Paying for specialty care, explained plainly.

Two patients can ask for the same procedure and need meaningfully different treatment. These are the variables that move the number, in roughly the order they matter:

1) How many teeth are involved. A single dental implant is a different project than replacing several teeth or a full arch.

2) The condition of the foundation. Sites with adequate bone and healthy gum need less preparatory work. Bone grafting, sinus lifts, and gum treatment add procedures — and cost — but they are often the difference between an implant that lasts and one that fails.

3) Sedation. Local anesthesia, nitrous, oral sedation, and IV sedation carry different costs. Longer surgical cases usually justify deeper sedation; short ones usually do not.

4) The final restoration. The implant is the anchor; the tooth on top is a separate piece with its own materials and lab work. What it is made of, and who makes it, affects the total.

5) Staging and timing. Some cases are completed in one surgical visit. Others are healthier — and end up less expensive over time — when staged across several months.

A quote without an exam is a guess, and we do not guess. Your consultation includes a clinical exam, 3D imaging (CBCT) where implant planning is involved, and a review of any records your dentist has already taken. From that, the doctor builds an itemized treatment plan.

The written plan lists each procedure, its cost, the recommended sequence, the sedation approach, and the timeline — so the number you take home is the number for yourcase, not an average of everyone else’s. If there are two reasonable ways to treat your case, you see both, with the tradeoffs.

You will meet one of our three periodontists at that visit — Dr. Abron, Dr. Miller, or Dr. Porzio — and the plan comes from the doctor who examined you, not from a sales desk.

Extended payment options are available through Cherry, CareCredit, or Alphaeon — options in writing at your consultation. These are third-party healthcare financing companies; approval and terms depend on the partner and your credit.

We do not publish payment amounts online, because an advertised payment that does not survive underwriting is worse than no number at all. What we do instead: our team walks you through the application at the consult if you want it, and the terms you qualify for go into the same written packet as your treatment plan.

If you are weighing a larger case, the full-arch cost guide explains what drives cost at that scale.

Many of our patients work for the federal government or on the Hill and carry flexible spending or health savings accounts. Treatment that diagnoses or treats disease — periodontal therapy, grafting, implants placed to restore function — is generally FSA/HSA eligible. Confirm the details with your plan administrator; we provide the itemized documentation your plan needs.

Dental insurance helps most with diagnostic visits and periodontal therapy, and least with implant surgery. Some plans cover a portion of implant treatment; many do not, or cover only the crown. Annual maximums on most dental plans were set decades ago and rarely cover a meaningful share of surgical specialty care.

We work with most major dental carriers and coordinate insurance as a courtesy. We are not in-network with every plan; when we are out of network with yours, we can usually still file claims on your behalf. Before treatment begins, you will know what your plan is expected to contribute — in writing, not as a hallway estimate.

Gum disease left untreated gets more expensive to fix, not less. If cost is the reason you have been waiting, the most useful step is the consultation — it replaces the fear of an unknown number with a real one. Both our Farragut Square and Eastern Market offices handle financing and insurance the same way — see both locations.