A tooth costs 20,000 yuan! Why is it so expensive?

With the arrival of summer vacation, many dental clinics have welcomed an influx of students, especially with a surge in demand for orthodontic services. The volume of visits to some dental clinics has increased by about 50% year-on-year.

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Summer brings orthodontic fever

The number of outpatient visits in some dental clinics increased by 50% year-on-year

At a dental clinic on Huashan Road in Shanghai, the reporter saw some young people in the waiting area at the front desk waiting to see a doctor on the weekend.

Chen Min, store manager of a dental chain in Shanghai:

There is now a surge in the number of patients undergoing outpatient corrections, with the number increasing by about 50% year-on-year.

At the dental clinic, the reporter met Xiao Liu who came to get her teeth straightened. She had just finished the college entrance examination this year. The tall girl planned to apply for the modeling major. As her teeth were a little protruding, in order to make her image more beautiful, Xiao Liu's parents also supported her in getting her teeth straightened.

Luo Gang, Chief Medical Officer of a Shanghai dental medical institution:

As for orthodontics, from what we have seen so far, the industry should be growing very fast, at least 20 to 30 percent per year.

In addition to the increasing number of young people getting orthodontic treatment, the number of middle-aged and elderly people coming to the dentistry department for dental implants is also increasing year by year. Mr. Yang from Shanghai, 78 years old, came here with his wife to get dental implants today, and he has already had three teeth implanted.

It is understood that orthodontics and dental implants have become the two golden tracks in the oral medical industry. In the past five years, the average annual growth rate of the market size of my country's oral medical industry has been 16%. By 2020, the market size has exceeded 100 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.8%. It is expected that by 2035, the oral market size will reach 1 trillion yuan.

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High material and labor costs

Some dental expenses exceed 10,000 yuan

Treatment and medical aesthetics are the two most important demands for oral care. Because some items in the dental department are not included in the medical insurance, the relevant medical institutions have absolute autonomy in pricing. Orthodontics, implants, all-ceramic veneers and other items cost from a few thousand yuan to hundreds of thousands of yuan. Why are the costs so high?

The reporter learned from several oral medical institutions in Shanghai that the braces on the market are mainly divided into traditional wire braces and invisible braces. The price of wire braces ranges from 10,000 to 30,000 yuan, while the price of invisible braces is even more expensive, with domestic brands costing 20,000 to 30,000 yuan and imported brands costing 40,000 to 50,000 yuan.

During the interview, the reporter learned that since dental implants, orthodontics and other projects are not covered by medical insurance, many people feel that dental care is a bit expensive.

At present, the cost of dental implants ranges from 8,000 to 20,000 yuan per tooth, depending on the material used. For a full mouth of teeth, the cost ranges from 100,000 to 500,000 yuan. If a digital aesthetic project is done, that is, a full-ceramic veneer, the cost is around 100,000 yuan.

Wang Fang, director of a dental clinic in Shanghai:

At least half of our expenses are paid to suppliers, that is, the manufacturers who supply or produce invisible braces. Material costs account for nearly half.

Dental implants are currently the most expensive dental treatment. 90% of implants are imported products, and the cost of each link from the factory to the hospital is accumulated. A product worth a few thousand yuan becomes tens of thousands of yuan when it reaches the patient.

Tian Lining, Vice President and Secretary General of a Dental Association:

Medical staff are involved in this work, and the proportion of labor costs may be relatively high. In addition to the amortization of the management expenses of dental institutions and the source of marketing expenses, its profit margin should be said to be at an appropriate level, relatively speaking, and the gross profit margin may be around 60%.

Source: CCTV Finance

Editor: Zhang Yongqun

Editor: Sun Xiaoting Xing Yanyan