Dental implants are one of the most commonly used alternatives when a tooth is missing. Its placement is a procedure used by many dentists and not all share the same prices. Within this variety of prices there are also differences in the training and experience of the professional, the technique and quality of the procedure (without pain or complications), and the materials used.
The budget for the placement of a dental implant
In the budget given to the patient for the placement of a dental implant is included the price of the implant and the surgical act of placing it. Here come into play many variables that can vary the total sum of this budget. First, the type and brand of implant that we use will have a certain price different from other brands or types of implants. You can also vary the price depending on the treatment that is done to the patient for the placement of the implant (with or without regeneration, with more or less bone). And finally, the cost of the surgical act will vary among dentists depending on many factors such as the quality and equipment of the dental clinic, the training or experience of the dentist. It will be taken into account if the dentist is a specialist after having completed a 3 year full university education, if he dedicates his clinical practice to implantology exclusively, and if he is also linked to the university environment that will force him to be updated in the last scientific evidence and more advanced technology.
The price of dental implants may vary
There are many types of dental implants and many price differences between them. Among all the variety of implants that there are in the market, few are those that are backed by serious studies, published in scientific journals of high impact, made by universities. There are other brands that copy these implants but do not pass any quality control frequently giving different types of complications. The price difference between implants that currently exists in the market is important and patients should know what is due; an original is not the same as a copy, an implant is not the same as we know its behavior in the long term (20 years) than another without studies.
Dental implants must meet the quality criteria of the European Union in addition to having a scientific and research support to endorse its use and predictability for dental treatment. The research must have sufficient support with long-term studies to be able to guarantee that within the sanitary parameters, the success rate of the long-term implant is high.
Apart from the scientific research that investigates the behavior of dental implants as substitutes for missing teeth, each commercial house submits its implants to different quality criteria. Depending on the brand, the quality controls will be more or less strict. The most expensive implants are manufactured with maximum precision and their production is subject to very strict quality tests. In addition they present a guarantee in case of fracture or defect of the dental implant. Low cost implants may not meet a minimum of quality or even pose a risk or complications to the oral health of the patient.
When a patient needs to place a dental implant and choose according to the price offered by different clinics, usually lacks knowledge to properly compare the prices of dental implants. We are usually attracted to misleading advertising campaigns where the quality of the dental implant is not accompanied by the price charged. The logical thing would be to think that the health law is very strict and that implants must comply with a minimum of quality. The reality is that in many cases the quality of the treatments is far below the minimum acceptable. All this ends up paying the patient with complications, re-treatments over time, hours in the dental chair and their money.
The type of implant to place depends on the professional and to a certain extent on the patient, who must undergo diagnostic tests to be able to make a good treatment plan and choose the ideal implant for his case. The diagnosis of the patient’s condition is very important to be done correctly. Not only are there differences between dental implants once the implant placement has been decided, but there are also cases in which more expensive treatment plans are offered that do not correspond to a good diagnosis. For example, in cases where the tooth could be saved, it is decided to remove it and place an implant due to an incorrect diagnosis, that means a greater gain for the professional and the loss of the tooth by the patient and a higher cost of treatment . Another example would be to perform and collect unnecessary bone regenerations when today narrow and short implants can be placed with the same success.
Therefore, it is very important to look at the professional who meets all the requirements previously explained, and be informed at all times that our diagnosis and treatment plan is based on the most current scientific evidence. There is a great variety of prices in the market between different dental implants and sometimes we are guided by the most attractive offer at first sight and the one that knows how to advertise in a better way. You have to be informed of what type of dental implant is going to be used and of the investigation to which it has been submitted.
