Dental Implants in Scotland
When the NHS provides implants in Scotland and when it doesn't, what a private quote should cover, how treatment runs, and how to choose who places yours.
How Do I Choose an Implant Dentist in Scotland?
Implants are almost always private in Scotland, so begin with what each quote covers, then ask who will place the implant and how they trained, whether a CT scan guides the planning and a surgical guide the placement, which implant system is used and what the guarantee covers. Here in Finnieston, Glasgow, Dr Davinder Kalsi (MSc in dental implants, over 2,000 placed) plans every case in 3D on our own scanner. One implant, crown included, is priced from £2,775, and there's no fee for the consultation.
Dental implants in Glasgow at St Vincent Smile ›
Does the NHS Pay for Implants in Scotland?
Rarely. NHS dental services in Scotland don't replace teeth lost to decay or gum disease with implants. Implants are provided on the NHS in exceptional cases, usually by a hospital department once you've been referred, for instance when teeth have been lost through cancer treatment or a serious accident, or never formed. If that could be you, ask your dentist whether a referral makes sense.
For everyone else, implants are private. The NHS alternatives for a gap are a denture or, occasionally, a bridge, where your dentist judges them clinically suitable.
What a Private Implant Quote Should Cover
Fees for a single implant differ from one Scottish practice to the next, and so does what the fee pays for. Before putting quotes side by side, check each one for:
- the consultation and the CT scan, and whether either is charged;
- the implant, the connecting abutment and the crown: all three;
- something to fill the gap during healing, if you'd need it;
- bone grafting, and what would make it necessary;
- sedation, if you'd like it;
- the reviews afterwards, and the guarantee with its conditions.
Here, prices begin at £2,775 for one implant with the crown fitted, before any bone grafting, and that covers the 3D planning, the MegaGen AnyRidge implant and its placement through a guide, the abutment and the crown. There's no fee for the consultation; for one implant the planning CT scan costs £160; and our implants carry a five-year guarantee as long as you stay a non-smoker and keep three-monthly hygiene visits.2 You'll find all our fees in the Glasgow implant cost guide.
Bring Your Questions
A free implant consultation with Dr Kalsi: your options, the plan and every fee, in writing.
How Treatment Runs, Step by Step
- Consultation and CT scan. Your mouth is examined, the options are talked through, and a 3D scan shows the bone, nerve and sinus.
- A written plan. The treatment, the alternatives and a fixed fee, before you agree to anything.
- Placing the implant. Local anaesthetic numbs the area, and if you're nervous, IV sedation is available.
- Healing. Usually 8 to 12 weeks while the bone bonds to the implant.
- The crown. Scanned digitally, made by the lab and fitted when the implant is firm.
- Hygiene and reviews. Healthy gum keeps an implant, so regular hygiene visits carry on, and they're one of the guarantee's conditions.
Your plan lists each appointment, so if you're travelling in from elsewhere in Scotland you'll know how many journeys are involved before you decide.
How to Choose an Implant Dentist in Scotland
Any registered dentist may place implants, and implant dentistry isn't one of the specialties the General Dental Council recognises, so the useful questions are about training, planning and who looks after you afterwards:
- Training and experience. Postgraduate implant training, such as a diploma or a master's degree, and the number of implants the dentist places.
- A CT scan and a surgical guide. The scan shows the bone and the nerve in 3D before any drilling, and a guide made from it steers the implant to the planned position.
- A named implant system. An established brand with published research and parts another dentist could source in years to come.
- The same dentist throughout. Ask whether whoever plans your implant also places it and fits the crown.
- Aftercare you can reach. Implants need checks and hygiene visits for years. If the practice is far from home, ask how reviews, and any problems, would be handled.
Our list of ten questions to ask an implant dentist goes into each in more depth, and the guide to implants abroad covers the questions to ask before travelling further.
Implants at St Vincent Smile, for Patients Across Scotland
Dr Davinder Kalsi (BDS, BEng, MSc in dental implants) has more than 2,000 implants and over ten years of implant dentistry behind him, and our own records put his success rate above 99%.5 He is a BAIRD graduate. His implants are MegaGen AnyRidge, a system holding CleanImplant's Trusted Quality seal, and he places them using MegaGen's R2 guided surgery, through a guide 3D-printed from the plan he makes on our CT scanner. Our dental implants in Glasgow page has a case, before and after.
Arriving by rail? From Glasgow Central, the low-level platforms take you two stops west to Exhibition Centre, four minutes' walk from St Vincent Crescent; if you drive, there are pay-and-display bays on the crescent itself.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.