Questions about prosthodontic treatment.
Fourteen questions patients ask before a large restorative case, answered at length rather than in a sentence, including what treatment costs. Each one is written to be useful on its own, and none of them is a substitute for an examination.
What treatment costs.
Most specialist practices will not put a figure online, which leaves patients comparing national averages to advertisements. These are the ranges treatment here usually falls between. They are not quotes, and the page behind each one explains what moves the figure.
- Single tooth implant, abutment and crown
- $4,500 to $6,500
- Full arch fixed implant treatment, per arch
- $25,000 to $35,000
- Full mouth rehabilitation
- $25,000 to $70,000 or more
- Comprehensive prosthodontic consultationCredited toward treatment accepted within one month.
- $250
What is a prosthodontist?
A prosthodontist is a dentist who has completed typically three additional years of accredited specialty training after dental school, focused on restoring and replacing teeth. The work includes crowns, bridges, veneers, dentures, dental implants and full mouth rehabilitation, along with the bite and esthetic planning that holds those restorations together.
What is the difference between a prosthodontist and a general dentist?
Both are licensed dentists. A general dentist provides a broad range of care for the whole mouth. A prosthodontist has completed additional accredited specialty training that concentrates on restoring and replacing teeth: crowns, bridges, implants, dentures, bite reconstruction and the planning behind large restorative cases.
What is full mouth rehabilitation?
Full mouth rehabilitation, also called full mouth reconstruction, is the coordinated rebuilding of most or all of the teeth in both arches. It combines several procedures under one plan, and it is usually considered when wear, decay, fractures, missing teeth or failing older dentistry have affected the bite as a whole.
What is All-on-X dental implant treatment?
All-on-X is a full-arch treatment in which a fixed set of replacement teeth is supported by a small number of dental implants, often four to six. All-on-4 is the most widely searched version of the same idea. Suitability depends on bone, health and how the arch will function long term.
Am I a candidate for dental implants?
Most adults with a missing tooth can be evaluated for an implant, but candidacy is decided by examination rather than by a general rule. The assessment looks at bone volume and quality, gum health, the position of nerves and sinuses, general medical history, habits such as smoking or grinding, and what the finished tooth needs to do.
Should I have a crown or a veneer?
A crown covers the whole tooth and is used when a large amount of tooth structure is missing, cracked or heavily filled. A veneer covers the front surface only and is used mainly for appearance on teeth that are structurally sound. The choice follows how much healthy tooth remains.
What happens when teeth wear down and the bite collapses?
As enamel wears away, teeth get shorter, the lower face can look compressed and the distance between the jaws at rest is reduced. Dentists call that lost vertical dimension. Rebuilding it means restoring the worn teeth to a planned height rather than repairing them one at a time.
What can be done about failing crowns and bridges?
Old crowns and bridges can fail through decay at the margin, fracture, loss of the supporting tooth, or a change in the bite around them. Treatment starts by finding why the restoration failed. Replacing it without addressing the cause tends to produce the same result a second time.
What is digital dentistry?
Digital dentistry describes a workflow rather than a single device. Intraoral scanning replaces impression trays, 3D imaging replaces guesswork about bone and nerves, and design software lets a restoration be modeled and reviewed before it is made. The value is planning and measurement, not novelty.
How much does a dental implant cost?
A complete single tooth dental implant, including the implant, the abutment and the crown, typically costs $4,500 to $6,500. Additional procedures such as bone grafting, an extraction or a sinus lift are quoted separately and affect the final cost. An examination is what turns that range into a figure.
How much does All-on-X cost?
Full arch fixed implant treatment, often called All-on-4 or All-on-X, typically costs $25,000 to $35,000 per arch. The figure depends on the number of implants used, whether teeth have to be removed first, the condition of the bone, and the material chosen for the final bridge.
How much does full mouth rehabilitation cost?
Comprehensive full mouth rehabilitation typically ranges from $25,000 to $70,000 or more. The range is wide because the treatment is assembled from whatever a particular mouth needs: how many teeth are involved, whether dental implants are part of the plan, and whether the height of the bite has to be rebuilt.
How much does a dental crown cost?
A single ceramic or zirconia crown is $2,000. That is the fee for the crown itself. Treatment a tooth sometimes needs before it can be crowned, such as a core buildup, root canal treatment or gum surgery to expose enough tooth, is a separate procedure with its own fee.
How much is a prosthodontic consultation?
A comprehensive prosthodontic consultation is $250, and it is credited toward the cost of treatment if you accept a treatment plan within one month of the appointment. It is a diagnostic visit rather than a sales appointment, and booking one commits you to nothing beyond the visit itself.
None of these pages is a diagnosis. They exist so that the conversation in the chair can start further along than it otherwise would.
Bring the question with you.
A consultation is a diagnostic appointment, not a commitment to treatment. If one of these questions is the reason you are here, say so when you book and we will make time for it.