FAAID Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown

The Fellow of the AAID Cost Picture at a Glance

When dentists ask what the Fellow of the AAID (FAAID) designation costs, the honest answer has layers. There is the examination fee you pay AAID, there are recurring membership dues that keep the designation active, and there is the largest and least visible layer: the clinical, documentation and time investment required to assemble five qualifying cases. This guide separates those layers so you can budget with clear eyes rather than anchoring on a single headline number.

One scope note before the numbers. This article covers the Fellow credential awarded by the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, whose virtual oral/case examination has candidates discuss five standardized clinical cases and defend five submitted cases on different patients. It does not cover the Associate Fellow Part 1 written examination, which has its own blueprint and fee. If you are still deciding whether the credential is worth pursuing, our ROI analysis of the FAAID certification weighs the investment against practice benefits.

Examination Fees by Route

AAID publishes its credentialing fees on its application-fees page. As of the sources checked on October 7, 2026, the live schedule lists three figures relevant to Fellow candidates:

The substitution fee deserves a closer read. The guide identifies it as an alternative fee for candidates who passed Associate Fellow Part 1 and meet Fellow eligibility, not an additional charge stacked on top of the standard examination fee. In other words, you pay one route fee, not both. Which route applies to you depends on your credentialing history, which is why reviewing the details in our FAAID requirements guide before you apply is a smart first step.

Why Two Official Fee Schedules Disagree

You will notice in the table above that AAID's own documents do not agree. The live fee page shows lower figures than the 2024 credentialing guide, Demystifying the AAID Credentialing Examinations (REV3 filename, copyright 2024). The difference is exactly USD 100 on each line.

The same pattern shows up elsewhere. AAID's credentialing FAQ still contains an older submitted-case and rating scheme that predates the current five-case requirement. When documents conflict, the current five-case requirements take precedence, and a fee discrepancy should be settled the same way: ask the organization, get the answer in writing, and plan around it.

Ongoing Cost: Membership and Annual Dues

The examination fee is a one-time event; membership is not. Maintaining the designation requires active AAID membership, and regular Fellow dues are USD 695 annually, payable January 1. Over a career, dues will exceed the exam fee many times over, so they belong in any honest cost model.

Two practical points follow from that structure:

• Dues are calendar-driven. A January 1 payment date means a predictable annual line item you can schedule alongside other practice expenses.
• Membership governs the credential. The designation depends on remaining an active member, so lapsed dues are not a minor administrative slip. Membership matters are governed by the AAID Bylaws, amended November 15, 2025.

Successful oral candidates must also attend an Annual Business Meeting for induction within two years. The guide does not turn that into a fixed dollar figure, so budget for travel, lodging and registration for one meeting as a separate, practice-specific estimate. For context on what the designation is and how members use it, see What Is FAAID?

The Real Budget Driver: Preparing Five Cases

For most candidates, the exam fee is the smallest part of the investment. The real cost sits in the five submitted cases, each on a different patient, each with a final prosthesis in function for at least one year by the examination period. Every case needs implants at least 3 mm in diameter, a written narrative, diagnostic photographs and radiographs, and patient releases. You must also have provided the surgical and/or prosthetic treatment for each case, demonstrating both surgical and prosthetic competence.

The required case types are specific, and they shape your costs because each demands different clinical resources:

Think through the cost implications of each category rather than treating them as interchangeable:

• Sinus augmentation and ridge preservation involve grafting materials and membranes that add per-case expense, which is often absorbed into patient fees but affects your documentation timing.
• Full-arch overdenture and fixed complete prosthesis cases are the longest and most laboratory-intensive, and the one-year-in-function rule means a case finished late cannot be rushed to meet a deadline.
• Patient releases and imaging need to be captured at the time of treatment. Retrofitting photographs or radiographs after the fact is a common source of delay and rework.

The written submission follows the structure of the Fellow Examination Case Report Outline on pages 18-19 of the credentialing guide. Its four principal headings are the practical backbone of your documentation effort:

No weights are published for these four lines, so do not budget study time as if a percentage split exists. For a closer look at how each heading is used, read our complete guide to the FAAID exam content areas.

Virtual Exam Delivery and Equipment

The Fellow oral/case examination is delivered virtually, which removes travel for the exam itself but introduces a technology requirement. The guide specifies an Internet-capable computer with a webcam, a cellular device, and a prior equipment check. The examination takes approximately three hours, and you should block up to four hours to allow for equipment testing.

For most practicing dentists, this equipment already exists, so the incremental cost is often zero. The cost worth thinking about is time: a half-day of cleared schedule means production you will not generate that day. Consider the following:

• Run the equipment check well before exam day so a webcam or connectivity problem is solved on your schedule, not during the exam.
• The examination is conducted in English. If you need an interpreter, AAID can arrange one, but at the candidate's expense, so factor in that additional fee if it applies to you.
• Choose a quiet, private location with stable internet and a backup plan for the cellular device.

Costs Embedded in Eligibility

Eligibility itself carries cost, even though none of it is paid to AAID as an application charge. Applicants must be licensed dental practitioners and must either be AAID Associate Fellows in good standing or have passed Associate Fellow Part 1 and meet Fellow eligibility. On top of that, the guide requires at least five years of implant-dentistry experience and 400 hours of implant continuing education, including 75 participatory or hands-on hours.

That CE requirement is a meaningful financial commitment if you are not already close to it. Hands-on courses typically cost more than lecture-based ones, so the 75 participatory hours deserve special attention in your planning. A qualifying full-time implant dentistry, periodontal, oral and maxillofacial surgery or prosthodontics program lasting at least one year satisfies the educational requirement, which is a different financial path entirely for those who trained that way.

Timing Your Spending Around the Application Window

As of October 7, 2026, the next application window opens in November 2026 and closes February 1, 2027. The Fellow oral/case examination is scheduled virtually for April 3, 2027. These dates anchor your budget calendar because fees and case documentation both have to be ready before the window closes.

For a fuller look at scheduling, see our guide to FAAID exam dates and deadlines. Because the application window is shared with the Associate Fellow notice, double-check which dates apply to your route.

Building a Realistic Budget

A defensible Fellow budget has distinct line items. Rather than guess at figures AAID does not publish, structure your plan around what is known and flag the rest as personal estimates:

Include a contingency for re-examination even if you expect to pass. No current numeric passing threshold or pass-rate statistic has been verified, so there is no data-driven way to estimate your odds; our pass-rate analysis explains what is and is not known. Planning for the USD 400 retake as a possibility, rather than a surprise, is simply prudent. Election follows approval by the Admissions and Credentials Board and a vote of the Board of Trustees, so the final step is outside your control and worth keeping in mind when you set expectations for when you can begin using the designation. The authorized designation is FAAID, Fellow of the AAID.

Cost is only one input. How demanding the exam is, and how to prepare for it, matter just as much to your total investment of time. Our difficulty guide and study guide cover the preparation side, and the practice test site can help you rehearse before the oral exam.

Frequently Asked Questions