Dental Implant Costs Per Type

Implant-Retained Dentures: The Type Most People Have Not Heard Of

If you wear a full denture, or you are facing one, this is probably the option you should be asking about, and it rarely gets explained properly.

An implant-retained denture is a removable denture that clips onto implants instead of relying on suction. You still take it out to clean it. The difference is that it does not move while you eat or talk.

Two implants under a lower denture is the treatment that changes most lives on this page. A lower denture has no palate to grip and sits on a narrow ridge with your tongue moving underneath it, which is why so many people give up on them. Two implants stop that completely, and it costs a fraction of a fixed full arch.

Four implants give more stability again and can support an upper denture with the palate cut away, so you get taste and temperature back.

Reported UK pricing for implant-retained dentures runs roughly £4,000 to £12,000 per arch depending on the number of implants and the denture itself. That is well below a fixed bridge on implants, and for many people the functional difference is small.

See our implant-retained dentures page for how it works.

Snap-in and overdentures: the same thing, different words

Worth clearing up because the terms are used interchangeably and it makes comparing quotes confusing.

Overdenture is the clinical word for a denture sitting over implants or retained roots. Snap-in denture is the everyday description of the same appliance, named after the press-stud attachments. Implant-retained and implant-supported are the terms you will see on treatment plans.

There is one real distinction underneath the vocabulary. An implant-retained denture is held by the implants but still rests partly on your gum. An implant-supported denture takes its load entirely through the implants. The second needs more implants and costs more.

If you are comparing two quotes, that is the question that matters: how many implants, and does the denture rest on gum or on the implants.

How the attachments differ

Ball attachments are the simplest and least expensive. A stud on the implant clips into a housing in the denture. The nylon inserts wear and need replacing periodically, which is a small ongoing cost rather than a fault.

Locator attachments are lower profile, more forgiving of implants that are not perfectly parallel, and the current default.

Bar attachments join the implants with a milled bar the denture clips onto. The most stable and the most expensive, and the easiest to clean around because the bar is one continuous surface.

Fixed or Removable: The Decision That Sets Your Budget

Everything on a full arch comes down to this, and the price gap between the two answers is large.

Removable, clipping onto implants. Fewer implants, lower cost, and you take it out to clean. Cleaning is genuinely easier because you can see what you are doing. It feels like a denture that stays put rather than like natural teeth.

Fixed, screwed permanently in place. More implants, higher cost, and only your dentist removes it. Closest to natural teeth. You clean around and underneath it with interdental brushes and a water flosser, which takes some learning.

The honest guidance: fixed is not automatically better. Plenty of people with a well-made implant-retained denture are happier than they expected, at half the cost, and cleaning is simpler as dexterity changes with age. Our All-on-4 page covers the fixed route.

Replacing Two or Three Teeth

The arithmetic here is not one implant per tooth, and assuming it is leads to quotes far higher than necessary.

Two teeth side by side: often two implants, but sometimes one implant plus a cantilever where the bone and bite allow it.

Three teeth in a row: usually two implants carrying a three-unit bridge. You pay for two implants, not three.

Four teeth in a row: still commonly two implants, occasionally three depending on where they sit in the arch.

Teeth not next to each other: these need individual implants, because there is nothing to bridge between. Two separate gaps genuinely cost more than two adjacent ones.

That last point catches people out. Two missing teeth in different parts of the mouth is a more expensive problem than two missing teeth side by side, even though the tooth count is identical. Our implant-supported bridges and multiple implants pages set out the designs.

Mini Implants

Narrower posts, roughly half the diameter of a conventional implant, placed through a smaller opening and often without stitches.

They cost meaningfully less and their main use is stabilising a lower denture where a conventional implant will not fit the available bone. Recovery is quicker and the procedure is less involved.

The limits are real. They carry less load, so they are not a general substitute for conventional implants on back teeth, and long-term data is thinner. Where they fit the case they are excellent value, and where they do not they fail early. It is a clinical judgement from a scan, not a budget choice.

Same-Day and Immediate Implants

Two different things that get conflated, and the difference matters when comparing quotes.

Immediate placement means the implant goes in at the same appointment the tooth is extracted. One surgery instead of two, and several months saved. It needs sound bone around the socket and no active infection.

Immediate loading means a temporary tooth goes on the same day. This needs excellent primary stability, meaning the implant is firmly held the moment it is placed, and it is a judgement made during surgery rather than promised beforehand.

Neither means you walk out with the final tooth. The permanent crown still waits for the bone to bond. Any practice implying otherwise is describing the temporary.

Immediate placement often costs less overall, because you pay for one surgical visit rather than two.

