Dental Implants — Dix Hills, NY
The Gold Standard of Tooth Replacement
If you need to replace one or more teeth, Dr. Raj Gaur offers versatile restoration with dental implants. In addition to providing patients with a permanent solution for missing teeth, dental implants offer a bevy of important benefits for your health and everyday life that other options simply can’t provide. That’s why dental implants are widely seen as the gold standard for tooth replacement. If you’re interested in this potentially life-changing dental treatment,
give us a call today
to schedule your consultation!
Why Choose Dix Hills Family Dentistry For Dental Implants?
- Entire Dental Implant Treatment Completed Under 1 Roof
- Advanced Dental Technology for Precise Results
- Various Options for Making Dental Implants Affordable
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are small titanium posts that can be placed under the gumline into the jawbone to mimic tooth roots. These posts can be used to securely support restorations like crowns, bridges, and dentures and give them lifelike stability and functionality. This is much different than traditional options like dentures and bridges that only replace the visible portion of missing teeth. Since dental implant restorations are anchored securely in place, you never have to worry about their security or strength, and you can count on them to last for many years to come. Dental implants can give you a smile that looks, feels, and functions just like natural.
The 4-Step Dental Implant Process
Unlike dentures and dental bridges, getting dental implants requires a multi-step process that will take several months. This may seem like a long time, but when you consider all the long-term benefits, you will understand why they are worth it. While every treatment is unique, here are the four main steps that you can expect during the process of restoring your smile with dental implants.
Initial Dental Implant Consultation
The first step when it comes to restoring your smile is your initial consultation. During this time, we will take a look at your mouth and surrounding facial structures. This will help us to determine whether dental implants are ideal for you and where and how they should be placed in the mouth. Some patients need to have preliminary procedures completed before getting dental implants, like bone grafting, gum disease treatment, and tooth extractions. After this, we can move forward to planning the rest of your treatment. During your consultation, we are also happy to walk you through the process so you know exactly what you can expect – including the timeline and cost.
Dental Implant Surgery
Dental implant placement surgery is relatively straightforward. After we numb your mouth with a local anesthetic, a small incision is made into the gum tissue to access your jawbone. The implants will then be placed at precise locations and angles. Lastly, your gums will be closed, and protective caps will be placed over the dental implant posts to keep them safe during the healing process.
Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment Placement
Over the next 3 to 6 months, the fusion process will take place between the implant and jawbone. This process is called “osseointegration.” This allows for your implant to stay firmly in place. Once this process has been completed, we can place a metal abutment on the end of your implant.
Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations
A few weeks after your abutment has been placed, your restoration should be ready. You can return to our office where you will receive your new crown, bridge, or denture (depending on the number of teeth that are being replaced). At this point, we will make sure that your bite is comfortable, and you will be sent on your way to enjoy the benefits of your new and improved smile!
Benefits of Dental Implants
- Strong and reliable
- Looks and feels like natural teeth
- Have the potential to last a lifetime
- Easy to care for
- Stable and will never feel loose
Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants
Part of why dental implants are so impressive is the fact that they can be customized based on a patient’s individual needs. But since every smile is different, this also means that no two procedures are going to be the same – or cost the same. When you come in for your consultation, we’ll inspect your smile and consider factors including how many teeth you’re missing, the state of your oral health, and your jawbone’s density. Based on these details, we’ll be able to give you a better price estimate.
Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery
Not every patient is immediately ready to receive dental implants. For example, patients with insufficient jawbone density might require a supplemental bone graft, to help fortify their jaw in preparation for the implant posts. Likewise, patients with advanced gum disease might need to undergo treatment before their gum tissue is suitable for hosting their implants. No matter what sort of care you need before your implant placement, these procedures can add to the total cost. As for the actual implant surgery, what you’ll end up paying also depends on variables like the office’s location, the number of implants being placed, the type of sedation being used, and others.
The Parts of Your Dental Implant
The actual components of your dental implants factor into the total cost as well:
- Number of implant posts – Dental implants can be used to replace one, a few, or an entire mouthful of missing teeth. The number of implant posts you receive, which can range from one to eight, contributes to the final price tag.
- Type of dental restoration(s) – Crowns, bridges, and dentures can all be combined with dental implants to create an impressively sturdy solution for tooth loss. Generally, smaller restorations are cheaper than larger, more complex ones.
- Materials and brand of implants – Implants are commonly made from titanium, but can also be made from zirconia, which tends to be more expensive. The manufacturer we choose will also affect how much you’ll pay, but feel free to ask us about what brand you’re receiving, as well as any brand-specific benefits!
How Dental Implants Pay for Themselves
It’s worth noting that while dental implants might seem like a heavy investment, the lifelong benefits that they provide are well worth their cost, and it’s not unreasonable to say that they end up paying for themselves over time! Since dental implants don’t have to be replaced every few years, as dentures or bridges do, you’ll save money on those expenses, as well as any cleaning solutions you’d have to purchase for those types of restorations. And since dental implants also boost one’s oral hygiene, it’s even possible that you’ll end up with a cleaner, healthier mouth in the long run, which can also cut down on dental care expenses.
Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants
In many cases, insurance plans don’t pay for the actual dental implants themselves – though there are some notable exceptions. Parts of the final restoration, as well as preliminary treatments, often receive some level of coverage. Regardless of your circumstances, our team is more than happy to sit down and review the specifics of your plan with you to ensure that you’re making the most of your benefits whenever possible.
