Dental Implants Sunshine Coast: free consultation at eight local practices

At Avenue Dental, a straightforward single dental implant is $5,500, which includes the implant post, the abutment and the crown, or from $53.75 a week on a 24-month Humm payment plan at 0% interest. Across the Sunshine Coast, single implants are commonly quoted anywhere from around $4,000 to well over $6,000, and most of the difference comes down to what the quote includes. Your consultation is free and you receive a written, itemised plan before treatment begins.

The implant post, the abutment that connects it to the tooth, the crown, the 3D scan and planning, the surgery, the review appointments while it heals, and a temporary tooth where the gap is visible. Bone grafting or a sinus lift, if your scan shows you need it, is a separate procedure and is costed in your plan. Sedation or general anaesthetic, if you choose them, are also quoted separately.

At Avenue Dental, a full arch of fixed teeth on implants (All-on-4 or All-on-X) starts from $20,000 per arch. The final figure depends on how many implants your jaw needs, whether any bone preparation is required, the material of the finished teeth, and whether you choose IV sedation or general anaesthetic, which are quoted separately. Because it’s a larger surgical treatment, every full-arch case is assessed individually before a plan and price are given, and your treatment coordinator will direct you to the right dentist and practice for it. Payment plans are available.

Not everyone does. If a tooth has been missing for a long time, or was lost to infection or gum disease, the bone can have shrunk back and may need rebuilding before an implant can hold. For upper back teeth, the sinus sits close to the jaw and sometimes needs lifting to make room. The 3D scan at your free consultation is how we find out, and if it applies to you it will be in your written plan with its cost and healing time.

In Australia, implants are placed both by specialist surgeons and by general dentists with additional training in implant surgery, and the large majority of single and multiple implants are placed by dentists. What matters is experience, proper 3D planning, doing the whole treatment rather than one stage of it, and knowing when to refer. Avenue Dental dentists have placed more than 20,000 implants on the Sunshine Coast since 1990, and we refer complex surgical cases to specialists when that’s the right call.

For most people who are suitable, yes. A denture sits on the gum, moves when you eat and talk, and the bone underneath it shrinks over time so it keeps needing adjustment. An implant is anchored in the bone, works like a natural tooth and helps keep the bone where it is. If you have a full denture that won’t stay put, implants can also be used to anchor it (an implant-retained overdenture) so it stays firm, which is often a middle path between dentures and a full fixed arch.

You can be sedated. A single implant is routinely placed under local anaesthetic and takes about an hour, but if you’d rather not be aware of it, or you’re having several implants or a full arch, IV sedation and general anaesthetic are available at our Sunshine Coast practices, with an anaesthetist managing your sedation while the dentist works. Whether sedation is appropriate for you is assessed beforehand, and it’s quoted separately.

Usually three to six months from placement to finished crown, because the bone needs time to grow onto the implant and lock it in place. If you need a tooth removed or a bone graft first, add a few months of healing before placement. If the gap is in your smile line you’ll have a temporary tooth for the waiting period. Your dentist gives you a timeline at the consultation.

All seven: Caloundra, Maroochydore, Bli Bli, Baringa, Sippy Downs, Tewantin and Beerwah. Your consultation, surgery, crown and follow-up visits all happen at the practice closest to you. Larger full-arch cases are assessed and directed to the most appropriate dentist and practice by our treatment coordinator.

Some private health funds contribute towards implants under major dental cover, usually with waiting periods and annual limits, and the amount varies a lot between funds and levels. Medicare doesn’t cover implants. We’ll give you the item numbers with your written plan so you can check exactly what your fund will pay before you decide, and Humm payment plans are available for the balance.

With good care, decades, and often a lifetime. The implant itself can’t decay, but the gum and bone around it can be affected by plaque, so implants are looked after like natural teeth: daily cleaning around them, six-monthly check-ups and hygienist cleans, and an occasional X-ray to confirm the bone is holding. Smoking and untreated gum disease are the main things that shorten an implant’s life.