Re: Implants Price?

From: Steven Bornfeld (dentaltwinnospam_at_earthlink.net)
Date: 06/30/04 

Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 22:10:03 -0400

spondee@cox.net wrote:
> 1)Any chance of cost of implants coming down in next few years???
>
> 2)Is it possible to JUST get implants for uppers (full) and use
> partial on bottom???
>
> evvy@REMOVETHIScox.net

Evvy--

        Can't speak for other parts of the country, but in New York the price
has declined--for a variety of reasons. For one, the number of implant
systems has proliferated. In the early days, if you wanted to place an
osseointegrated implant, you took the Branemark course, which initially
was open only to oral surgeons. You had to buy their technology.
Eventually Niznick came out with Core Vent, and soon there was plenty of
competition. Furthermore, what initially was cutting edge technology
has become more and more mainstream. More patients demand the service,
and more doctors provide it.
        Having said that, I don't think prices will fall much further. It is
labor intensive, both for the dentist and the dental lab. Component
prices have fallen, but probably won't fall much further. Many
malpractice policies have a specific question as to whether a
policyholder performs surgical implantology, which immediately raises
the premium. This is because such a biologically and technically
complex process is riskier, and the price of failure is high. There are
other attendent expenses, such as CAT-scans, bone grafts, etc. Most
patients are monitored fairly closely for a period of months.
        It's never going to be cheap.

Steve