Zirconia – The fixed full arch zirconia restoration is the most popular in the country today, due to its ease of manufacture and beauty.    Zirconia is a hard porcelain material that is very resistant to compression forces and staining.   Zirconia prosthetics are milled out of a puck, stained, and fired, like porcelain.  Like porcelain though, they do not hold up to flexure and therefore require patients to have more bone than prosthetic options that are reinforced with metal bars.  Not only do you have to have more bone bone, but it also has to be more dense to withstand  forces that are driven directly to the implants from the hardness of the material.  Lastly Zirconia is not repairable, so chips and breaks in the material come with large replacement fees.

Dr. Sam’s Opinion – Zirconia can be a great option for a patient with the right situation, if your anatomy and pocket book fit, this option could be a great choice.

National Average Pricing – $60,000-70,000 per mouth includes both upper and lower teeth

SmileLine Pricing—$50,000 per mouth includes both upper and lower teeth

SmileLine Hybrid style Prosthetic– The SmileLine is a unique prosthetic and sequence that is only manufactured and offered currently at Huntline Dental. The SmileLine is comprised of three layers of material. First the frame of the prosthetic is made of a 3D printed Chromium Cobalt bar that allows cantilevering at twice the distances of Zirconia. Second the teeth are milled out of a puck of PMMA.  PMMA is the material that normal denture teeth are made out of— softer than zirconia. Softer qualities allow for wear which keeps the implants from directly enduring the bite and grinding forces of patients.  Lastly the PMMA teeth are encapsulated to the metal bar with denture acrylic via injection molding.  Hybrid layering gives many doctors options in different areas of the prosthetic, is some areas you need strength against flexure, metal frame, in other areas you need beauty and natural esthetics, PMMA teeth, in other areas you need adjustability, acrylic adjusts to allow room for tongue or easier hygiene access.

Dr. Sam’s Opinion – The SmileLine is the most inclusive option. The bar allows doctors to treat patients with less bone, the teeth reflect light and look more natural than porcelain, the acrylic is easily adjustable to create comfort for the tongue and cheek, and the price is far reduced from Zirconia

National Average Pricing – $50,000 per mouth includes both upper and lower teeth

SmileLine Pricing—most can get for $35,000 includes both upper and lower teeth

Fixed PMMA – This middle of the road option offers the benefits and feel of a fixated prosthetic, but you sacrifice the durability and strength of your top end prosthetics. This prosthetic is milled entirely out of one puck in our In-House mill. The prosthetic is then stained and screwed down on the implants. This is a transitional prosthetic, and you should plan for a replacement within 1-5 years. The weaker material does not allow for as long of cantilevers as the Smileline, meaning less teeth on the prosthetic for function.  However if you really need some great cosmetic enhancements and are not ready to replace your full mouth an upper transitional option like PMMA works well.  PMMA is also a great option for our older patients that are struggling to eat but don’t want to spend the money for a long lasting prosthetic.  The surgery for a transitional prosthetic is the same as for a SmileLine prosthetic so it is upgradeable if necessary.

Dr. Sam’s Opinion –Transitional PMMA can fit a lot of budgets and is much more comfortable to wear than snap on dentures.  Transistional’s don’t last for years and years but at a price lower than snap on dentures they are hard to argue with.

National Average Pricing – not offered in many offices

SmileLine Pricing–$25,000 includes both upper and lower teeth

Snap on Denture – A common dental prosthetic offered in the industry, the snap-on denture is your traditional denture but with housing attachments that connect or snap on to conventional or mini-implants. This prosthetic is an upgrade over traditional dentures as they are held in place by the implants. These dentures are removed each night for cleaning. Prosthetic maintenance and functionality sometimes do not meet patient expectations. Without the implants being tied together with zirconia or a chromium cobalt bar the implants have a shorter life span and lower patient satisfaction rating.

Dr. Sam’s Opinion – Snap On Dentures are popular because they are an easy transition for a doctor to make from just providing dentures as an option for patients that need their teeth replaced.  I know this becuase this is how I started.  Many people don’t enjoy getting food under them or when the teeth pop out.  Now that we have the technology and workflows we have at the price points, there is no reason for one of our patients to get a Snap On.  In fact, we have stopped offering it as an option over the pass few years due to its poor patient satifaction and high cost.

National Average Pricing – $15,000 to $35,000 for both arches with poor satisfaction ratings

Dentures – Removable conventional dentures have been around the longest and offer the least amount of functionality and greatest learning curve of all prosthetics. Dentures need to be removed each night for cleaning. The fit of a denture can vary greatly between patients, and it is difficult to project how well a patient can function at the consult when patients are asking. Positives of the conventional denture are that they are relatively cheap compared to the other options.

Dr. Sam’s Opinion – Upper dentures can work for some people, lowers don’t work for hardly anyone and are a waste of time, effort, and money for the patient and the dental team.

National Average Pricing – $7,000 to $15,000 for both arches, extractions included

SmileLine—uppers are only offered in conjunction with lower implants. Cases are very difficult to price as they come in many shapes and sizes. Please call for details.