Every dentist listed on ImplantAuthority carries a Transparency Score — a letter grade from A to F that summarizes how clearly the practice discloses information that matters to patients. Here's exactly what's in it and how to read it.
What the score measures
The Transparency Score is built from four observable signals, each weighted equally:
Pricing clarity (25%). Does the practice publish per-procedure prices or ranges? Do they distinguish surgical-phase from all-in pricing? Are common add-ons (CBCT, sedation, provisional, prosthesis upgrade) priced separately and visibly?
Credentials disclosure (25%). Are the surgeon's specialty board status, implant-specific credentials (AAID, ABOI/ID), continuing education, and case counts published — not in marketing copy, but in verifiable detail?
Outcomes evidence (25%). Does the practice show its own before-and-after work? Are there real patient stories with both successes and complications? Are reviews authentic (spread across years, with the practice's thoughtful responses to critical ones)?
Financing honesty (25%). Is the cash-pay price disclosed alongside financed pricing? Are partner financing arrangements declared (and any markup acknowledged)? Are deferred-interest risks explained on health credit cards offered in-office?
How to read the grade
A (90–100): Materially transparent on all four dimensions. This practice would survive a peer-surgeon's review of their pricing page.
B (80–89): Transparent on most dimensions, with one or two areas where information is generic or buried.
C (70–79): Mixed. Some areas clear, some opaque. Often a practice in transition — newer to publishing detail.
D (60–69): Materially opaque on most dimensions. Patients should expect to ask many questions and verify in writing.
F (below 60): Either deeply opaque (most details refused or hidden), or actively misleading (e.g., advertised price that doesn't reflect typical case).
What the score does NOT measure
The Transparency Score is not a clinical-skill rating. We assess clinical credentials and complaint history separately in the credential check. A dentist can score A on transparency and be a newer practitioner; a dentist with decades of clinical excellence may score lower on transparency because their website hasn't kept up.
The score also doesn't measure friendliness, bedside manner, or the patient's subjective experience of the consult. Those matter — they just aren't observable from outside the practice.
Why fee honesty over lowest quote
Patients sometimes ask why we don't simply rank by price. The honest answer: the lowest quote in dental implants is almost never the all-in number a patient actually pays. A practice with a higher headline price but transparent line items often ends up cheaper than a practice with a lower headline price and undisclosed add-ons. Our score rewards the former because that's what serves patients in the long run.
For a deeper view of where the line items hide, see the 7 hidden fees in dental implant quotes.