+ Arrive, consultation, CT scan
+ Surgery next day: implants placed
+ Leave with fixed PMMA temporary teeth screwed onto implants
+ Heal at home for 6–12 months
I Got a Quote from Aspen Dental. Why Does It Feel Wrong?
Aspen Dental looks cheaper than ClearChoice. But the real story is more complicated.
You saw the ads. “Full arch implants starting around $20,000.” You walked into one of their 1,100+ locations thinking you’d found a bargain. Then you sat through the consultation and realized: the devil is in the details.
Aspen Dental's real full mouth cost (before hidden extras)
It started at twenty thousand per arch. But then came the add-ons. Extractions. Bone grafting. The temporary teeth were included, but the final zirconia was an upgrade. Sedation was extra. And by the time they finished, you were looking at thirty-five thousand per arch, maybe more.
You drove home confused. The ads said twenty thousand. The reality said thirty-five thousand. And somewhere in between, you started wondering if you had just been sold something.
You were not sold a scam. Aspen Dental is a real business. But the gap between what they advertise and what you actually pay is where most patients get lost. Aspen Dental is owned by The Aspen Group — the same private equity-backed parent company that owns ClearChoice. That $20,000 per arch number? It comes with catches that can turn your “bargain” into a $40,000+ surprise.
This guide shows you every alternative to Aspen Dental, with real prices, real timelines, and the honest truth about what you’re actually paying for.
Aspen Dental is a general dentistry chain with over eleven hundred locations across the United States. They do everything. Cleanings, fillings, dentures, braces, and yes, implants.
But here is the thing most patients do not realize until they are already in the chair. Aspen is not an implant specialty center. Most of their dentists are general practitioners. Some locations have oral surgeons on staff. Some do not.
Aspen Dental is a general dentistry chain. Most dentists are general practitioners, not implant specialists. Some locations have oral surgeons. Some don't. Quality varies wildly because each office operates like a franchise.
That means your All-on-4 procedure might be done by a dentist whose primary experience is fillings and crowns. Or it might be done by a board-certified oral surgeon who has placed thousands of implants. The quality varies wildly from one office to the next because each location operates like a franchise.
The dentist may care deeply about your smile. But the corporate structure behind Aspen cares about volume, revenue per patient, and quarterly returns. That pressure shapes the experience in ways patients do not always see.
SERVICE |
ADVERTISED |
REALITY |
|---|---|---|
Aspen advertises an average of around twenty thousand dollars per arch for fixed full arch implants. The range is roughly nineteen to thirty-one thousand depending on location and complexity.
That sounds like a deal compared to ClearChoice. But here is what the ads do not mention.
Bone grafting costs extra. Sinus lifts cost extra. Sedation upgrades cost extra. And the final zirconia teeth are often priced separately from the temporary phase.
A patient who walks in expecting twenty thousand per arch can easily walk out with a quote that pushes thirty-five or forty thousand once the extras are added. And if you are financing that over five to ten years, the interest alone can add another twenty thousand dollars.
The problem is not the dentistry. The problem is that the advertised price and the real price are two very different things.
Aspen Dental is a general dentistry chain. That means:
*Based on each provider's highest tier package
OPTION |
SAME DAY TEETH |
SINGLE ARCH |
FULL MOUTH |
SPECIALIST QUALITY? |
TRANSPARENCY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
~$19,979*
|
$19,000–$31,000
| ||||
*ClearChoice, Aspen Dental, and NuVia generally quote full treatment rather than a separate first-stage same-day teeth price. NuVia typically provides permanent zirconia teeth within 24 hours.
†Immediate-load treatment availability varies by dental school.
Aspen advertises “around $20,000 per arch.” But that’s an average. Your actual quote depends on:
– Which franchise location you visited
– Whether you need extractions first
– Whether you need bone grafts
– Whether the dentist there even does implants regularly
At Aspen, your implant surgery might be performed by:
– A board-certified oral surgeon (best case)
– A periodontist with implant training (acceptable)
– A general dentist who took a weekend implant course (risky)
You won’t know until you ask. And most patients don’t ask.
Both Aspen Dental and ClearChoice are owned by The Aspen Group, backed by Ares Management and American Securities. These are private equity firms.
What does that mean for you?
– Pressure to close sales quickly
– Upsell tactics (“limited time” offers)
– Financing pushed hard because it locks you in
– Revenue-per-patient targets
The dentist may care about your smile. The corporate structure cares about quarterly returns.
Since Aspen and ClearChoice share the same parent company, what’s the difference?
The reality: If you’re at Aspen because it’s “cheaper,” you might be getting a general dentist instead of a specialist. That’s not a deal. That’s a risk.
NuVia skips the temporary phase entirely:
– Surgery on day 1
– Permanent zirconia teeth on day 2
Vs. Aspen: NuVia costs more but delivers permanent teeth faster with confirmed specialist care. Aspen might be cheaper on paper but could involve temporaries, delays, and variable surgeon quality.
