The price of restoring your smile is no laughing matter. Dental implants cost anywhere from $1,200 to $5,000 - each!

This wide range is due to many factors, including location, the dentist or prosthodontist (a specialist in dental reconstruction), the type of implant and the complexity of your particular situation. If you decide to go the route of getting permanent teeth, and it is determined that you are a good candidate for dental implants, you will have to invest a lot money - and time. For the best results, dental implants are performed in a lengthy three-part procedure.

First, the implant - a rod made of titanium or titanium alloy shaped like the root of a tooth - is inserted into your jawbone. The wound is sealed, and you're sent home to heal. Expect to wait three months for an implant in the lower jaw and as long as six months for one in the upper jaw. You can continue to wear dentures or bridges during this time but they will typically have to be adjusted.

Back in the chair, you're fitted with a temporary crown if it's a visible tooth, or a healing abutment. What this does is train the gum tissue to grow around what will be your new tooth. This should take another two months or so.

Finally, you're almost ready to receive the permanent tooth. An impression is made that will be used to create your permanent tooth. The final tooth will either be screwed into the abutment or cemented into place.

This process may even be longer if it's determined you do not have enough bone density or bone strength to hold the implant. When you lose a tooth, the bone in your jaw begins to shrink. Too much loss and you will need a bone graft from another part of your mouth or body, or from a donor, artificial bone or animal bone. This will add four to eight months to the procedure time, as well as additional cost, because the bone graft must heal before even beginning the dental implant process.

As with any other procedure, it's wise to do your research and shop around.

• Dental implants stop the bone shrinkage that occurs when a tooth is lost which not only affects your other teeth but also your looks. So dental implants can help you maintain your real teeth and a more youthful facial appearance.
  
• A dental implant does not decay and does not get gum disease.
  
• Bone actually forms a tighter bond around the titanium implant than it does around the root of real tooth.
  
• When a bridge is made to replace a single tooth, the two teeth on either side, which are probably perfectly healthy, have to be ground down into posts accommodate the structure. These once-healthy teeth are now more susceptible to decay and will often need to be extracted down the line.
  
• Dental implants look, act and feel like real teeth. Eating is a pleasure again without the plastic of dentures covering the roof of your mouth. No more of the pain and irritation - and embarrassment - so common with false teeth. What's that worth?
  
• With proper care, your implants will last you a lifetime. At most the crown may wear down or get damaged, but then your cost is the replacement of the crown. Compare this with a removable bridge. One can cost $2,000 or more, and it may need to be replaced in as short as 5-8 years. And, as noted above, a bridge will harm healthy teeth. So over a lifetime, dental implants can cost less than dentures. Not to mention the benefits of having teeth that don't come out, which is priceless.
  
• Dental implants have a high success rate of 95% or higher, by some estimates.
  
• It never hurts to haggle a bit, especially if you need several dental implants.
  
• If you have numerous teeth to replace, be sure to ask about all your available options. A happy medium in terms of reducing cost may be to use dental implants along with a bridge or other temporary tooth structure to fix them into place.
  

For tips on getting low-cost dental restoration, check out this article on affordable dental implants.

In this video, a periodontist discusses the benefits and features of dental implants over more traditional restoration options.