Dental Implants in Manchester – Is Cheap Always Good?

10 December 2018

Dental Implants in Manchester – Is Cheap Always Good?

The price of dental implants in Manchester can vary considerably. In fact, a quick Google search shows prices range from the higher hundreds to the lower thousands. In anyone’s book, that’s a significant sway, but unlike other forms of cosmetic dentistry, Manchester patients should know that when it comes to tooth implants, there are many variables which can and do affect what you pay. So is cheap always good? And more importantly, if not, then what should you really be expected to pay?

The implant pricing conundrum

When we take other cosmetic treatments such as Botox in Manchester, for example, it’s pretty easy to price accurately. Why? Because each patient will have roughly the same treatment. In this instance, medical practitioners will normally charge either by area or by a unit. So, one 50 unit vial of Botox is typically enough for one patient. This covers crow’s feet (2.5 units) the forehead (20 units) and the lines between the brows (25 units) As a result, the cost is always going to be the incremental price of one or more vials, depending upon the treatment needed.

However, when it comes to dental implants, Manchester patients should know that pricing isn’t quite so straightforward. Let’s take two patients for example…

Each has a missing back tooth that requires a single implant replacement. The first patient lost their tooth a few days ago when chewing on a toffee sweet, while the second patient lost their tooth about a year ago and chose not to do anything about it, until now.

Because the first patient has acted early, they would have experienced very little or no bone loss. This is the unfortunate process that occurs naturally when teeth are missing. As such, there is very little to be done other than attach the implant and fit the crown.

Conversely, when the second patient decides to finally do something about their missing tooth, they’ve already lost up to 25% of their bone tissue. Unfortunately, the implant needs sufficient and healthy bone tissue to anchor into and ensures the best chance of longevity. So now, before the implant is placed, the patient will need to undertake a bone graft. Additionally, because the remaining teeth have gravitated towards the gap, cleaning between them has made it difficult and because of this, the patient has developed gum disease which will also need to be rectified.

While the moral of this tale is perhaps to act fast when you have a missing tooth, the wider point is that costs can and will vary from patient to patient. No treatments are the same and this is one reason why the pricing of implant-based restorations isn’t straightforward.

Cosmetic dentistry Manchester – Other reasons for implant pricing fluctuation

In addition to variations in treatments, there are a number of other reasons which can affect the price of dental implants in Manchester. Let’s take a closer look…

Implant Branding

When we talk about Botox, Manchester patients understand that it’s a brand. While there are other wrinkle treatment alternatives on the market, Botox is by far the most popular and is used by 90% of all treatment clinics. In fact, getting Botox is a bit like ‘Googling‘ something, or ‘Hoovering‘ your carpet. No one ever says ‘I really should Bing that to find out the answer? Or, ‘it’s about time I Dyson’d my carpet because it’s really dirty’. Likewise. no one says “I looked in the mirror the other day and I’ve got so many wrinkles, I think it’s about time I had some Dysport treatment” Quite simply, it just sounds weird!

When it comes to dental implants, however, you don’t have that monopolisation that other successful brands have, so given that information, then surely an implant is an implant, right?

Well, not exactly!

Did you know that there are about 10-15 major implant systems on the market and over 200 different implant companies? With brands like Nobel Biocare, Straumann Bio-horizons and Zimmer leading the way, they have decades of clinical testing and proven results. Others, however, particularly those which new to the market, don’t have the financial clout of the big players and can only compete with them in the only way they know how…Price! In other words, when it comes to dental implants you tend to get what you pay for.

The problem is unless you ask your dentist what brand of implant they use, you’re not going to know. It’s understandable that if a dentist is offering cut-price implant-restorations, one way that they can still make a decent profit is to source cheaper materials and that may mean utilising lesser-known implants. With this in mind, you might want to consider if you’d be happy with a tooth implant that doesn’t have the clinical research behind it, from a company that has no proven track record in the industry.

Experience of the dentist

Nowadays, virtually every dentist offers dental implants in Manchester as a form of missing tooth replacement. Naturally, until we get to the stage where we can regrow our own teeth, implant-based restorations are the gold standard of missing teeth replacement at this time. Therefore, it’s understandable why dentists would want to offer this service for their patients, But in addition, due to their increasing popularity, offering dental implant treatments also makes good business sense.

The problem is that as a patient, how do you know you’re getting someone with the relevant experience to handle the complexities and varieties that a particular dental implant treatment throws up? They might, for instance, need to change tack due to an unforeseen problem during surgery, so the question is… do they have the skills to be able to do this? Invariably, handling cases which aren’t straightforward often only comes with a lifetime of chairside experience.

Other added treatments    

We’ve already mentioned that no two implant cases or implant patients are the same, and also the fact that an implant-based restoration can encompass a wide range of other treatments, so let’s further expand on that.

While the need for bone grafting is an obvious one, other treatments such as sinus lifting, nerve repositioning, and even teeth extraction may also be required before a dental implant can successfully be placed. Let’s say your dentist has examined your teeth and realised that certain teeth are failing. It wouldn’t be cost effective or ideal for the patient if the dentist were to try to fix them, so instead, they may decide that the best option is to replace them with dental implants. For this reason, teeth may be extracted as part of the implant restoration process.

Alternatively, in some patients, there might not be enough bone height in the upper jaw or the sinus cavity is too close to the jaw for safe implant placement. For this reason, the dentist may need to perform a sinus lift.

In rarer cases, nerve lateralisation or nerve repositioning may also be needed. This type of surgery occurs when the patient has a severe lack of jaw bone in the lower jaw. As the bone shrinks the inferior alveolar nerve moves closer to the surface of the gum line. In its current position, any dental implant placed into the jaw could damage the nerve. For this reason, it’s carefully moved or repositioned to allow more space for the implant-based restoration to take place.

The point is that when building a treatment plan, all of these factors will be taken into consideration and they will affect the final cost.

Dental Implants In Manchester – The pricing conclusion

Like many things in life you get what you pay for and dental implants are no exception. So, when you see a dental implant advertised for say £895.00 you need to ask yourself what does that entail?  Is it purely for the implant? Does it include the crown and abutment? What about the Implant used? Does it reflect the experience of the dentist or any further treatments? The only way to find out is to ask the questions. Any dentist worth their salt will be more than happy to give you all the answers you need and if they don’t, or appear a little cagey, then you know what to do!

Finally, you also have to weigh up the costs of dental implants in Manchester alongside other missing tooth replacement options. For example, while dental implants may appear initially expensive, they can last for many years, giving you decades of hassle-free smiles. On the flip side, due to bone resorption, dentures and dental bridges will need replacing as they only have a shelf life of somewhere between 5-10 years. So unlike implants, they aren’t a ‘one time only’ expense and therefore quality dental implants may work out cheaper in the long-term.

There you have it, everything you need to know about dental implant cost and why pricing isn’t that straightforward.

If you’re considering dental implants as a form of missing tooth replacement, then you might want to talk to Church Road dental and cosmetics. As the name suggests we offer the very best cosmetic dentistry in Manchester, including Botox. Manchester residents should also know that our highly experienced team led by Dr. Shi Karim are at the cutting edge of implant dentistry here in Manchester and have successfully transformed the smiles of hundreds of patients. To find out more about how we can help you, why not contact us on 0161 486 0743 and book yourself a consultation today.