Implants: Understanding Them Properly ② Implant Prices, Three Traps That Make the Cheap Option Expensive

Hello,

I’m Kim Tae-hyung, director of Blanche Dental Clinic.

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When I consult with patients about implants in the treatment room, I often hear things like this.

�a0"Doctor, I actually got an estimate from another place first,

but the price kept going up from the initial quote..

Does it get added like that here too?"

Patients who say this come into the treatment room very often.

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The price shown in ads, the price you hear at the first consultation,

and the price that comes up at the actual payment stage are all different, so doubts naturally build up.

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In fact, the part that confuses patients the most is this structure where the "price keeps going up."

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It says 790,000 won, so you may think that is really the final price,

but as treatment progresses, line items keep getting added one after another.

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Quite a few people come to our clinic with estimates from other dental offices. When we open the estimate together and go through each item one by one,

many people only then realize, "Ah, this was all separate."

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Today, I’ll organize things the same way I explain them in the treatment room: why implant prices vary so much, what traps are hidden in low prices,

and what you really need to check when comparing prices.

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First trap. Why "Implant 790,000 won" is not really 790,000 won

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The first trap to know about is the advertised price.

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You may have seen roadside banners or online ads with "Implant 790,000 won" written in large letters. This price is often close to the cost of the implant fixture itself. The other items needed to complete one implant are billed separately.

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Items that may be added at the actual payment stage include the following.

Item	When it is added	Additional cost
Implant fixture	Included in the advertised price	790,000 won
Bone graft	When the jawbone is insufficient	+300,000 to 2,000,000 won
Sinus lift	When the bone is thin in the upper molar area	+500,000 to 2,000,000 won
Prosthetic tooth (crown)	When zirconia is used	+500,000 won
Sedation	When conscious sedation is used	+separate cost
Aftercare and warranty	Depending on the clinic’s policy	+additional cost possible
Actual total payment (example)		2,000,000 to 3,000,000 won

※ The prices above are general average reference examples and may vary depending on the individual oral condition and the clinic’s policy.

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In other words, it is common to go in after seeing an ad for "790,000 won" and end up paying 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 won depending on the condition of the jawbone. It would be hard to call that a scam, but from the patient’s perspective, it is understandable to feel deceived.

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When I give a quote to a patient, I tell them the total amount from the beginning.

I believe there should never be a situation where, in the middle of treatment, someone suddenly says, "This is separate, so there will be an extra 500,000 won."

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Second trap. The real reason the same brand has a different price

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In the previous post, I mentioned that implants also come in several brands. But even implants of the same brand are priced differently from one clinic to another. At one place Osstem may be 790,000 won, while at another the same Osstem is 1,500,000 won.

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Why is there such a difference for the same product? In fact, the factors that determine the price are the elements other than the implant fixture itself.

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First, the doctor’s skill and treatment time.

The key to implant treatment is placing it into the jawbone at the correct angle, and this accuracy is directly linked to the doctor’s experience.

A place that places implants quickly in a short time and a place that spends enough time on each case will naturally have different prices.

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Second, aftercare and the warranty period.

Implants are not something you place and forget; they require lifelong maintenance. Some places warranty them only for one year after placement, while others provide warranties from five to ten years. The longer the warranty, the more that cost is reflected in the price.

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Third, diagnostic equipment and the surgical environment.

A clinic that performs precise diagnosis with 3D CT and one that only takes a standard panoramic X-ray start from different levels of diagnostic accuracy.

Sterile environments, surgical support staff, and sedation equipment are also included in the price.

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Even for the same implant, the price changes depending on which doctor handles it, in what environment, and how long they take responsibility for it. So rather than asking, "Why is the same brand more expensive?"

it is more accurate to ask, "What is included in this price?"

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Third trap. Why you should not rely only on price comparison sites

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These days, many patients look at price comparison sites before coming to the clinic. That is because they can compare implant prices at a glance and find the cheapest place.

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The problem is that most of the prices listed on comparison sites are advertising rates. In other words, they often list the same 790,000-won price mentioned in Trap 1. Aftercare, warranties, and the cost of additional procedures are left out.

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And there is one more thing I want to mention. In the implant market, there have actually been cases where a clinic attracted patients by setting an extremely low price and then closed down.

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At one clinic in Gangnam alone, more than 500 victims were affected. Please remember that the cheapest place may not be the safest place.

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That is why I operate another way to reduce the burden of implant costs for patients.

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It is an installment payment system.

I understand very well that it is difficult to pay a large amount all at once, so this has also been a principle I have maintained since opening the clinic.

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I believe the right approach is not to lower implant costs unreasonably, but to help patients spread out the burden.

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Three things you really need to check when looking at price

Finally, let me organize the items you should definitely check when comparing implant prices.

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First, what items are included in the quote.

You should first confirm whether the price is only for the implant fixture, or whether it is the total amount including bone grafting, the prosthetic tooth, and aftercare.

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Second, the warranty period and aftercare system.

A one-year warranty and a ten-year warranty have completely different value even if the price is the same.

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Third, the implant brand used and the reason for using it.

A place that chooses the brand according to the patient’s case is safer than a place that insists on using only one brand.

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An implant is a decision you make once in a lifetime. Cheap does not automatically mean good, and expensive does not automatically mean safe. You will have no regrets only if you can check for yourself which items are included in the price.

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If you are confused about implant types, reading the previous post as well may help.

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Now that we have gone over the price, what patients worry about most at the very end still remains: the pain from surgery. Whether implant surgery is really painful, how long recovery takes, and what 90% of patients misunderstand will be covered in the next post.

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If you are curious which of the price traps mentioned today matches the estimate you received, feel free to leave a comment. I will give you the most honest answer, just as if I were looking at your estimate directly in the treatment room.

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This was Banpo Blanche Dental Clinic. Thank you.

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