Screw-Retained or Cement-Retained

A detail nobody mentions until something goes wrong, and it affects what maintenance costs you later.

Screw-retained crowns are held by a screw through the biting surface, sealed with tooth-coloured filling. If anything needs adjusting, the crown is unscrewed and put back. Retrievable, which over twenty years is worth a great deal.

Cement-retained crowns are glued onto the abutment. Slightly better looking in some front-tooth positions, but removing one usually means destroying it, and excess cement left below the gum is a recognised cause of implant inflammation.

Most clinicians now favour screw-retained wherever the angle allows. If you are choosing between quotes, ask which you are getting.

Titanium or Zirconia

Titanium is the standard: decades of data, the widest range of components, and guaranteed parts availability years from now. Usually the more affordable of the two.

Zirconia is ceramic and metal-free, white rather than grey, which helps where a thin gum might show a shadow at the neck of a front tooth. It suits the small number of people with a genuine metal sensitivity. It costs more, has less long-term data and comes in fewer configurations.

For most people in most positions titanium is both the better and the cheaper answer.

Which Type Suits Which Situation

• One missing tooth: single implant and crown. See single implants
• Two or three in a row: two implants and a bridge, not one implant per tooth
• Gaps in different places: separate implants for each
• Full arch, budget the priority: two to four implants with a removable overdenture
• Full arch, closest to natural teeth: fixed bridge on four or six implants
• Loose lower denture, minimal surgery: two implants, possibly mini implants
• Very little bone in the upper jaw: grafting or sinus lift first, which changes the timeline more than the type

For the full picture of what you are replacing, our missing teeth page covers the options including the non-implant ones.

What Is Not in the Type Price

Whichever type you choose, these sit alongside it and are the commonest reason a final figure exceeds the quote.

Bone grafting or a sinus lift where the bone will not hold an implant. Extraction of a failing tooth. A temporary tooth through healing. Sedation. Long-term maintenance, including replacement attachment inserts on an overdenture.

Our guide to the extra costs to expect with dental implants covers all of these with figures, and is the page to read before comparing any two quotes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do implant-retained dentures cost?

Reported UK pricing runs roughly £4,000 to £12,000 per arch depending on how many implants are used and the type of attachment. Considerably less than a fixed bridge on implants.

What is the difference between implant-retained and implant-supported dentures?

An implant-retained denture is held by implants but still rests partly on the gum. An implant-supported denture takes its load entirely through the implants, needs more of them, and costs more.

What are snap-in dentures?

The everyday name for an implant-retained overdenture. The denture clips onto attachments on the implants, and you remove it to clean. Same treatment, different word.

How many implants do I need for a full set of teeth?

Two to four for a removable overdenture, four to six for a fixed bridge. Not one per tooth, which is the assumption that makes people think a full arch is unaffordable.

How much does it cost to replace 2 teeth with implants?

If they are side by side, often two implants carrying a bridge, which costs less than two separate implant teeth. Two gaps in different parts of the mouth cost more than two adjacent ones.

Do I need one implant for every missing tooth?

No, and this is the single biggest misconception about implant pricing. Two implants routinely carry three or four teeth where the gap is continuous.

Are mini dental implants cheaper?

Yes, meaningfully so, and they suit stabilising a loose lower denture. They carry less load, so they are not a general substitute for conventional implants. A scan decides whether they are appropriate.

Can I get implants and teeth on the same day?

Sometimes a temporary tooth can be fitted the same day, if the implant is firmly held at placement. The permanent tooth always waits for the bone to bond, which takes months.

Should I choose screw-retained or cement-retained crowns?

Screw-retained where the angle allows, because the crown can be removed and refitted for maintenance. Cement-retained crowns usually have to be destroyed to be removed.

Is zirconia better than titanium?

Not generally. Titanium has far more long-term data, more component options and usually costs less. Zirconia earns its premium in specific cases, mainly a front tooth with a very thin gum.

What is the cheapest type of dental implant treatment?

For a loose lower denture, two implants with an overdenture. For a single gap, a single implant. For several teeth in a row, a bridge on two implants rather than individual implants.

Work Out Which Type Fits You

The type is decided by how many teeth are missing, where they are, and how much bone is there to work with. That takes one appointment and a scan, and the consultation is free.

Call 020 7928 4474 or book online. We are at 3 St George’s Court, Garden Row, London SE1 6HD, minutes from Elephant and Castle, Borough, Waterloo and London Bridge.

For headline pricing see dental implant costs, and for the add-ons that move a quote, extra costs to expect. Spreading the cost is covered on dental finance.

Market price ranges are indicative UK figures from published 2026 cost guides, not our fees. Our own fees are set out above and confirmed in writing after a consultation and scan. Last reviewed August 2026.