Dental Implants – The Colony, TX

Preparing for Dental Implant Placement

The long-term success of your new smile relies on your jawbone fusing to the posts and remaining infection-free. To ensure your jaw can support the posts, your dentist in The Colony must first create the right foundation. Besides discussing your oral, medical, and lifestyle history during your initial consultation, a CT scan and other images were taken to evaluate your bone.

Based on the results of the images, you may need additional procedures before undergoing your placement surgery, such as periodontal therapy, bone grafting, or a sinus lift. After you’ve healed from any previous treatments, you’re ready for your oral surgery.

Dental Implant Placement Surgery

Sedation or anesthesia is used during your surgery to ensure your comfort, so you will need a friend or loved one to drive you to and from your appointment. To begin, your gum tissue is opened to expose your jawbone. Your CT scan is used along with computer-guided technology to locate the ideal positions of your dental implants. Small holes are drilled into your jawbone to insert the titanium posts. Your gum tissue is sutured closed, and the healing process begins.

Your gum tissue will be healed within the next couple of weeks; however, it will take your jawbone much longer, but it is time well spent. The implant posts mimic the roots of your teeth, which stimulates your jaw to encourage new bone growth. Over the next several weeks, your jawbone fuses to the posts through a process called osseointegration.

Your posts will be anchored in place to stabilize your restoration. You will never need to worry about any slipping or irritation to chew, speak, and smile confidently.

Healing from Dental Implant Placement

You are given aftercare instructions to follow during your recovery. It is normal to experience pain, swelling, and bruising, but they will subside within a few days. It is important to maintain your oral hygiene and avoid anything that may damage the healing tissue.

Day-to-Day Benefits

Dental implants should feel just like your natural teeth when they have completely healed. At this point, you should be able to enjoy all of the same things that you did before losing your teeth. Here are some of the benefits that you can experience every day:

• Easy to Maintain: You care for dental implants the same way you care for your natural teeth. Just brush, floss, rinse, and attend regular cleanings and checkups.
• Increased Confidence: The way that you present yourself is important. Tooth loss can lower your self-esteem. Fortunately, dental implants can help you show off a grin with pride again!
• Restores Bite Force: Your bite force can be replenished by 90% or more. This is much more than you can get with dentures or a dental bridge.

Health Benefits

Your health will also be positively influenced when you get dental implants. Here are a few of those benefits:

• Prevents Bone Loss: Jawbone loss will occur after tooth loss. Dental implants stimulate the jawbone, therefore allowing it to remain strong and healthy.
• Better General Health: Excellent dental health will influence your overall health. It can lower your risk of serious medical conditions, like diabetes and heart disease.
• Improved Dental Health: With dental implants, you are less likely to get cavities, gum disease, infections, and lose additional teeth.

Long-Term Benefits

Dental implants are an excellent investment for your future. Here are some of the benefits that you can experience numerous years down the road:

• Success: Dental implants have a very high success rate. Your chances of experiencing dental implant failure are very low.
• Save Money: You don’t need to stock up on adhesives or soaking solutions. You won’t need to worry about routine repairs or replacements either!
• Long-Lasting: Dental implants can last upwards of three decades or even the rest of your life with proper maintenance.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?

Most healthy adults can get dental implants. Here are the things that we consider when determining if someone makes a good candidate:

• Good overall health: Placing dental implants is a surgical procedure, so you’ll need to be healthy enough to undergo minor surgery. 
• Great oral health: Issues like cavities and gum disease can potentially cause dental implants to fail, so they’ll need to be addressed first.
• Adequate jawbone density: Your jawbone must be strong enough to support dental implants for your treatment to be successful. 

If you aren’t initially a good candidate, you shouldn’t be discouraged. Many patients need to complete preliminary treatments ahead of time, like gum disease therapy or bone grafting, before they can get dental implants. We will help you to schedule these preparatory procedures to get you on track. Once you make a good candidate, can put together a plan that meets your needs.

Missing One Tooth

To replace a single tooth, only a single implant is needed. After having the implant post placed by a local dental implant specialist, we will attach a ceramic crown to a metal abutment, which is a small metal screw that will connect it directly to the implant post.

Missing Multiple Teeth

If you have multiple missing teeth in a row, two of these implants and crowns can be placed on either side of the gap in your smile, and then they can be connected to a prosthetic tooth to fill in space, forming a bridge.

Missing All Teeth

Do you have a denture that constantly slips and slides out of place? With implant dentures, we can put an instant stop to that. Multiple implants can be fitted with attachments that a full or partial denture can snap onto, and because it will be anchored to your jawbone just like your natural teeth, it’ll have the same level of stability as well. Also because of this, the dentures will maintain their fit for much longer and you’ll even have a stronger bite force, enabling you to eat a wider variety of healthy foods with ease.

Alternatively, you may be a candidate for All-On-4 dental implants. This method is ideal for patients who have inadequate jawbone density, possibly because they’ve been missing teeth for a long time. As the name implies, this option anchors a full denture securely in place with just four strategically placed dental implants. 

