Why is there such a wide range of fees for dental implant surgery in Singapore?

Thank you for your question and i do not blame you at all for feeling confused, astonished and maybe even angry or suspicious!

There is no easy and straightforward answer to your question as i do not know your specific dental needs versus your friends specific dental needs.

But in general terms , you must understand that just like fingerprints, everyone has unique dental issues and needs, especially when it comes to the complex field of dental implants

When you go to see a dental professional, you are consuming a service, not a product. This means that there is often no cookie cutter approach to everyones dental needs. Because of this fact, it is reasonable to expect that most dental clinics can only provide you with a range of fees for implants , according to the difficulty of the case, instead of one standard fee for all.

In your particular situation, you maybe quoted $5k because your case maybe more complex than your friends case .

The key questions to ask is: Why is your case more complex? Is your higher fee truly justified as compared to your friend's case which only cost him $3.5k?

In my humble opinion, the only way to find out for sure, is to ask your dentist. Hopefully, he will be able to explain to you why that in your particular case, it will be more expensive than compared to your friends.

There is a myriad of factors that may result in your case being more complex than others. Some of these factors can be very technical and is beyond the scope of this reply. Some of the easier to understand factors have been mentioned in the previous answers by my esteemed colleagues.

Here are 2 articles that i have written about dental implants that you may find useful in your search for an answer:

https://www.human.com.sg/dental-implant-costs-singapore-dentist-tells-all

https://www.human.com.sg/dental-implant-singapore

I wish you all the best in your dental implant journey and all the best in finding a dentist you can trust and feel comfortable with!

Kind Regards,

Dr Gerald Tan

Implant procedures can come in different price points due to a few factors.

It mainly boils down to 3 factors, which is:

1. Implant brand

There are many different implant brands in market, originating from different places/ country. They may come in different sizes too and some may be suitable to you but not to another person. Each brand cost differently and of course each has their own strengths and weaknesses too.

2. Implant procedure

There are different procedures in placing an implant. Some are more complex than the other, such as necessity for bone graft procedure (adding bone for support) prior to implant / sinus lift procedure to make space for upper implants. These extra procedures may increase the complexity of your implant procedure significantly.

3. Implant prosthesis component

Type of prosthesis connecting to the implant may influence the cost too. There are many different types of prosthesis that allow us to connect to the implant placed, be it for aesthetic/ functionality/ suitability reasons.

I am sure there are reasons why the price quoted to you is different even though it is from the same dental clinic. I would encourage that you seek clarification from your dentist and understands the procedure needed for your case as it may vary from your friend’s case.

I hope this helps and good luck with your implant journey.

The price of dental implant is usually dependent on case complexity. These are some factors to determine how complex a case is:

1. Bone quality

For implants to be stable, the bone has to be good. Like a plant in soil, the soil has to firm. So if the bone is insufficient, sometimes bone particles are added (also known as bone graft) during the implant process. This increases the material costs significantly. Thus also increasing the overall price of the treatment for a single implant.

2. Number of dental implants needed

In the case where more implants are needed, or significant work needs to be done, sometimes dentists would give a discount to the cost of one component.

3. Which tooth is to be replaced by the dental Implant

Some dentists would have a different price for different teeth. For example to do a back tooth implant could be more straightforward than a front tooth implant due to the aesthetic demands and anatomical complications that can occur. Front tooth implants may also require more aesthetic implant crowns like all white ceramic crowns and abutments which can be more expensive.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to material cost based on case complexity and the needs that need to be met. Every patient is different, like a thumbprint! So implant quotations may be higher in your situation for example, because more work needs to be done. That is just a guess anyway.

All the best and I hope this further clarifies your doubts!

Cheers,
Dr Beth