Have you been thinking about investing in dental implants? Are you unsure of where to start?
Since getting dental implants involves oral surgery, you may have a variety of questions. We've gathered the most commonly asked questions from our patients.
People lose their permanent teeth for many reasons including accident, trauma, and disease. One of the most common diseases that can result in loss of permanent teeth is periodontitis, also known as gum disease. This disease occurs due to bacteria and infection in the gums and leads to inflammation and the bone and tissue supporting the teeth breaking down.
Pregnancy, osteoporosis, and even some medications can also cause tooth loss. Many American adults experience teeth loss, so you're not alone.
Beyond cosmetic reasons, getting your tooth or teeth replaced will make eating and speaking easier. Gaps in your mouth can also result in bone loss and even change the shape of your face.
All of them! We can take care of individual teeth with single dental implants, but we also have options to replace multiple teeth or even an entire arch!
If an entire arch is needed, we can place All-On-4 dental implants, meaning we use four implants to anchor the entire arch.
There may be some tenderness after the surgery, but it's almost always manageable with over the counter or prescription pain medication. As for during the surgery itself, we have many sedation options to keep you comfortable.
It's not a matter of being better. It's more about what's best for you. Unlike dentures, once placed, implants are not removed for eating or sleeping.
Implants can be more expensive than dentures, and the process takes a little longer, but they also last longer than dentures do and function and look like natural teeth.
Yes. Dental implants look, function, and feel like natural teeth. We try to match them as closely as possible to the shape and color of your remaining teeth.
Yes. Once your implants have completely healed, you can treat them like your natural teeth. Many patients report being able to eat foods that they couldn't eat before surgery and are able to enjoy chewy and hard foods again.
During the healing process, only liquids and soft food are allowed, to prevent irritating your jaw and gums. This can range anywhere from a few days to a week before you can start to add solid foods back into your diet slowly.
Implants are surgically secured into your jawbone and imitate your natural teeth and roots. This simulation helps to keep the bone in your jaw strong and healthy. It's been shown that an implant will either severely slow or stop bone loss in the jawbone.
Not always, but there are three different procedures that can accompany implants.
Bone grafting is needed if your jawbone is too thin or too soft because chewing puts a lot of pressure on your jawbone, and the implant can fail once you begin to eat solid food.
A bone graft will strengthen your jawbone either using a part of your bone from a different area of your body, or using a synthetic bone material. A few months will be needed for the graft to grow strong enough to support the implant.
Sinus augmentation is sometimes needed if an implant is being put in the upper jawbone depending on the location of your sinuses. This procedure lifts the floor of the sinuses to give more room for the implant.
Ridge modification is needed if the patient's jawbone needs additional work. Real or synthetic bone will be used to smooth out or build up the patient's jawbone before the implant is placed.
It's hard to say how long the implant process takes because no two patients are alike. We can only give a general outline here. If you want a more specific answer, we encourage you to come in for a dental implant consultation. Usually, we can put a temporary tooth in on the same day that you get the implant, but it can take several months for the implant to properly heal before we can attach the permanent tooth.
If there are other procedures needed, those will need to be performed and healed before the permanent implant is placed.
We offer three different sedation options for our dental implant patients.
We provide oral sedation, general anesthesia, and nitrous oxide. Depending on each patients' situation, we will recommend the best method to keep you comfortable.
It depends on how many implants you are getting and if any additional procedures are needed.
If someone is getting a single implant, they may be able to go to work the next day. If you get multiple dental implants, more recovery time may be needed.
Dental implants are a safe and permanent tooth replacement solution. Our experienced Dr. Omid uses the latest techniques and technology during your dental implant procedure, minimizing your recovery time and ensuring that your implant treatment is successful.
Yes, you can treat dental implants like your regular teeth! Brush twice a day, floss, and keep up with your regular dental appointments.
With proper hygiene and care, dental implants can last a lifetime. The crowns (or artificial teeth) may need to be replaced from time to time.
Your body will not reject the dental implant, but in rare cases, people may have an allergic reaction to the material used.
Occasionally, an infection can cause an implant to fail the first time by stopping the bone from fusing to the implant. If that were to happen, we would remove the implant and let the area heal before placing a new one.
You're never too old for dental implants! Many older patients make the decision to replace their dentures with dental implants to reduce the amount of maintenance required, enhance their ability to chew better, and enjoy a vast range of foods that they wouldn't normally be able to eat without dentures.
Although they may seem costly at first, dental implants last much longer than other treatment options, which makes them a cost effective solution for missing teeth! Our team prides itself in making sure that we can find an affordable solution to give you the smile you deserve. We offer a number of flexible payment options that are sure to work within your budget
It really just depends on your insurance, but because they're now being acknowledged as standard care, more insurance companies are offering some form of coverage for dental implants.
Medicaid and Medicare will most likely deny any coverage of implants due to being designed to cover basic needs only.
When you come in for your consultation, we will check your insurance coverage and go over all of our payment and financing options with you.
Of course! At See Me Smile Dental, we only use approved treatments and materials because we want to keep our patients safe.
