Dental Implants – Raleigh, NC
The Best Substitutes for Natural Teeth
You can trust all the tooth replacement options here at Lake Boone Dentistry. Whether you pick one kind or another, our team will ensure you get amazing results. Still, the fact remains: dental implants in Raleigh stand out from the other choices. These posts embody the gold standard of tooth replacement, acting more like natural teeth than dentures or dental bridges do. You can learn more about them by reading below or by booking a visit to our office.
Why Choose Lake Boone Dentistry For Dental Implants?
- Partners with Local Specialists
- Skilled & Experienced Dentists
- Caring & Gentle Dental Team
What Are Dental Implants?
In essence, dental implants are tooth-sized posts made of durable titanium. Dentists design them to act as substitutes for the roots of missing teeth.
Dental implants work better than dentures or dental bridges due to their placement method. Rather than set them over the guns, dentists place them directly in your jaw’s empty sockets. This approach lets the implant posts fuse with (and stimulate) your jawbone’s surrounding tissue, causing them to become permanent parts of your mouth. The implants can then support their abutments (i.e., metal connectors) and the final restoration.
The 4-Step Dental Implant Process
Our dentists follow a multi-step process when performing a dental implant treatment. The steps in question include:
- Initial Dental Implant Consultation – You’ll consult our dentists before any implants are placed. That way, we can learn about your oral health, smile goals, etc.
- Dental Implant Surgery – If our team approves, we’ll refer you to an outside specialist who’ll perform your dental implant surgery.
- Dental Implant Osseointegration/Abutment – Following the surgery, your dental implants will slowly fuse with your jaw. We’ll place the abutments later once this fusion process has finished.
- Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration(s) – After getting your abutment(s), you’ll visit us for your final restoration. This item will be a dental crown, bridge, or denture, depending on how many teeth you lost.
The Benefits of Dental Implants
Should you undergo a dental implant treatment, you’ll receive perks like:
- A Pretty & Lifelike Smile – Dental implants blend seamlessly with your smile since they’re capped with high-grade porcelain.
- High-Success Care – Overall, dental implants have a long-term success rate of over 95%!
- A Younger-Looking Face – Because dental implants stimulate your jawbone, they keep your face looking full and youthful.
- Better Chewing – Dental implants restore your bite force, allowing you to chew tough foods as a result.
- Long-Lasting Results – If given proper care, dental implants can last twenty years or more.
Who Dental Implants Can Help
Dental implants can help nearly anyone with missing teeth, no matter how many were lost. They’re just as able to fill large smile gaps as small ones. That said, you need healthy gums and a dense jawbone to qualify for them. These traits allow your mouth to support the implants after they’re placed. If your gums or jaw are too weak, implant posts will quickly come loose and suffer an early failure.
Missing One Tooth
If you only lack one tooth, a single dental implant and crown should restore your smile. This pair can be placed fairly quickly and often lasts longer than a dental bridge. Also, dentists won’t need to alter your nearby teeth to set it up. An implant post only needs to fuse with your jaw to stay in place.
Missing Multiple Teeth
Should you lose multiple teeth, an implant bridge could suit you pretty well. This device uses two dental implants (not dental crowns) to support its place in your mouth. In other words, it doesn’t rely on nearby natural teeth (i.e., abutments) like a regular dental bridge does. The treating dentist won’t have to remove any enamel to place it.
If the missing teeth weren’t adjacent, a partial implant denture is also an option.
Missing All Teeth
You ought to consider a full implant denture if you’ve lost (or soon will) all your teeth. Once set up, it can restore an entire arch with a few well-placed dental implants. An implant denture also doesn’t slip or fall like a regular one can, as its implants keep it steady. The minimal number of posts is set for the highest degree of stability.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants
At Lake Boone Dentistry, we don’t dole out cookie-cutter treatment. It is customized to each person’s unique needs and smile. As a result, the cost for achieving the results will differ from patient to patient, and we won’t be able to estimate the cost in your case until we’ve had the opportunity to examine you in person. Once we have put together a dental implant treatment plan, we can share the financial details and go over your options.
Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery
Do you require gum disease treatment, bone graft, or sinus lift? Preliminary treatments like these add more cost overall, but they also increase the chances of success and help those who wouldn’t otherwise qualify for dental implants.
The surgery itself will take place at a specialist’s office, which means they will communicate with you about the cost of the procedure and will be able to answer your questions about that part of the process.
The Parts of Your Dental Implant
Implants consist of three parts: the post, abutment, and restoration. Just as different parts of a car have various brands and associated prices, the same is the case with dental implants. Available brands can have specific advantages and features that we’ll consider for your replacement teeth. Depending on what you need, we will select parts and let you know their different pricing if you are interested in a more itemized bill.
How Dental Implants Can Pay for Themselves
If you look only at the upfront cost of replacing teeth, dental implants clearly cost more than other options. However, consider that these prosthetic teeth can last significantly longer than traditional dentures or bridges. Instead of paying over and over again to replace your dentures about every five years, you could have replacements that don’t require substitution at all! In the long term, it’s common for dental implants to become the more cost-effective option.
Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?
Although we are not in-network with insurance companies, we will gladly file claims for your reimbursement. Dental insurance plans can vary, so you’ll need to double check yours, but generally they don’t include benefits for dental implants or the placement procedure. However, certain aspects of your overall treatment might be covered. For instance, if you require a bone graft or gum disease treatment, it will likely be partially paid for by your policy. The restoration also is included in your benefits. When you come in for your consultation, we will try to clarify your insurance benefits, so you know exactly what cost you’ll pay out-of-pocket.
Making Dental Implants Affordable
If you are concerned about paying for dental implants, or if you have questions, be sure to talk to our team. We can discuss your options and get the financial details settled with you.
Dental Implant FAQs
Does Getting Dental Implants Hurt?
If you’re wondering whether there is any pain experienced during the dental implant procedure, you aren’t the only one. The great news is that our team always administers a local anesthetic before we do anything to your mouth, that way you can be entirely pain-free throughout the process. Additionally, the human jawbone doesn’t have many nerve endings, so you’ll be even more likely not to experience discomfort during your appointment. The procedure itself shouldn’t hurt, but it’s normal to feel some mild soreness for several days afterward. Of course, this can be easily managed by taking prescribed/over-the-counter pain relievers as well as using a cold compress to alleviate swelling. If you notice any worsening or persistent discomfort, notify us so we can help.
How Long Do Dental Implants Last?
In many cases, dental implants can go for more than 30 years or even a lifetime, so long as you take good care of your smile. This means you’ll need to brush, floss, and rinse with mouthwash every day as well as schedule regular dental checkups and cleanings every six months. Before and after your surgery, our team will provide you with specific aftercare instructions so that you can improve the success of your results, which is another way to ensure greater longevity. Since your titanium posts will fuse to your jawbone like natural tooth roots, you should have an easier time maintaining your new pearly whites in the long run.
What Can Cause Dental Implants to Fail?
There is a very rare chance that dental implants can fail later on after being placed in the jawbone. If they do fail, it’s typically due to peri-implantitis or failed osseointegration. The former is a kind of periodontal disease that accumulates around and attacks the connective tissues in the gums and bones that keep the implant in place. It is generally caused by poor oral hygiene. Failed osseointegration is when the metal post does not properly fuse with the jawbone tissue. Other reasons for implant failure include chronic teeth grinding, tobacco use, certain medications, and particular health conditions. Our team can give you a guideline on ways to lower your risk of dental implant failure.
How Long Does it Take to Recover from Dental Implant Surgery?
This will generally depend on each patient’s situation and oral health, but in most cases, patients may need to take off one or two days after their dental implant surgery. The amount of time needed for recovery can also vary due to the number of metal posts that you’re receiving. The majority of the time, patients will schedule their surgery at the end of the week, or for both Thursday and Friday, so that they have the weekend for rest and healing. Generally speaking, it takes about 3-6 months for osseointegration to complete. While you shouldn’t have to worry about soreness after a few weeks, you’ll simply need to maintain great oral hygiene and follow your post-op instructions to ensure your results are successful.