The Cost of Dental Implants Related to Crown Materials.

The cost of making teeth for dental implants is usually equal to or more than the actual implants in the bone.

This fact is commonly mistaken. It is of utmost importance to have the right type of teeth made on the implants.

For example, a whole upper jaw of missing is usually replaced with 6 - 9 dental implants even though there are usually 14 teeth. Those few implants can usually support 10 to 14 teeth.

When a ten to fourteen tooth bridge is made there are two basic materials, plastic resin or porcelain. The porcelain is the better choice and generally costs 35% more.

Plastic resin implant bridges are very common. The teeth are actually teeth for dentures. They greatly reduce cost because they are premade and not custom. They can look beautiful. This is one I did many years ago:

The problem with the plastic resin fixed bridges is that the teeth wear out, stain and break off routinely. They are not "permanent teeth" as some advertise on the radio. Expect to replace the teeth every 5 - 7 years. 

This is one that did exactly that:

A fixed porcelain bridge is completely custom made. It is all gold alloy metal underneath the porcelain for strength. It rarely wears out and does not stain. It also maintains the vertical dimension of the face of the long term. This prevents the "aged" look.

Porcelain can chip or break...it is not indestructible. If you have a really strong bite, grind your teeth or have really short teeth, I may recommend a blend of materials. The outside part that shows is made in white porcelain, while the biting surface is made in metal.

Here is a picture of two implants restored in this fashion:

I agree, they are not pretty from this angle, but some people need this or they will break the implant teeth.

From the side view that is visible:

This is one part of your treatment that you really want to know the details.

The cost of the implant treatment is highly dependent on this. You don’t want corners to be cut by choosing the wrong material or worse yet, not even knowing what you got.  Many times I hear patients say they got or are getting and implant "bridge" but it is actually an overdenture!!!

Please feel free to comment if you are uncertain about materials!

I have seen many patients that thought they were getting a deal.  But like anything else: if it sounds too good to be true....

Comments

[Ramsey Amin DDS]

Hi Caroline,

Now that the tooth is out, I would just wait two to four months to place the implant.

Go with the most qualified dentist that you feel comfortable with. This is a body part, that should be with you for many years, so choose the best!

A prefabricated abutment is usually fine for molar teeth, but each tooth is VERY different!

Ramsey A. Amin, D.D.S.
Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology /Implant Dentistry
Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry
Burbank, California
Voted Best Dentist in Burbank -2006, 2008, 2010, 2011
www.burbankdentalimplants.com

[Caroline]

I had tooth #30 extracted and a bone graft for some bone loss done 6 weeks ago without any complications. I plan on having an implant done. One periodontist (the one that did the extraction) wants to wait 4-6 months after extraction to do the implant only. A dentist would do a custom abutment and crown. The other periodontist (who is board certified) recommends doing an implant with a prefab abutment 3 months after extraction. In this case, a dentist would do the crown only. I saw the second periodontist 3 weeks after extraction and he said he probably would have done the extraction with an immediate implant, if he had done it himself. I can't decide which periodontist to go with. I wondered if you had any advice on how long to wait before implant, and prefab vs. custom abutments? Also, if I go with the second periodontist, he likes to work with a different dentist than mine. Do you think it is best to have the implant and crown done with a "team" or does it make a difference if the periodontist doing the implant and the dentist doing the crown don't usually work together?

Thank you.