Costs
What does a dental implant actually cost in North Mississippi?
Most implant cost articles quote one national average that may have nothing to do with your case. This one explains what the number is actually made of, so you can read an estimate properly.
By Dr. Ken Goodwin, DMD8 min read
The short answer
A single dental implant is priced as three separate parts rather than one item: the implant post placed in the jawbone, the abutment that connects to it, and the crown on top. What you pay depends on how many teeth are involved, whether bone grafting is needed first, which materials are used, what imaging the plan requires, and the kind of anaesthesia or sedation chosen. Because those variables differ so widely between patients, any single advertised figure is close to meaningless until someone has examined your mouth. Ask for a written treatment estimate that itemises each part, and check specifically whether imaging, grafting and the final crown are included.
Why there are no prices on this page
The three parts you are actually paying for
When people compare implant quotes and find wildly different numbers, it is nearly always because the quotes cover different parts of the job.
The implant post
A small screw-shaped fixture placed into the jawbone, which takes the role of the tooth root. It needs a period of healing during which the bone fuses to it, and that healing is why implant treatment is measured in months.
The abutment
The connector that sits on the post and supports whatever goes on top. It is a separate component and is usually priced separately, which is one of the commonest sources of confusion when comparing estimates.
The crown
The part you see and chew with. It is made to match your other teeth. At this practice the crown is made in our own laboratory rather than sent to an outside one, which removes an outside laboratory fee from the total.
What moves the number up or down
How many teeth are being replaced
Replacing several teeth does not simply multiply the single-tooth price. A bridge supported by two implants can replace three or four teeth, so the cost per tooth usually falls as the span grows.
Whether you need bone grafting
An implant needs enough healthy bone to hold it. Bone begins to shrink once a tooth has been missing for a while, so patients who have waited years are more likely to need grafting first. This is the single most common reason one person's estimate is much higher than another's.
Imaging and planning
Implants are planned from three-dimensional imaging rather than a flat x-ray. We also use RAYFace 3D facial scanning, which lets the plan be judged against your whole face rather than the gap alone.
Materials
Different post systems and crown materials carry different costs and different track records. This is worth asking about rather than assuming the cheapest and the dearest do the same job.
Anaesthesia
Local anaesthetic is included in ordinary treatment. Anything beyond that is a separate item and should appear as one on your estimate.
Extractions and temporary teeth
If a failing tooth has to come out first, or you need something to wear while the site heals, those are additional stages with their own costs.
How insurance usually treats implants
Dental plans vary enormously on implants. Some exclude them outright, some cover the crown but not the post, and many apply an annual maximum that a single implant will exhaust on its own. It is common for a plan to pay towards part of the treatment and nothing towards the rest.
The practical step is to have the practice submit a pre-treatment estimate to your insurer before you commit. That gets you an answer in writing from the people who will actually be paying, rather than an expectation based on what a plan summary seems to say.
Where a plan will not cover implants, financing through CareCredit is available and treatment can often be staged so the cost is spread over time rather than falling all at once.
Questions worth asking before you commit
Take these to any practice, including this one. A good answer to all six tells you more than a headline price does.
- Does this estimate include the post, the abutment and the crown, or only some of them?
- Is imaging included, and is grafting likely in my case?
- How many appointments will this take, and over how many months?
- Where is the crown made, and how long does a remake take if it needs adjusting?
- What happens, and what does it cost, if the implant does not integrate?
- What are my alternatives, and what would you do in my position?
Is an implant the right answer at all?
Not always, and a practice that never says so is not being straight with you. An implant stands on its own without altering the teeth either side, and it helps preserve the bone where the tooth was, which a denture does not. It also costs more than the alternatives and takes considerably longer.
A bridge is quicker and usually less expensive, at the cost of reshaping the healthy teeth on either side of the gap. A partial denture is the least expensive route and the least permanent-feeling. For some people, particularly where several teeth are involved, an implant-supported denture is the sensible middle ground.
Which is right genuinely depends on your mouth, your health and what you want day to day. That is a conversation, not a price list.
Written and reviewed by Dr. Ken Goodwin, DMD, who has practised dentistry in Booneville since 1982. This article is general information, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan for your particular situation. For advice about your own teeth, call the practice on (662) 728-8171.