Dental implants are medical devices surgically inserted into your jaw to replace missing teeth. This improves your appearance and comfort, improves oral health, makes eating more manageable, and enhances self-esteem. Despite being one of the best tooth replacement options, they’re generally expensive in Australia. So, why are dental implants so expensive in Australia? Here are the reasons:
1. Dentist’s proficiency
The dental implant process requires a lot of care and skill. The process may involve various operations, with each step requiring specific skills.
For this reason, dentists undergo extensive training, which is costly and takes more time. Training ensures they’re well-versed with the latest equipment, procedures, and products. This enables them to deliver superior treatment and ensure the implants are done successfully without complications. As a result, they charge a higher fee.
2. The complexity of the treatment involved
You may be having some issues that make the procedure more complicated. For instance, if you’ve been toothless for several years, you may suffer bone loss in your jaw. This is because your inherent teeth impose weight on your jaws, thus keeping them firm and vigorous. When you lose a tooth, the bone in that area and the gum start to recess.
In such cases, your dentist may recommend bone grafting or augmentation to achieve sufficient bone and gum tissue density that supports implants. This can undoubtedly add to the cost of the treatment.
3. Quality of the materials used
Generally, dental implants are made out of two materials:
- Titanium: This is the most common dental implant material, having been used since the 1960s. Some advantages of titanium are that they’re highly durable so the implant can last longer. Moreover, they can attach to bone and grow into the implant as it heals.
- Zirconium: This is another excellent material that can integrate well with bones. It eradicates patients’ concerns about metal sensitivities and allergies. With zirconium, there’s no risk of corrosion, and the metal won’t show through the gums or be exposed due to receding bone or gum. Furthermore, they can easily match teeth crowns since they’re white.
These materials are expensive, thus making the dental implant more costly.
4. The type of implant used
The type of implant used can significantly affect the overall cost. Below are the main types of dental implants available in Australia:
- Endosteal implants: These are the most common types of implants made from titanium. Typically, they resemble a cylinder, blade, or small screw. They’re placed in your jawbone and bulge through the gum to hold the replacement tooth or teeth.
- Subperiosteal implants: These are inserted below your gum but not drilled into the jawbone. They’re mostly recommended if you don’t have a healthy jawbone that can support an endosteal implant.
- Immediate-load dental implants: Also called same-day implants or teeth in a day. Unlike other dental implants, the dentist can place the implant and the temporary teeth consecutively. Their price is higher compared to immediate dentures cost in Australia.
- All-on-4: Unlike implant supported dentures that replace several teeth at once, all on four implants are a method where the upper or lower set of your teeth is replaced with four implants. The procedure starts with the placement of four implants in your available bone. After this, your dentist places special abutments that can support temporary replacement teeth for several days. Before the placement of permanent replacement teeth, you’ll have to wait for at least six months for your gums to heal.
- Mini dental implants: These are toothpick-sized implants with the same structure as conventional implants. They’re placed through a less-invasive method compared to other types of implants. You can use this type if you can’t undergo invasive surgery, have insufficient time for repeat dental visits, or if your jawbone isn’t strong enough for a full-sized implant.
- Single dental implant: This is suitable if you have only one tooth to be replaced.
- Multiple dental implants: This is for patients who need to replace more than one tooth.
Conclusion
Losing one or more teeth can rob you of your precious smile. Luckily, with dental implants, you can restore your lost teeth and regain confidence. The artificial add-ons fit your jaw perfectly like your natural teeth. However, these procedures are costly in Australia. This is because the materials used are of high quality, and the dentists have to compensate for the time and money they spent on additional training.
References
- “Dental Implants: What You Should Know”, Source: https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/dental-devices/dental-implants-what-you-should-know#:~:text=Dental%20implants%20are%20medical%20devices,crowns%2C%20bridges%2C%20or%20dentures.
- “Dental Implants”, Source: https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/dental-implants
- “Types of Dental Implants”, Source: https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/types-dental-implnts
- “Titanium Dental Implants”, Source: https://www.healthline.com/health/dental-and-oral-health/titanium-implants