Learn More About Implant Dentures

Learn More About All-On-4 Dental Implants

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

Preliminary treatments, like gum disease therapy, tooth extractions, and bone grafting can add to the overall cost of your treatment. However, they are very important for maximizing the success of your new smile. Fortunately, many treatments are partially covered by dental insurance.

The dental implant surgery itself incurs its own cost. We want you to get the best possible results, so we work with local specialists for your dental implant surgery. They will discuss exactly what you can expect to pay for treatment.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

Here are some of the most important factors that are considered when determining the cost of dental implant surgery:

• Number of Dental Implants: The number of dental implants that you need will depend on the number of teeth you are missing and where they are located in the mouth. The more implants you have placed, the higher the cost.
• Type of Restoration: Dental crowns, bridges, and dentures each have different prices. Most of the time, the smaller the restoration, the lower the cost.
• Material Used: Implants are usually made from titanium, but zirconia is also sometimes an option. These materials have different price points.
• Dental Implant Brand: Just like other products, dental implants come from a variety of manufacturers. This influences their cost.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

If you are on a budget, it can be tempting to save by opting for an alternative tooth replacement option, like a dental bridge or dentures. These restorations are great for some patients, but dental implants provide benefits that you can’t find from other tooth replacement options. They can even help to save you money in the long run. You don’t need to worry about replacements every 5-7 years like you would with dentures. You also don’t need to stock up on denture adhesives and soaking solutions. Dental implants can also lower your risk of developing certain oral health problems in the future that can be expensive to treat.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Most providers don’t cover dental implant posts, but there are sometimes exceptions. Portions of your treatment might be covered by dental insurance, like a percentage of your final restoration or preliminary treatments. Our dental team will review the details of your plan, as we have years of experience maximizing benefits to make dental care as affordable as possible.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

If you don’t have dental insurance, this doesn’t necessarily mean you are completely on your own when it comes to the cost of your treatment. We work with CareCredit – a third-party financing company that can split the cost of your treatment into manageable monthly installments with little to no interest. To learn more about your financial options, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our friendly team members.

To find out exactly how much you can expect your dental implants to cost, schedule a consultation with us. We are eager to help restore your smile!

Bone Grafting

If you’ve learned that your lower jawbone isn’t strong enough to hold up an implant, there’s no need to worry. Dr. Amos can perform a bone grafting procedure, which will give your jawbone the additional support it needs. He will start by making an incision in the gum line to expose the appropriate area. Placing bone minerals into the necessary space, he will stitch up the gums and send you home to heal.

Over the course of four to nine months on average, you can expect these minerals to encourage your body to rebuild and strengthen your jawbone, so when the time comes for implant placement, there should be no problems with positioning and successfully restoring your smile.

Sinus Lifts

Just like the lower jaw can pose a problem if too weak, so can the upper jaw. The maxillary sinuses are located immediately behind your cheeks and above your upper teeth. When a tooth is removed, the bone is left weak, creating a problem for individuals looking to replace a tooth. By having a sinus lift, your dentist in The Colony can help the bone grow into the floor of your sinuses by filling the area with bone minerals. In general, the same amount of healing time will be necessary in order to achieve proper results.

Once your jaw is examined and there are no other problems, you can expect to be cleared for dental implant placement.

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Just because dental implants can’t get cavities doesn’t mean you can slack off on your oral hygiene. To keep your smile in tip-top shape, you must continue following a solid at-home dental care routine. Brushing twice a day, flossing daily, and rinsing every day with an ADA-approved mouthwash will go a long way in preventing issues like gum disease and tooth decay.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Once fully healed, you’ll be able to eat almost any food you want with dental implants! However, keep in mind that overindulging in hard, sticky, or sugary foods can wreak havoc on your smile. Instead, you should focus on eating foods rich in calcium and vitamin C to keep your jawbone strong and gum tissues healthy.

Break Bad Habits

Do you smoke? Bite your fingernails? Chew on leftover ice? Use your teeth as tools? While these habits may seem harmless, they can cause you to end up with missing teeth once again. It’s a good idea to kick these habits to the curb as soon as possible to keep your smile intact. If you need help quitting smoking, don’t hesitate to Dr. Amos for assistance. We’ll provide you with the support, guidance, and resources you need to make the feat as easy as can be!

Protect Your Dental Implants

Dental implants may be strong, but they’re not indestructible. If you regularly play sports, make sure you wear an athletic mouthguard to protect your teeth should you sustain a blow to the face. If you grind your teeth at night, you should ask our team about a custom-made nightguard to prevent extra wear and tear on your implants.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

Everyone needs to visit a dentist every six months for a routine checkup, even patients with dental implants. These appointments are essential for monitoring your health and prosthetics. Dr. Amos can spot issues early on and administer treatment as needed to keep your smile in the best shape possible. With early intervention, you can avoid complications down the line.