Amy,

As Brian said, I too agree that the cost of implant dentistry will not be coming down. After all, there are very few things that cost less today than yesterday. We are constantly getting increases in the price of the implants, the charges from the labs, as well as just increases in the cost of doing business. No need to go into all of that.

I also agree with Brian's recommendation that you should get a recommendation from a satisfied patient as well as getting a second opinion and possibly even a second treatment plan. There may be more than one way to get the results that you are looking for. My best new patients come from my happy patients.

I basically use one brand of implant in my practice due to the fact that the results are predictable and it simplifies the amount of equipment that I have to keep in the office. My prosthodontist recently setup a full system from another manufacturer, so now we will have two. There are many succesful implants on the market. I feel that the brand used is not as important as the skill and success of the one placing the implant and the one making the crown(s).

If there is anything else I can help you with, let me know.

Jerry

Dr. W is correct in his statement about the skills of the operator vs. the brand of the implant. I guess as someone who designed implants and the abutments that attach to them, I have a geeks attitude about the differences in how teeth are attached to different brands through various abutment systems, and from what I know about the imapct of loading forces on these different designs of abutment - implant interfaces. As I stated earlier, the major brands of implants all have high 90% success rates in their published articles. This as the doctor points out is no guarantee, and it is highly variable based on the success rates at any given practice and that person's skills.