The maintenance question
True Cost Calculator
Before you book that flight, run the real numbers. Most patients are surprised by the answer.
Run My NumbersThe $12,000 All-on-4 quote you saw online is usually just the surgical fee. It almost never includes what you actually pay once you arrive.
Here's what gets added:
And the part that's easy to overlook: if something needs attention six months later, you're either flying back or finding local follow-up care — which is harder than most patients expect.
Enter the quote you were given abroad and a few details about the trip. We'll show you the real total in Canadian dollars, and compare it to our flat fee in Calgary.
Estimates use average round-trip flight and accommodation costs from Calgary, and assume 10% in add-ons that are commonly quoted separately abroad. Your real number may be higher or lower. Smile Now Calgary pricing is a flat fee including surgery, sedation, temporary prosthesis, final zirconia bridge, and one year of follow-up visits.
Most patients assume local care is always more expensive. For straightforward cases, sometimes that's true. For full-arch work, three things flip the math.
The "final bridge" is the set of teeth that bolts onto your implants and stays in your mouth for the next 15+ years. Most overseas quotes are for acrylic. Our flat fee is for zirconia. The difference shows up every time you eat, smile, and years down the road when one of them needs replacing.
| Acrylic hybrid Typical overseas quote |
Zirconia Smile Now flat fee |
|
|---|---|---|
| Material | Plastic teeth set into an acrylic base with a metal bar | Single milled block of solid ceramic |
| Expected lifespan | 3–7 years before remake or major repair | 15+ years with normal care |
| Staining | Absorbs coffee, wine, tea over time | Stain-proof. Won't yellow. |
| Chipping & breakage | Teeth can pop off. Fractures are common. | Extremely fracture resistant |
| Appearance | Teeth look uniform and flat. Can look fake. | Looks and feels close to real enamel |
| Odour & hygiene | Porous — can absorb food and develop smell | Non-porous. Much easier to keep clean. |
| Cost to replace later | $8,000–$15,000 per arch, every few years | Rarely needs replacing in your lifetime |
| Usually included in quote? | Yes, this is the default abroad | Included in our flat fee, not an upgrade |
Some overseas clinics do offer zirconia, often as an upgrade above the initial quote. Worth asking directly, in writing, before booking — so you know whether you're comparing the same material.
Year two and beyond
Full-arch implants aren't a one-time purchase. They're a 15-to-20-year relationship with a dental team. Cleanings, x-rays, screw checks, occasional adjustments — the same way a car needs service. Skip it and small issues tend to grow.
This is where location starts to matter. An overseas clinic is thousands of miles away, and most Canadian dentists won't take on surgical work they didn't perform themselves — it's a liability issue more than anything else. Combined with implant systems that aren't always distributed in Canada, a small fix can become a bigger one simply because of logistics and professional risk.
The Smile Now Care Plan
Quality exists in every market — there are excellent clinics abroad and less rigorous ones in Canada. The harder part is that from 3,000 miles away it's more difficult to verify credentials, materials, and what follow-up care will look like. If something needs attention later, your options for addressing it are also more limited.
Lower labour costs, lower overhead, and much higher case volume are the main drivers. Pricing structure also differs — overseas quotes often separate the surgical fee from add-ons like sedation, bone grafts, imaging, or the final prosthesis, while Canadian clinics more often bundle everything into a single flat price.
Many overseas All-on-4 quotes are for an acrylic "hybrid" prosthesis rather than zirconia. It's worth asking directly, because the two materials behave very differently over time. Acrylic is a common international default because it's less expensive to produce.
The trade-off with acrylic is lifespan. It tends to stain, wear down, and the teeth can chip or pop off within 3 to 7 years. At that point it usually needs replacing.
Zirconia is a single milled block of ceramic. It doesn't stain, it's much more fracture resistant, and it's built to last 15+ years with normal care. It also looks and feels closer to natural teeth. Our flat fee includes a zirconia final bridge as standard.
Come in for a consultation. We treat revision cases without judgment. Sometimes the work is fine and just needs maintenance. Sometimes it needs redoing. Either way, you'll know.
Yes. 0% and low-interest options through Medicard and iFinance, approved in minutes. Most patients pay monthly rather than all at once.
Your first year is covered under the flat fee. That includes all follow-up visits, cleanings, adjustments, and any issues that come up.
From year 2 onward, we offer the Smile Now Care Plan for $600/year. It covers one annual implant hygiene visit, yearly CBCT or x-ray monitoring, prosthesis screw torque checks, and minor adjustments. Works out to about $50/month for peace of mind that your implants are being watched by the same team that placed them.
Most won't, and the main reason is liability. Maintaining implants someone else placed means taking on responsibility for surgical outcomes the dentist didn't design or control. On top of that, implant-brand compatibility, parts availability in Canada, and access to the original surgical records can all complicate the picture. It's worth calling a few clinics ahead of any international trip so you understand what follow-up will actually look like.
We do take on cases that started elsewhere. The first step is a new CBCT and a full exam, then an honest conversation about what we can and can't do from there.
It's a good-faith estimate using typical flight and accommodation averages from Calgary and a conservative 20% on-site upgrade assumption. Your actual numbers may differ, but the structure of the calculation is what we see in real patient cases.
Book a free consultation. We'll review any quote you've received, show you our flat-fee equivalent, and tell you honestly which makes more sense for your case. No pressure. No upsell.
Book My Free Consultation403-879-7880 • 7337 McLeod Trail SW, Unit 216, Calgary