Price ranges last reviewed 9 October 2026, compiled from published clinic price lists and international coordinator quotes.
Read this before booking flights — the two treatments are not the same shape.
- Clear aligners (mild to moderate cases): one trip. Everything that requires your body in the chair — scan, imaging, attachment bonding, first trays — happens in a few days in Shenzhen. Later aligner stages ship to you and progress is monitored remotely. This is a working model, not a promise: it holds only under three specific conditions.
- Implants: two trips. Surgery on trip one, then three to six months of bonding before the crown. A single implant cannot be compressed into one stay. Anyone promising otherwise is doing immediate loading on ideal bone, or not telling you the whole plan.
- All-on-4 / All-on-6: two trips, but you fly home with teeth. Suitable patients get implants and a fixed temporary bridge on the same day — no gap-toothed months. The temporary bridge is not the final one; the permanent bridge is made after three to six months.
2026 price ranges, private clinics
Single implant, per tooth
| Implant system | RMB | Approx. USD |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic brands (Chuangying, Baikangte, Weigao, CDIC) | $270¥1,800 – $749¥5,000 | $250 – $690 |
| Korean mainstream (Osstem, Dentium) | $419¥2,800 – $1,198¥8,000 | $390 – $1,100 |
| Mid-range German / US (Friadent, 3i) | $749¥5,000 – $1,947¥13,000 | $690 – $1,800 |
| Premium Swiss (Straumann ITI, Nobel Biocare) | $1,198¥8,000 – $2,995¥20,000 | $1,100 – $2,760 |
Larger restorations and other work
| Treatment | RMB | Approx. USD |
|---|---|---|
| All-on-4 / All-on-6, per arch | $2,696¥18,000 – $6,739¥45,000 | $2,480 – $6,210 |
| Full arch, both jaws | $5,242¥35,000 – $13,478¥90,000 | $4,830 – $12,420 |
| Clear aligners, full course (all brands) | $2,396¥16,000 – $7,188¥48,000 | $2,200 – $6,700 |
| Zirconia crown | $180¥1,200 – $374¥2,500 | $170 – $350 |
| Root canal, per tooth | $120¥800 – $374¥2,500 | $110 – $350 |
| In-clinic whitening | $75¥500 – $225¥1,500 | $70 – $210 |
| Professional cleaning | $30¥200 – $75¥500 | $28 – $70 |
Commonly excluded add-ons
| Item | RMB |
|---|---|
| CBCT scan | $37¥250 – $90¥600 |
| Bone grafting or sinus lift, per site | $300¥2,000 – $1,198¥8,000 |
| Temporary crown during healing | $75¥500 – $300¥2,000 |
| Translation support, per session | $30¥200 – $75¥500 (often free at international desks) |
The headline price is rarely the final price. A quote of $799 for an implant generally covers the scan, surgery, abutment and permanent crown — and excludes extraction, grafting, periodontal work and the temporary crown. Clinically necessary add-ons can double the bill. Ask for an itemised written quote, and ask specifically what happens if the examination changes the plan.
How that compares at home
| Treatment | Shenzhen | USA | UK | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single implant (Korean) | $799 – $1,100 | $2,500 – $4,000 | £1,800 – £2,200 | A$4,000 – A$5,000 |
| Single implant (Straumann) | from $1,699 | $3,000 – $5,000 | £2,000 – £2,500 | A$5,000 – A$6,000 |
| All-on-4, per arch | from $5,599 | $20,000 – $30,000 | £12,000 – £18,000 | A$23,000 + |
| Clear aligners, full course | $2,200 – $6,700 | $5,000 – $8,000 | £3,000 – £5,500 | A$6,000 – A$9,000 |
Even after two return flights and a week of accommodation, the arithmetic usually favours Shenzhen for anything above a single crown. Prices fell further after China's 2023 centralised implant procurement policy, with average drops above 55% on selected systems once the "technique-consumables separation" pricing took full effect.
Clear aligners: how the one-trip version works
Orthodontics looks like the worst fit for a 10-day visa window — treatment runs 12 to 24 months, and conventional schedules put you in the chair every six to eight weeks. But that schedule exists because clinics default to dispensing a few stages at a time. A cross-border plan splits the process differently: everything that needs your mouth in the room happens in one visit, and the rest travels by post.
The sequence
- Remote pre-assessment, before you fly. You send photographs of your teeth, and any panoramic X-ray or existing scan you already have. The clinic tells you whether aligners suit your case and gives a written quote. This is planning, not diagnosis — the plan is only final after an in-person scan.
- Visit 1 in Shenzhen — a few days. Full imaging and digital scan, treatment plan sign-off (you see the simulated tooth movement before agreeing), attachment bonding, and your first set of trays fitted.
- Treatment at home. Later stages ship to you. You switch trays on schedule and upload progress photos for remote review.
- Optional final visit for refinement scans or retainers — or handled locally.
Three conditions. If a clinic skips any of them, walk away.
- The first visit must include full imaging. A panoramic X-ray, a lateral cephalogram, a CBCT scan and an intraoral scan. Clinics that quote a price without imaging are cutting the step that reveals root position, bone level and bite relationship — the details that determine whether movement is safe at all.
- Line up a local dentist or orthodontist at home before you start. Not optional. The US FDA states plainly that while some treatment plans include remote monitoring and virtual visits, periodic in-person visits "can help reduce the risks of an uneven bite, unintended tooth movement, pain, and tooth loss, and ensure your treatment is progressing appropriately." Remote monitoring is a supplement to in-person checks, not a replacement.
