Dental Implants – Goode, VA

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

During a consultation with one of our highly trained dentists, we will sit down with you to discuss your smile goals. Our dentists will examine your teeth, gums, and the rest of your oral health. It’s vital to the success of your implants to correct any preexisting oral health issues before placing them. We will also check the size and strength of your jawbone to see if it can accommodate dental implants. We may recommend a bone graft if you have a weaker jawbone—a procedure that builds up and strengthens your jawbone, which allows implants to be placed. After any treatments necessary have been conducted, we’ll refer you to a local specialist for surgery.

Dental Implant Surgery

Dental implant surgery entails small incisions being made in your gums to expose your jawbone. Then, the specialist will carefully insert the implants at precise angles and locations. The process may sound painful, but your specialist will make sure you are relaxed and numb before beginning the procedure. Also, your jawbone doesn’t contain many pain-sensing nerves, which makes dental implant placement much more comfortable than one might think.

Dental Implant Osseointegration/ Abutment

Once your implants are in place, we let the magic of the titanium happen. Over the course of the next several months, your implants will become permanently fused to your jawbone to create a sturdy support with the potential to last a lifetime. Titanium is a biocompatible material that allows this process, called osseointegration, to occur. While you wait, we will give you temporary crowns to wear that will help maintain the appearance of your smile until your implants have become fully integrated. Once your implants are completely healed, we will attach abutments, which are small connectors that fasten your permanent crown, bridge, or denture.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations

After your implants are in place and abutments are ready to go, you’ll receive your custom-made restoration. Whether you need a crown, bridge, or denture will depend on numerous factors, but it will be based mostly on the number of teeth that you’re missing. Our team will create a personalized restoration that seamlessly blends in with your natural smile or even fully restores it to its beautiful appearance and function. While this entire process may seem long, it’s completely worth it for a complete and beautiful smile that can last a lifetime.

Day-to-Day Benefits

• Diet: Dental implants allow you to eat virtually anything you want! This allows you to enjoy a more nutritious and delicious diet. Dental implants help you look forward to your next meal instead of worrying about difficulty chewing your favorite foods.
• Appearance: Rooted in the jawbone, dental implants allow your restorations to mimic the way your natural teeth emerge from the gums. This provides you with a natural-looking, beautiful set of teeth. Dental implants can replace an entire smile or seamlessly fill in a single gap.
• Maintenance: One of the best parts of dental implants is that they can be cared for just like natural teeth. This makes daily oral hygiene a breeze – you won’t have to worry about taking out dentures for cleaning.

Health Benefits

• Bone health: Dental implants are the only tooth replacement that stimulates the jawbone to prevent it from deteriorating. This keeps your jaw healthy, which allows you to have a fuller, more youthful facial appearance while maintaining the rest of your natural teeth.
• Dental health: Your teeth rely on each other to stay healthy and aligned. Even one missing tooth can shift your smile out of place. Thankfully, dental implants fill in the gaps to keep your smile straight. They also promote better oral health in general, lowering your risk of common problems like tooth decay and gum disease.
• Mental health: Have you dreaded social or professional gatherings just because you don’t like your smile? Dental implants give you a boost in confidence and self-esteem. Smile proudly in any setting with a full, strong, and healthy set of teeth!

Long-Term Benefits

• Durability: With proper care in our dental office and at home, your implant-supported replacement tooth or teeth can last for 3 or more decades. Some people are able to keep their flawlessly repaired smiles for the rest of their lives.
• Predictability: Even after 10 years, implant-supported restorations have a success rate of 95%, making them the longest lasting and most effective tooth replacement options available. This also gives you complete peace of mind for your surgery.
• Cost: While dental implants tend to cost more than other options at first, they are actually a more affordable solution in the long run. Instead of paying for replacements for your traditional dentures or bridges every 5 to 10 years, dental implants pay for themselves by lasting for decades to come. Plus, they promote better oral health, lowering your cost of treating potential issues in the future.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?

Dental implants require a strong jaw that has plenty of bone density. Additionally, they can only be placed if you have a healthy mouth that is free of gum disease.

Our team can examine your smile to see if you currently qualify for dental implants. However, even if you don’t, that doesn’t mean you have to give up on the treatment. Oftentimes, it may be possible for you to receive dental implants after undergoing bone grafting, periodontal treatment, or other types of preliminary work. We can discuss your options and give you our recommendation after we have examined your mouth to learn more about your situation.

Missing One Tooth

If a single tooth has been knocked out of your mouth or needs to be extracted for oral health reasons, it’s often possible to fill in the gap with a single dental implant. The post will be carefully inserted into the part of the jaw where the tooth used to be so that it can form a lasting bond with the bone around it. Eventually, it will be topped with a dental crown, which will be made out of a material that closely matches the appearance of your natural teeth.

