a situation where they are not well equipped to take care of you if anything goes wrong.