Who Dental Implants Can Help
Dental implants aren’t right for every patient. To find out if you’re a candidate, call Dix Hills Family Dentistry to schedule a visit with us. During your appointment, Dr. Gaur will complete a full oral exam. Based on your results, you’ll make plans for dental implant treatment, or Dr. Gaur will recommend an alternative solution. Even without implants you can achieve a fuller, healthier smile at Dix Hills Family Dentistry. We serve patients of all ages in and around Huntington Station.
Maintaining & Caring for Your Dental Implants
The best dental implants will restore your smile forever, keeping it healthy for many years. Still, the fact remains that these replacement teeth only work when given proper care. Anything less will cause the implants to suffer an early failure and involve costly dental visits. Fortunately, our practice is here to share tips on dental implant care in Dix Hills. Please keep reading or call us to learn how to maintain your new prosthetic teeth.
Make Oral Hygiene a Priority
Dental implants may not get cavities, but they do depend on a healthy mouth. Placing them near decayed or infected areas will make them unstable over time. For instance, gum disease could slowly loosen the implant posts in your mouth until they fail.
Given these facts, you should always practice good oral hygiene. Twice-daily brushing and once-daily flossing will make certain threats to your implants less likely. In other words, such habits should help your new teeth stay strong and last a while.
Eat a Healthy Diet
While dental implants let you eat freely, it’s still a bad idea to overindulge in junk food. Chewing sugary and sticky stuff can cause debris to wedge between implant posts. These “leftovers” feel uncomfortable, and they raise your risk of tooth decay and gum disease – issues that trigger implant failure.
Due to these facts, you should try to stick to a mouth-healthy diet. Foods with calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin C can help your implants. By absorbing their nutrients, your jaw will get stronger, and your gum tissue will stay infection-free.
Break Bad Habits
Thanks to their titanium and porcelain, dental implants can endure a lot. However, even these restorations can fail due to bad oral habits. You should quit such negative practices as soon as possible.
Several oral habits can cause your implants to fail implant. For instance, there’s tobacco use – it delays your treatment recovery and keeps the posts from working. Quirks like chewing on fingernails or ice cubes are also bad, as they can break your implants’ surfaces.
Protect Your Dental Implants
Though durable, dental implants can (and will) break if put under excessive force. That means you should take steps to protect them from accidents and injuries.
Perhaps the best method to try is wearing a mouthguard. By using one for sports, you could shield your dental implants from outside forces (tackles, collisions, etc.) A nightguard could also help – it’d keep you from grinding your implant posts at night. If possible, try to get both kinds of mouthguards to defend your new teeth.
Schedule Regular Dental Checkups
As great as the above tips are, you can’t care for dental implants alone. You’d inevitably miss or overlook possible threats, so please attend regular dental checkups and cleanings for help. Those visits let dentists monitor your implants and spot any issues.
Don’t forget that dental checkups are the top form of preventive oral care. By diagnosing and treating your smile, they’d protect your implants from major problems. All you need to do is attend them (at least) twice yearly or every six months.
Dental Implant Failure & Salvage
While dental implants have an impressive success rate, they can occasionally fail for many different reasons. If you ever suspect your implants are in trouble, don’t hesitate to give our office a call. Your new smile should never feel loose or painful! We’ll conduct an oral examination to identify the underlying cause and recommend treatment options to restore a fully functioning grin. In some cases, the ideal solution may be dental implant failure and salvage.
Learn More About Dental Implant Failure & Salvage
Dental Implant FAQs
How Long Do Dental Implants Last?
Dental implants are one of the most durable methods of tooth replacement, often lasting more than 30 years. If maintained well, it’s even possible for these implants to survive a lifetime.
Of course, a lot of this comes down to how well you take care of your individual implants. You can ensure their longevity by adhering to excellent standards of dental hygiene. Brush, floss, and use mouthwash regularly, as well as seeing your dentist often for preventive appointments.
Can I Take Dental Implants Out?
Your dental implants are going to be surgically implanted into your jaw, and the titanium that they’re typically constructed from will even fuse to the bone tissue itself. This affords dental implants remarkable stability, but also means that won’t be able to be removed except via a trained professional.
Some implant dentures are specifically designed to be removed, but this is unique to them. That being the case, you can’t expect to be able to take out most dental implants at will.
What Can Cause Dental Implants to Fail?
There are two primary reasons that a dental implant could fail. The first has to do with a failure of osseointegration, i.e. the process of the titanium implant fusing with the jawbone. This can happen if you have an impaired healing factor or if you put too much pressure on your abutments during aftercare.
The second is infection, particularly a condition known as peri-implantitis. This is an infection that arises when bacteria seep underneath the gumline and begin to attack the bone tissue holding the dental implant in place. This is typically a product of poor oral health, which is just one more reason that you should be diligent with your dental hygiene.
Am I Too Young to Get Dental Implants?
Dental implants aren’t recommended for patients whose jaws haven’t fully developed. In many cases, this won’t happen until young adulthood. That being the case, most children and teenager will not be able to dental implants to replace missing teeth and will have to opt for another method of doing so.
It’s also worth noting that men’s jaws tend to take longer to develop than women’s. While most people can’t expect to get dental implants under the age of 18, some men may need to wait until their mid-20s.