How Much Do Dental Implants Cost in India?

When we go for any treatment – major or minor – one of the primary concerns we have is the cost factor. In the era of increasingly shooting up healthcare cost, it is imperative that you prepare yourself financially more than mentally and physically before going for a surgery. This is the case with dental implant too and people who want to go for the best dental implants are concerned about the tooth implant cost in India or any other country for that matter. 

To the newbie, dental implants are known for providing a solid foundation for the permanent and removable prosthesis, which are developed to match the natural teeth. Prostheses are manufactured from biologically neutral pure titanium or titanium alloys. The best part about these is the fact that the human body accepts these and implants fuse with jawbone forming a secure foundation for tooth replacement. 

Dental implants are of different types. People can opt for conventional implants, immediate implants and immediate loaded implants. People can opt for the one based on their requirements, budget or depending on what the dentist has recommended for them according to their general dental condition. For dentists in India to make this recommendation, a panoramic x-ray and/or CT scan is usually required to precisely evaluate the amount of bone, determine the space available, as well as for thorough examination to diagnose the options that suit the best for each case.

How much does a dental implant cost?

Now is the million dollar question that most of the people who are considering a dental implant any time soon or in the distant future. As said, the cost of a dental implant depends on the type of implant being chosen. If we talk about the top implant, it costs anywhere around INR 35k to 40K here in India. It also depends on the company-to-company that provides implants. If the implant is taken from the Nobel Biocare, it coasts in the range mentioned above.

The overall cost also depends on the choice of crowns. The porcelain fused to base metal crown and bridge cost around INR 7500 each. Porcelain fused to metal crown (CAD-CAM designed) with screw-retained costs INR 10k each. Dentist in India also offers the top end Zirconia metal-free crowns each of which costs anywhere close to INR 15000. In addition to this, the Zirconia with metal-free crown-screw retained costs anywhere close to INR20k. Moreover, the cost of an implant may also vary on the basis of the number of sittings required for the same. 

Importance of Dental Health in Your Daily Life

Dental health was once considered secondary to general well-being but with the increase in literacy and awareness about the disease, it has risen to the forefront. People are increasingly drawn to dental clinics in India seeking therapeutic and preventive advice for oral diseases. Maintaining good oral hygiene is crucial for good general health as well. Let us take a look at the importance of keeping your oral structures healthy.

1. Gum, Teeth and Bone Health:

The three primary structures that are covered in dental health are the periodontium (the gum and bone surrounding the teeth), tongue, palate, mucosa and the teeth. Poor oral hygiene can result in tartar build up. Over time, the layer of tartar causes gum infections and bone resorption, leading to weakening of the supporting structures and ultimately premature loss of a tooth. Dental decay is common in patients visiting dental clinics in India. Decay is a tooth disease caused by an accumulation of food and its chemical breakdown by bacteria. Malodour or halitosis is a common complaint in patients with poor oral hygiene.

2. Oral Health and Diabetes:

Research has proven that periodontal disease affects the body’s ability to break down the sugar by utilizing insulin. This can aggravate or complicate diabetes. Diabetic patients have high incidences of periodontal bone loss as well, indicating the two-way relationship between oral health and diabetes. High blood sugar leads to high susceptibility to gum infections too.

3. Oral disease complicates heart disease:

Studies have linked oral diseases with high-risks of heart diseases as well. Although the connecting link has not been firmly established, it is common to see the two conditions co-exist. Dental clinics in India get many patients with heart disease further complicated by poor oral hygiene. Since the causative factors in both the cases (smoking, obesity and unhealthy diet) are similar, it is no shock that the two might be inter-related. Patients with valvular defects can develop endocarditis if they have decayed teeth or infected gums.

4. Effects on other diseases:

Poor oral hygiene can complicate pneumonia and infectious lung diseases. It can also aggravate COPD by increasing the bacterial load in the lungs. Bone diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis share a controversial yet crucial link to the jaw as well. Periodontitis and osteoporosis in jaw bones are frequently seen in relation to bone diseases elsewhere in the body. Additionally, babies born to mothers with oral infectious diseases during pregnancy can have premature births or lower birth weights.

Indian Society Attitude Towards Oral health

Oral health has a vital impact on the quality of life, appearance and self-esteem of the people. Regular and timely visits help in early diagnosis and treatment of the oral diseases.

Dentists say that dental care utilization is the percentage of the population who use dental services over a specified period of time. There are reports presented by the best dentists in India claiming that the patients visit the dentist when in pain and never bother to return for follow-up in most cases. To improve the status of oral health in India, sufficient knowledge of the way the individuals use health services and the factors predictive of this behaviour is essential.

The interest in developing models explaining the utilization of dental services has increased. Issues such as dental anxiety, price, income, the distance a person travels to get care and preference for preservation of teeth are treated as barriers in the regular dental care. But in order to improve the situation of oral health, the dental surgeons and dental health workers have to play an adequate role in facilitating public enlightenment that people may appreciate the need for regular dental care and make adequate and proper use of the available dental care facilities.

India is home to hundreds of dental colleges. Even with such a large workforce, most of the people in India still do not have access to the basic oral health care. According to a survey, the dentist to population ratio is 1:10,000 in urban areas whereas it drastically falls to 1:150,000 in rural areas. Although, dental care is a part of the primary health care in India, dental services are available in very few states at the primary health care level. The dentist in India tell us that patients are not covered any kind of insurance and generally pay out of their pockets to get treatment both from the public and private dentists.

Hence, the state of oral healthcare in India is not a pleasant one. Keeping the unique factors such as social mindset, prevalent beliefs and customs in mind, India should understand the importance of oral health and make people understand. According to the dentists in India, proper oral health programmes is the need of the hour.