Go directly to:
1. A board-certified oral surgeon for implant placement
2. A prosthodontist for the permanent teeth
3. A quality dental lab
Reality check: You’ll likely end up at $25,000–$40,000 per arch anyway after separate bills. Plus you’re the project manager — coordinating schedules, payments, and communication between three different offices.
Cost: $10,000–$15,000 per arch
Trade-off: 12–24 month timeline because students work slowly
Quality: Good, under faculty supervision
If you’re not in a rush and want the cheapest US option, this is it.
If you’re not in a rush and want the cheapest US option, this is it. This is the alternative most Aspen patients discover too late.
This is the option most ClearChoice patients never considered until they saw the quote.
At SOTA Dental in Cancun, Tijuana, Los Algodones, and Playa del Carmen, a single arch All-on-4 starts at eight thousand dollars. That includes the surgery, the implants, and the same-day temporary teeth. You walk out with fixed PMMA temporaries that look good and function well.
Then you heal for six months to a year. During that time, your temporaries are doing their job. You can eat, smile, and live normally. Then you come back for trip two. That is when you get your permanent teeth. Zirconia if you want the premium option. Or acrylic, or Crystal Ultra, or nano ceramic. Total per arch with both phases is roughly eight to twelve thousand dollars.
Full mouth? You are looking at roughly sixteen to twenty-four thousand dollars total. The implant brands are the same. Nobel Biocare. Straumann. The zirconia comes from the same international suppliers. The oral surgeons at SOTA Dental trained in the US and Europe.
The only real difference is the zip code.
This is the question everyone asks. And we get it.
Medical tourism to Mexico is a forty billion dollar industry. Cities like Los Algodones exist almost entirely because of American dental patients. The clinics that serve this market are modern, regulated, and experienced.
SOTA Dental has been doing this for years. They have thousands of reviews from American and Canadian patients. They speak English. They coordinate airport pickups and hotels because they know you are traveling specifically for this.
The implant brands are global. Any dentist in the US can service a Nobel Biocare or Straumann implant. The parts are standard. The protocols are standard.
Is every clinic in Mexico perfect? No. You need to do your homework. Look for board-certified oral surgeons, real patient reviews, and transparent pricing. But the idea that Mexican dentistry is inherently risky is outdated.
+ Return for permanent teeth
+ Choose your material: zirconia (premium), acrylic (budget), Crystal Ultra, nano ceramic
+ Leave with your final smile
This is a fair question. What if something goes wrong six months later?
Reputable Mexican clinics stand behind their work. SOTA Dental offers warranties. And because the implants are global brands like Nobel Biocare and Straumann, any dentist in the US can service them. The parts are standard. The protocols are standard.
The idea that you are stranded if you go to Mexico is outdated. It was never really true to begin with.
People assume cheaper means lower quality. Here’s why that’s wrong:
COST FACTOR |
US CHAIN (Aspen/ClearChoice) |
MEXICO (SOTA Dental) |
|---|---|---|
The result: Same Nobel Biocare and Straumann implants. Same zirconia. Same surgical protocols. Different price: 80% less.
COST ITEM |
ASPEN DENTAL (US) |
SOTA DENTAL MEXICO |
|---|---|---|
That’s not a small difference. That’s life-changing money.
If you’re still considering Aspen, demand answers to these questions:
If they can’t answer clearly, walk away. A free consultation has no strings attached.
Aspen Dental is not a scam. But the gap between what they advertise and what you actually pay is real. And the fact that quality varies wildly from one franchise to the next is a risk you should not ignore.
You have options.
Not necessarily. But it’s more variable. Some Aspen locations have excellent surgeons. Others have general dentists learning implants as they go. The quality depends entirely on which franchise you walk into.
Yes, but dental insurance rarely covers implants. You might get $1,000–$2,000 toward extractions or diagnostics. The implant procedure itself is usually “elective” and not covered.
Lower overhead. No private equity investors demanding returns. No national TV ad budget. No US malpractice premiums. Same materials. Same brands. Different business model.
Very possibly. Initial quotes often don’t include bone grafts, sinus lifts, sedation upgrades, or the zirconia final teeth. Get everything in writing before you commit.
Refund policies vary by location. Some deposits are non-refundable. Don’t sign anything until you’ve explored all alternatives.
Contact SOTA Dental for a personalized treatment plan. No pressure. No upsells. Just the actual numbers.
Same Nobel Biocare implants · Same zirconia · Save $36,000+
* Based on 2026 pricing data from Aspen Dental, ClearChoice, NuVia Dental Implant Center, and SOTA Dental Mexico. Prices subject to change and individual case evaluation. Aspen Dental is a registered trademark of The Aspen Group.
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