Gary Vaughn, CDT, CTO
For those of you who place and/or restore implants: How many times have you given a quote to a patient, knowing the parameters of what it takes to make a profit on these cases, convinced you have dotted all the I’s and crossed all the T’s, only to find that along with your great looking restorations is the ultimate surprise…a laboratory fee that suddenly throws you in a position to not only lose profitability on the case but potentially not even break even? Conversely, in the laboratory we believe we have billed the case fairly given the fact an outsourced, custom abutment was requested or a stock part was ordered. In this case, so much labor was required on the our part to make the abutment usable the fee increased considerably negating any perceived saving that a stock abutment would have possibly provided. The case was billed according to the fee schedule, but the numbers have become bigger than anticipated, hence the phone starts ringing.
The remedy to this problem for some is to send their own parts. Unfortunately, when parts are pulled from the doctor’s existing stock we may receive an abutment that is so short vertically it will not provide a stable enough platform for a crown to be placed on it. It may be the wrong cuff height which, if too short, it can be challenging for the laboratory to taper either the abutment or the restoration enough to fit into the site properly without excessive blanching. If the cuff height is to tall, exhaustive modification may be required thus resulting in a substantial implant labor fee. Other times we may just get parts that are flat out the wrong parts. This can become very costly when the packet holding the implant part has been opened rendering it nonreturnable. This means a serious amount of time and money has been lost in the doctor’s office only to find out the parts ordered were incorrect. Meanwhile, the laboratory is either waiting for new parts to arrive or ordering the new parts themselves as the delivery date rapidly approaches while the case sits in limbo. These are just a few of the challenges, that exist in the world of implant fabrication and restoration.
Despite these challenges is there a way we can have it “both ways?” We think there is and we are announcing a flat rate that will allow you to quote an accurate fee to your implant patients when placing and restoring any posterior implant case. This will not only take the guessing out of treatment planning and quoting fees, but will also eliminate the headache of erroneously ordered parts and minimize potential scheduling challenges.
The all inclusive implant for posterior restorations is available in cement retained or screw retained abutments. The only requirement from your office, is an accurate impression with the appropriate transfer coping and screw, sent in an open or closed tray. We provide all the rest, which includes: soft tissue replacement, an analog (replica of the platform existing in the mouth), and a titanium or Zirconia abutment. This could be a “stock” abutment which would include any labor fee associated with it’s modification. We may, otherwise opt to scan the case, design a custom abutment in-house (we absorb the milling fee) to fabricate and restore the abutment and/or the final restoration. This abutment would adapt accurately, and precisely to the fixture in the mouth. The restoration can be e.press, e.max, Zirconia or PFM, you choose! In the case of PFM, a noble, semi-precious alloy is provided up to 1 dwt. (pennyweight) which will cover nearly any normal sized bicuspid or molar. Any restoration weighing more will be billed out in addition, to cover the overage of metal used. When screw retained abutments are requested, the same rule applies. This means a castable abutment will include an abutment which weighs up to 1 dwt. of noble, semi-precious alloy. If the weight exceeds 1 dwt. again additional alloy charges will be billed out at the normal rate above the all inclusive fee.
The fee for the all inclusive implant is $550.00. In order for us to be able to offer this flat rate, we reserve the right to obtain implant parts from the implant and milling suppliers of our choice. These suppliers will include, but are not limited to, Custom Milling Center, Titan Implants, Implant Direct and Zahn Dental to name a few.
All of the materials we use, meet the highest standards required for titanium and zirconia applications, and provide a precision fit to each of the platforms we restore. This flat rate, all inclusive fee is available ONLY for posterior restorations. We are extremely proud to be able to offer this new product which helps resolve your ability to accurately estimate the cost of these procedures to your patients well before the case arrives for delivery. It also frees up time and personnel from the tedious task of ordering implant parts. Now you CAN have it both ways…..
If you have any questions regarding the all inclusive, flat rate implant, or would like to discuss a case, please call.