- Your case must genuinely be mild or moderate. Suitable: mild to moderate crowding, spacing, mild relapse after teenage braces. Not suitable: skeletal discrepancies, significant crossbite, impacted teeth, active gum disease, cases needing extractions or anchorage screws. Those need in-clinic orthodontics, and a clinic that agrees to treat them remotely is not doing you a favour.
2026 prices by aligner brand
| System | RMB | Approx. USD | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smartee (domestic) | $2,396¥16,000 – $3,594¥24,000 | $2,200 – $3,350 | Lowest entry point |
| AngelAlign standard (single-layer) | $2,696¥18,000 – $3,744¥25,000 | $2,500 – $3,500 | Most common mid option |
| AngelAlign Champion (dual-layer) | $3,594¥24,000 – $4,792¥32,000 | $3,350 – $4,450 | Faster staging |
| Invisalign, full adult course | $4,493¥30,000 – $7,188¥48,000 | $4,200 – $6,700 | Highest; imported |
International coordinators quote full courses from around $2,200 all-inclusive and mild cases from about $1,499. For comparison, Hong Kong private orthodontics typically runs HK$80,000 to HK$150,000 for the same work — which is why the cross-border flow runs north, not south.
Check what "all-inclusive" means. A proper package bundles the diagnostics, the plan, the full aligner set and routine review visits. Standard exclusions: extractions, anchorage screws, periodontal treatment, and retainers. Some packages include one refinement round, some charge extra — ask before you sign, and get the review-visit limit in writing.
Timeline
| Case | Total duration | Trips needed |
|---|---|---|
| Clear aligners, mild to moderate | 6 – 18 months | 1 (+ local check-ups at home) |
| Clear aligners, complex or extraction case | 18 – 24 months | Multiple |
| Single implant, good bone density | 3 – 6 months | 2 |
| Implant with grafting or sinus lift | 5 – 9 months or more | 2 – 3 |
| All-on-4 / All-on-6 full arch | 3 – 6 months to final bridge | 2 — but teeth on day one |
A typical implant first trip runs five to seven days: consultation and CBCT scan, pre-operative tests, surgery (30–60 minutes), and suture removal at seven to ten days. Many clinics can compress the surgical stage into a long weekend if you arrange the scan remotely beforehand.
Immediate loading: who actually qualifies
Same-day teeth sound like they solve the two-trip problem, and for full-arch cases they mostly do — but the gate is narrow. Clinics assess:
- Bone density and volume. Typically D1–D3, with enough height and width for primary stability.
- Insertion torque of roughly 35 Ncm or higher. This is the working threshold for immediate loading. Below about 30 Ncm, standard healing is used instead.
- Controlled systemic health. HbA1c under 7%, blood pressure managed, no acute infection at the site.
- Non-smoker, or willing to stop. Smoking materially impairs osseointegration.
Common exclusions: uncontrolled diabetes, kidney dialysis, long-term bisphosphonate use, severe untreated bruxism, and pregnancy. And the temporary bridge is a transition — soft food only initially, with the permanent bridge made after three to six months.
Choosing a clinic
Shenzhen has three broad tiers. Public hospitals operate government-regulated standard pricing and cap service fees around $674¥4,500, but most foreign visitors pay out of pocket because they are not enrolled in Chinese social insurance, and English-speaking clinicians are not guaranteed at every appointment. Private chains publish package prices, take international cards and run in-house dental labs that can produce restorations in three to five days. International clinics in Futian and Luohu offer English, Cantonese and sometimes Japanese or Thai coordination, and are set up for cross-border patients.
Convenience is a warning sign here. The heaviest sales pressure in Shenzhen sits within a few minutes of the Luohu and Futian checkpoints, aimed at same-day visitors from Hong Kong. If you are handed a large treatment plan on your first visit, get a second opinion before signing anything.
Ask these before you commit
- Which implant brand, in writing? Confirm the exact system and model before treatment starts, and ask to see the sealed packaging opened in front of you. Material substitution is the most reported problem.
- Does the dentist speak English, or only the coordinator? These are frequently different people. Ask directly.
- What is the refund policy on work in progress? If you start a multi-stage procedure and stop, recovering payment for completed stages is difficult. Choose the clinic before you start, not after.
- What is the follow-up plan once you are home? Some clinics offer teleconsultation or work with affiliated clinics in Hong Kong. Ask before you commit, not after complications arise.
- Can you get an itemised English invoice and treatment records? You need these if you intend to claim anything from overseas insurance.
Practical notes
- Booking: Private chains take phone, WhatsApp or WeChat appointments and often operate six or seven days a week. Public-hospital specialists typically need one to two weeks' notice through the hospital's WeChat account or the city health platform, and generally do not accept walk-ins for non-emergency dental care.
- Payment: Private clinics accept international cards, Alipay and WeChat Pay. Ask for an itemised English receipt if you plan to claim reimbursement.
- Combining with shopping: The main dental clusters sit in Luohu, Futian and Nanshan — Huaqiangbei is close by. A morning appointment and an afternoon in the electronics markets is a normal day, which is why dental tourism and shopping tourism overlap so heavily here.
Not medical advice. These are published price ranges and process descriptions, not clinical recommendations. Suitability depends on your own imaging and history — get assessed properly and get a second opinion on any large plan.