What dental implants cost, and how insurance treats them

Written and clinically reviewed by Dr. Andrew Korcek, DDS, FAGD  ·  Korcek Dental, Minden, Nevada

Why two quotes are never comparable

The single most common reason a patient feels misled about implant pricing is that one practice quoted the fixture alone and another quoted the finished tooth. Both were honest. They were answering different questions.

• •Surgical placement of the fixture
• •The abutment
• •The final crown
• •3D imaging and planning
• •Extraction of the existing tooth, if it is still there
• •Bone graft or sinus lift, if the site needs it

Ask any practice to itemise those six lines. A quote that will not itemise is a quote you cannot evaluate.

How dental insurance usually handles implants

Dental plans vary enormously here and blanket statements are worthless. What is reliably true is that most plans carry an annual maximum, and implant treatment frequently exceeds it. Some plans cover the crown but not the fixture. Some cover neither but will contribute the amount they would have paid toward a bridge.

Korcek Dental is in-network with Diversified Dental and Connection Dental, which covers most plans from Aetna, MetLife, United Concordia, and Humana. Our front desk will verify your specific benefits before treatment begins, at no charge, so you know the number before you commit rather than after.

Paying for it

• •CareCredit. Applied for online in minutes, with interest-free promotional periods for qualified applicants.
• •In-house payment plans. Arranged case by case for qualifying patients.
• •Sequencing. Because implant treatment spans months, it can sometimes be staged across two benefit years to use two annual maximums instead of one. Ask about this; it is the most overlooked way to reduce out-of-pocket cost.