Dental implants are artificial tooth roots that are used to replace missing teeth.
The implants are typically made of titanium and are surgically implanted into the jawbone to provide a stable foundation for replacement teeth.
Dental implants can be included in major dental cover and can help you lower the costs by as much as $800.
How much do dental implants cost?
Dental implants cost between $2,000 and $7,000 in Australia but you'll find that costs vary based on what kind of treatment you require and how much your dentist charges. For example, complicated procedures involving a bone graft or sinus lift are likely to cost you more, as are all-on-4 dental implants.
Single implants
$2,000-$7,000
All-on-4 implants
$17,000-$30,000
Does Medicare cover implants?
No. Medicare largely does not cover dental work, and that includes implants. There are 2 major exceptions:
Your oral health is impacting your overall health. In this case, you would need a referral from your GP under a GP Management Plan and Team Care Arrangement.
You're a concession card holder. Certain concession card holders are eligible for state-based dental vouchers that may be applied toward medically-necessary dental implants.
Yes, you can get health insurance for dental implants with some extras policies. You'll often find it included under "major dental" and more specifically periodontics (the treatment of diseases around gums and teeth structure).
If your policy covers periodontics and doesn't specifically exclude implants, you may be covered. You'll have to check with your insurer to be certain, and be ready to pay some out-of-pocket expenses because your benefit almost certainly won't cover the whole amount.
Remember that even if your policy does cover dental implants, there is usually a 12-month waiting period before you can submit a claim for major dental.
Most implants are done in an outpatient setting, so in order to be covered on a policy like this, you would have to have special anesthetic needs or extensive bone grafting.
Compare private health insurance for dental implants
The table below compares policies from Finder partners that cover major dental, where dental implants are typically covered. It's sorted by value using the Finder score algorithm our experts use for the Finder health insurance awards. Prices are for a single person earning less than $97,000 living in Sydney, with a $750 excess - learn why this matters here.
The Finder Score ranks every health policy in our database on value for money. We updated this monthly with data provided by Ombudsman.
We consider the 38 hospital treatment categories, plus the covered extras categories and the total extras benefit. We also use the average price for each product. Here's the breakdown of factors we consider.
Factors that affect your health insurance premiums
There are several factors that will change the price of your health insurance premiums, whether you get hospital or extras cover. Here are the main ones to consider.
Private Health Insurance Rebate: The price of your policy can vary by over 25% due to rebate. It's mainly based on your age and income.
Lifetime Health Cover Loading: If you don't have hospital cover after age 31, a 2% loading will be added to the price each year you don't have it.
State: The cost of medical care is different in every state, and that's reflected in your premiums.
Policy Excess: A policy with a larger excess will have lower premiums, but you will have more out of pocket costs when you claim.
A dental implant is a strong, durable replacement tooth and root system that is implanted permanently into the jaw. It looks, acts and feels like a natural tooth. It consists of 3 major parts:
A titanium implant. This is a screw-like device that is drilled into the jawbone and will eventually fuse with the bone creating strong foundational support for the new tooth.
Small metal post. When the implant has healed and fused to the bone, a small metal post is inserted into the implant so that it is partially inside and partially outside of the gum line.
The artificial tooth crown. This is the actual "tooth" that is placed onto the outer part of the metal post.
The entire process requires multiple visits over the course of several months since the initial implant needs time to heal and merge with the jawbone before the crown can be placed on top.
How much does health insurance cost?
We ask hundreds of Australians what they're paying for health insurance every month. Here's what their bill looked like in October 2024.
Extras only: $60
Basic: $97
Bronze: $145
Silver: $176
Gold: $210
Price based on 500+ responses for single hospital or extras insurance.
Frequently asked questions
Dental implants are expensive because it's often a lengthy and complex procedure that requires surgery. It's often also not considered a cosmetic procedure which means Medicare won't pay a benefit towards it. The dental implants themselves are also costly because they need to be tailored to suit your requirements.
Not usually. Medicare doesn't cover most out of hospital treatments like dental implants unless they're having a serious impact on your overall health.
There are 2 main types of dental implants in Australia: a single implant and an all-on-4 implant. The former is a single tooth replacement consisting of a single root, post and crown; the latter is when 4 implants are used to replace an entire row of teeth. The implants will be spaced apart, then 10-14 artificial crowns are joined together with 4 crowns attaching to the implant and the rest attached to each other. This is sometimes called an implant-supported bridge.
Almost anyone who has one or more missing teeth is a candidate for an implant, as long as you have healthy gums and your facial structure is fully developed. A man's facial structure is usually developed by age 18, and a woman's at 16.
James Martin was the insurance editor at Finder. He has written on a range of insurance and finance topics for over 7 years. James often shares his insurance expertise as a media spokesperson and has appeared on Prime 7 News, WIN News, Insurance News, 7NEWS and The Guardian. He holds a Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification and a Tier 1 Generic Knowledge certification, both of which meet the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio
James's expertise
James has written 213 Finder guides across topics including:
Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio
Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 650 Finder guides across topics including:
If you want that perfect smile, you need to be aware of what your private health fund offers you.
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Depending on your age, you may be eligible for an
aged-based discount. This is used to estimate your
rebate.
Under 65
65 - 69
70 or older
What's your household's taxable income?
This is the combined income you and your spouse earn before tax. It's needed to calculate the correct Australian government rebate.
$93,000 and under
$93,001 to $108,000
$108,001 to $144,000
$144,001 and over
What kind of health insurance do you need?
Combined (Extras + Hospitals)
Extras
Hospital
What level of hospital coverage would you like?
You can change this at any time later.
Legend
Covered
Restricted cover, You may be partially covered for
this category.
Not covered. Optional for insurer to include.
*Prices updated March 2024, in line with Finder's
database of health insurance policies. Prices are based
on a single individual with less than $93,000 income and
living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
What extras cover do you need? (Optional)
Select as many as you want or move to the next step
Preventative & general dental
Major dental & implants
Optical
Physiotherapy
Podiatry
Non-PBS pharmaceuticals
Chiropractic
Emergency ambulance
Remedial massage
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