01 Jan Costs of Dental Implants In Singapore: Insider Tells All! (2024)
In the world of dentistry today, there’s a whole lot of unknown factors where dental implant costs are concerned.
When you buy a car, you want to know exactly what you’re paying for – be it the car make and country of origin, OMV/COE price, or fuel efficiency. A made to order Bugatti La Voiture Noire, for example, will naturally cost you much more than a Chery QQ sedan.
The same transparency doesn’t apply to dental implant costs in Singapore:
- Why do dental implants in Singapore cost anything from $1250 – $15,000?
- What exactly are you getting for the fees you pay for your dental implant?
- How much Medisave can you claim?
This post will reveal all the insider pricing information for dental implants that only dentists know about, and help you to make a better informed decision about dental implants in Singapore.
1. What are the typical costs for Dental Implants in Singapore?
Dental implant costs in Singapore range from about $4000 – $6000 in total for a typical routine non-complex case, done by a dental surgeon who is experienced in dental implant surgery .
As of 2019, the fee you pay is Medisave claimable, up to a limit of $1250 for one dental implant.
The Ministry of Health website also provides a rough gauge of dental implant costs in Singapore. As of 2019, public hospitals charge $1600 – $1944 per surgical implant fixture placement, while private clinics charge $2000 – $4815.
These costs are for the implant surgery alone, and do not include all the associated costs as broken down for you below ( note : not all cases would require all the steps and treatment below)
2. Dental implant surgery cost breakdown in Singapore
What are you paying for in the final price for a dental implant?
Here’s an example of a bill breakdown:
| PROCEDURE DESCRIPTION | COST |
| Consultation and dental examination | $40 – $150 |
| Dental X-rays ( panoramic and peri-apical) | $80 – $120 |
| 3D CT scans (if required) | $350 – $500 |
| Tooth models or intra-oral scans(if required) | $100 – $250 |
| Computer-Guided Surgical planning and surgical guides(if required) | $350 – $800 |
| Bone grafting, and custom made meshes or membranes (if required) | $800 – $2000 |
| Sinus lifting (if required) | $1000 – $3500 |
| Dental implant Crown and associated lab components and prosthetic components | $1000 – $3000 |
| Surgery to insert Dental Implant Fixture into jaw | $2000 – $4000 |
| Medication | $35 – $100 |
| Intra-venous Sedation ( if required) | $700-$1200 per hour |
| Post-Op reviews and review xrays as needed | $50-$200 |
| Soft-tissue gum grafting around implant ( if required) | $1000-$2500 |
A surgical guide is a piece of guiding plastic that’s placed in your mouth during surgery. This enables your dental surgeon to place the dental implant in the correct position and angulation with high precision and high margin of safety.
Bone grafts and Gum grafts are required when there isn’t enough healthy bone and/or gum to support the dental implant. The cost varies according to how much bone graft and gum graft is required. However, there are cases whereby bone and gum grafting are not needed at all!
Sinus lifting is a bone-grafting procedure that increases the amount of healthy bone to place the dental implant in the back of the upper jaw.
Prosthetic and Lab Components are parts that are either custom-made or prefabricated in the dental lab, and they are critical for the fabrication of a good quality dental crown that fits precisely into the dental implant.
3. Why is there such a wide range in dental implant costs?
The cost of a single dental implant in Singapore can range from $1250 to a whopping $15,000.
As you can tell from the breakdown above, additional procedures can significantly increase costs (eg. whether bone grafting is needed).
Other factors which affect the total cost you pay include:
- Your aesthetic expectations: do you prefer a flawless, natural-looking result over a functional “tooth replacement”?
- Your dental surgeon: a vastly experienced and skilful dentist, with relevant postgraduate qualifications and certification, might be significantly more expensive
- Lab fees and prosthetic components : Advanced computerised modelling and crafting of required dental implant materials in a modern dental lab vs lowering costs by using cheap components and labs, or even skipping the use of the recommended components!
- Brand of dental implant: Made in India vs European or Korean brands
- Sedation Options: Local anaesthesia vs IV sedation vs general anaesthesia
As you can see, there is no one size fits all solution for dental implant surgery.
4. What’s in a $1250 vs $15,000 dental implant?
Some of my patients are the perfect candidates for dental implant procedures. They have good oral health, and ideal bone and gum quality to place the dental implant. This means that dental implant surgery is straightforward, and hence cheaper.
However, some patients have severe pre-existing dental problems, which often require additional costly procedures, to prepare them for dental implant rehabilitation.
Do note that more expensive doesn’t always mean better! It’s helpful to discuss the proposed treatment plan with your dentist to understand what you are paying for. And it does not mean that the expensive European dental implant brands are always better than a less expensive brand.
All dental implant brands have their pros and cons and there is no such thing as the best brand of dental implant that would work in every case.
If in doubt, don’t hesitate to seek a second opinion. A different dentist may be able to tailor an alternative treatment approach according to your expectations.
5. “I’m not convinced why a dental implant surgery can cost $15,000”
An expensive dental implant case is most commonly due to the following patient factors:
- Extreme dental anxiety requiring general anaesthesia
- Complex medical/dental histories, eg: previous failed dental implant surgery or diabetes
- Long-standing missing tooth, which can result in significant bone and gum loss
- High aesthetic requirements
For example, the best crowns are made with many layers of custom colouring, so that it exactly mimics the colour, shape and texture of your neighbouring teeth.
This requires a highly skilled lab technician. Your dentist may decide to have the crown made by a world-famous ceramist based in USA/Japan/ Europe. The lab fees for this alone could cost as much as $2000 – $3000.
6. Why are some dental implants in Singapore so cheap?
The cheapest dental implants you see advertised in Singapore are usually mini-implants.
Mini dental implant surgery costs about $700 – $1500 on average. These type of surgeries are inexpensive because they are reserved for very simple cases.
Mini implants are NOT substitutes for “normal” dental implants. Conventional dental implants are much stronger as they provide a larger surface area to bond with your bone.
Some dental practices in the heartlands advertise for conventional dental implants including crowns for as low as $2000 and quite frankly, we have no idea how they can afford to charge so inexpensively without strictly adhering to ideal clinical and prosthetic guidelines. We can only surmise at the reasons.
7. How much Medisave can I use for dental implants?
| Medisave limit | |
| 1 dental implant | $1250 |
| 8 dental implants | $7500 |
As of 2019, you can usually claim up to $1250 in Medisave for one dental implant, subject to a maximum of $7500 for 8 implants.
No dentist can guarantee the success of any Medisave claim. We can only submit the request, but the final claimable amount is still subject to approval by MOH.
To make a Medisave claim, just bring along your Singaporean Identity Card to prove that you are a Singaporean Citizen or Permanent Resident. The clinic staff will do the rest, including submitting all the necessary paper work.
8. Are there any discounts for dental implants in Singapore?
Certain scenarios where you may be able to get some subsidies include:
- Personal accident insurance claims if your tooth is lost via an accident
- Your dental implant surgery is used as a lecture/study case
- Discretionary courtesy discounts for long-standing patients
Watch the video below which compares dental implants to other tooth replacement options. “It is true that dental implants usually cost more than the alternatives at first. But overtime they often prove to be the most cost effective option.”
