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Dental Implants
Dental Implants in Beaumont
Dealing with recent tooth loss or need to have one extracted? Choosing a method for replacement can be difficult, but with the professional staff at West End Dental, selecting an option that meets your needs and fits well into your life is easy. To permanently replenish a row of teeth, ask us about dental implants. This procedure permanently takes the place of a missing pearly white all the way down to the root. Please call us today in order to schedule an appointment for dental implant consultation.
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What Is a Dental Implant?
A dental implant is a small, metal fixture placed under the gums; essentially a fake tooth root. Over time, the bone will fuse with the implant to create a stable, secure anchor able to hold a realistic looking dental crown. Once your dental crown is placed, the procedure is complete.
With a fully restored dental implant, patients are able to enjoy the benefits of a full smile. Dental implants prevent teeth from shifting inward to fill the gap left behind by the missing tooth, so the bite remains the same. Placing a dental implant helps avoid complications due to missing teeth, such as chewing efficiency and the appearance of the smile.
Benefits of Dental Implants
Since dental implants are designed to replace the entire root as well as the crown, there is a seamless transition from having no tooth to having a fully functional and beautiful tooth replacement. After the implant integrates, stimulation of the jaw bone significantly increases. This makes it easier to chew the foods you enjoy, and prevents the overall shape of the jaw from changing over time. When a patient is looking for stability, especially after dealing with a denture for many years, dental implants may provide a far more reliable anchor than denture adhesive.
Furthermore, dental implants carry a 95 to 98 percent success rate when placed by a professional. Once placed, they can last between 25 years and a lifetime, and many people are often able to keep their dental implants for life after they’re placed. Since they rely on titanium posts, no modification is necessary to existing teeth. When the last thing the patient wants to do is to remove enamel to replace teeth, dental implants are the best option available.
Are Dental Implants Right for You?
Since dental implants can be used in a wide variety of scenarios, it’s important to keep in mind which treatment option suits the patient’s needs. Whether replacing a single tooth or every tooth in the mouth, dental implants can make it happen! Read on to learn more about the process, to prepare for your future consultations.
Missing Single Tooth
To replace a single tooth, a titanium post is placed into the jaw and given several months to heal. Once this integration process is complete, an abutment (connector) is placed inside the implant, giving the future restoration additional stability. We always use porcelain crowns to cover implants in order to ensure the best aesthetics possible.
Missing Multiple Teeth
Need to replace multiple consecutive teeth? A pair of dental implants can effectively hold a three or four-crown bridge with relative ease. Since implants are incredibly strong, there’s no need for a dedicated implant for each tooth being replaced! Furthermore, no enamel is removed to hold the bridge, unlike typical applications.
Missing All Teeth
Whether teeth are missing in a single arch or both arches, dental implants provide a stable foundation for the next tooth replacement. An implant-retained denture can take anywhere between four and six implants to hold, but the long-term reliability and function makes it incomparable to a traditional denture.
How Dental Implants Work
After we perform a detailed exam to confirm our patient’s eligibility for dental implants, we partner with a local specialist in Beaumont to perform the surgical portion of the procedure. This ensures everything is placed appropriately and safely, when it comes to the tooth replacement. After the implant has fully healed in the jaw, the abutment is placed. Following a short period of time to heal, the patient returns to our office to have either an implant-retained crown, bridge, or denture affixed to the implants.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants
It’s important to note that dental implants, while they can be expensive, are largely seen as a long-term investment. Additionally, the cost of their placement can widely vary based on your specific needs. Replacing multiple teeth vs. one tooth costs more and takes more time. If you need gum therapy or bone grafting to be viable for treatment, you’ll also need to pay more. However, even with the higher upfront cost, you truly get what you pay for. No other tooth replacement option lasts nearly as long as dental implants, nor do they offer the same functionality and aesthetic appeal.
Maintaining & Caring for Your Dental Implants
Did you know that dental implants in Beaumont have an impressive success rate of 90-95 percent? Although they certainly have the potential to last a lifetime, patients are advised they must take proper care of them. The good news is that there are only a few simple steps needed to protect the new smile against damage and infection. At West End Dental, Dr. Khanani and her team will explain how to keep your implants firmly in place for decades. Here are some tips to maintain the newly rebuilt grin:
Make Oral Hygiene a Priority
Just because dental implants can’t get cavities doesn’t mean patients can slack off with their oral hygiene. It’s incredibly important to establish a solid at-home dental care routine to keep the mouth free of harmful bacteria. Brushing at least twice a day, flossing daily, and rinsing with an ADA-approved mouthwash are a few essential practices that’ll help keep smiles in the very best shape.
Eat a Healthy Diet
Once the dental implants are in place, patients are able to eat almost any food they want! However, it’s worth noting that overindulging in sugary, starchy, sticky, and hard foods, can be detrimental to the new smile. Aim for a healthy diet full of nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy products, and lean proteins. Not only is it great for the waistline, but oral health as well. Additionally, eating foods rich in calcium and vitamin C will help keep your jawbone strong and gum tissues healthy.
Break Bad Habits
Smoking, biting fingernails, chewing on pens or pencils, using teeth as tools, eating ice—are you guilty of any of these bad habits? While they may seem harmless, they can destroy natural enamel and dental implants. Therefore, it’s best to kick these habits to the curb as soon as possible. Keep some sugar-free gum in the pocket for times when you feel tempted to chew on something. If needed, consult a professional for assistance to quit smoking. They’ll provide resources, support, and guidance to make the feat as easy as possible.
Protect the Dental Implants
Although dental implants are strong, they’re not indestructible. Regularly playing sports or grinding your teeth at night? Ask Dr. Khanani about a custom-made oral device. An athletic mouthguard protects against oral injuries during activities. Meanwhile, a nightguard may prevent serious damage to your enamel and dental implants throughout the night.
Schedule Regular Dental Checkups
Aside from brushing and flossing, regular visits to Dr. Khanani keep the teeth and smile in optimal condition. These preventive visits allow her to monitor the dental implants to ensure there are no problems. By catching any underlying issues early on, severe complications may be avoided down the line.
Consider Implants
For many people, dental implants are the best option. Find out if they’re right for you, contact our office today.
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