You send the same photographs and the same x-rays to three clinics and get back three quotes that differ by tens of thousands. It is not that two of them are lying. They are usually describing different treatments.
Different numbers of implants
Four implants versus six for the same arch is the most common source of a large gap. Both can be legitimate depending on your bone and your bite, but they are not interchangeable and the price difference is real.
Different endpoints
One clinic quotes the provisional bridge you leave with. Another quotes all the way through to the definitive zirconia arch a year later. On paper these look like the same treatment. They are about a year and a lot of money apart.
Different assumptions about grafting
A clinic that has actually reviewed a CBCT will price the grafting you need. A clinic working from a panoramic x-ray cannot know, so it either omits it or guesses. The lower quote is often just the less informed one.
Different amounts of included aftercare
Follow-up visits, adjustments, the night guard that protects the whole reconstruction, and the first year of maintenance may be included or may be extra. Over five years this is not a small line.
How to compare properly
Write down five things for each quote: number of implants, final material, whether grafting is included, what aftercare is covered, and what the warranty is. Suddenly the quotes become comparable, and often the cheapest one stops looking cheapest.
Get every quote in writing and compare specifications rather than totals. It takes an hour and it is the highest-value hour in the whole process.
Questions about your own case? Send us your photos and we will walk you through the options.
