How Do Partial Dentures Cost?
Dentures can be divided into two main types – full dentures and partial dentures. Full dentures are a full set of teeth (upper or lower) while partial dentures fill in the gaps left when someone loses multiple teeth.
You may be surprised to learn that the cost for full or partial dentures are about the same. Here’s a cost breakdown:
Average Partial Dentures Cost: $500 – $5,000 per arch
The “arch” is either the top OR the bottom row of teeth in your mouth. Since the cost above is per arch, you’ll need to double the amount if you need dentures on both the top and bottom of your mouth. That would bring the costs to between $1,000 and $10,000.
That is a rather large price range. So we did some further research and found that most people end up paying in the $1,000 to $1,5000 range per arch for dentures.
In that cost range you can expect to find relatively good quality dentures. There are cheaper dentures on the market. However, the cheap options tend to look cheap and have a very artificial look to them. They’re also made with cheaper material which makes them more prone to breaking, cracking, etc.
Besides the quality of the material used, there are some other factors that ultimately determine how much your dentures will cost. These include how many teeth you need to have extracted and, if so, how many. Also the experience level of your dentist (generally more experienced dentists will charge more – and may totally be worth it) as well as where you live (they cost less in rural areas compared to big cities) affect the how much dentures cost.
The Hidden Costs of Dentures
Remember those “hidden costs” we mentioned at the beginning of this article? It’s time to dig into them a little deeper and see exactly what they are. Because although dentures are generally cheaper than implants, there are some extra costs involved that you should factor into things.
Replacement Costs
Dentures have a much higher likelihood of needing to be replaced than dental implants do. Partly this is because they are removable so more likely to be damaged, lost, etc. And partly because they are usually not as well made as implants to begin with.
Social Costs
Remember… dentures are not permanently fixed in your mouth. And it is possible they may come tumbling out of your mouth at a particularly embarrassing or awkward moment. Just search for “dentures falling out” on YouTube to see real life examples of this happening.
Inconvenience Costs
Dentures, again being removable, need to be removed and cleaned regularly. This can be rather inconvenient and add to the costs associated with dentures.