Missing Multiple Teeth

One thing to note about dental implants is that you don’t necessarily need to get a separate post for every single tooth that was lost. For example, if three or more teeth in a row are missing, the entire gap can be filled with a dental bridge supported by a pair of dental implants. An implant bridge is not like a traditional dental bridge; it can be placed without making any permanent changes to your remaining teeth.

Missing All Teeth

Did you know that you can have dentures attached to dental implants in order to replace all of your missing teeth at once? The number of implant posts needed can vary, but typically around four to six are required. Attaching dentures to dental implants has a number of advantages, such as providing the chewing power needed to enjoy all of your favorite foods again.

Implant dentures can stay permanently attached to the implant posts, allowing you to take care of them as if they were natural teeth (i.e., by brushing and flossing). However, removable implant dentures are also available.

Learn More About Implant Dentures

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

A dental implant replaces both the root and the crown. As a result, your procedure is performed in several steps, each with separate costs. This can make it easier to budget for your new smile because you won’t have to come up with a lump sum. Although every treatment plan differs, you can expect to pay for:

• Preparatory Treatments: Many patients need a little prep work, like gum disease treatment, bone grafting, or tooth extractions.
• Placement Surgery: Sedation or anesthesia will keep you comfortable during your placement surgery.
• Type of Restoration: The more teeth you’re replacing, the larger the restoration you’ll need.
• Materials: It’s better to focus on quality instead of the price tag because you’ll get what you pay for.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

Your estimate will include each part of your dental implant which will include:

• Implant Posts: A titanium post is surgically placed into the jawbone to mimic a root.
• Abutment: Each post will need an abutment to secure your restoration.
• Restoration: Depending on the number of teeth you’re missing, you’ll need either a single crown, bridge, or denture.

Don’t worry, you’ll know exactly how much you’ll have to pay before committing to any procedure.

How Dental Implants Can Save You

You may pay more for dental implants in Goode initially; however, they are the most affordable long-term. Traditional prosthetics must be replaced every few years, but not dental implants. They are proven to last for 30 years or more with the right maintenance, so you won’t have to budget for replacements. Not to mention, dental implants also keep your jawbone strong to avoid many complications caused by tooth loss. You’ll lessen the likeliness of needing a costly treatment later to lower your overall oral health expenses.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

It’s unusual for dental insurance to pay the entire cost, but most plans can be used to offset your out-of-pocket expenses. You can use your annual allowance to lower the amount you pay for certain steps in your plan, like the consultation, imaging, or restoration. A member of our team will work on your behalf with your dental insurance to keep a complete smile affordable.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

Besides using your dental insurance, your implant dentist in Goode offers multiple financial solutions, such as:

• Traditional Payments: We accept cash, checks, and credit cards.
• Patient Specials: Ask us about any current patient specials.
• Third-Party Financing: Pay for your new smile using monthly installments through a third-party financing company.

If you have any questions about paying for dental implants, or you’re ready to schedule your consultation, contact our office today.

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Even though dental implants can’t get cavities, you still need to protect your soft oral tissues from harmful oral bacteria. Otherwise, it can build up and wreak havoc on your smile by causing potential bone and tooth loss. It’s incredibly important to brush twice a day for two minutes, floss at least once a day, and rinse your mouth using an ADA-approved mouthwash. These basic oral hygiene practices will help your grin stay in tip-top shape for years to come.

Eat a Healthy Diet

While it’s okay to enjoy a piece of cake or some candy, you should only do it every now and then. Overindulging in sugary, starchy, or acidic foods can be detrimental to your implants. Instead, you should stick to a diet full of nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and dairy products. Eating foods particularly rich in calcium and vitamin C will keep your jawbone strong and gum tissues healthy. 

Break Bad Habits

Do you smoke? Bite your fingernails? Chew on pens or pencils when you’re bored? Munch on leftover ice after a cool drink? These habits may seem harmless, but they can destroy your enamel and dental implants. For that reason, it’s best to kick these habits to the curb as soon as you can. If you need help quitting smoking, don’t hesitate to ask our team for assistance. We’ll provide you with the resources, guidance, and support you need to make the feat as easy as can be.

Protect Your Dental Implants

If you regularly play sports, you should ask our team about a custom-made mouthguard. It’ll protect your teeth and gums from any impact should you sustain a blow to the face. For patients who grind their teeth at night, a nightguard can help. The oral device will keep your smile safe from the force of teeth grinding.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

The best way to keep your smile in optimal condition is by visiting our office every six months for a checkup and cleaning. We’ll monitor your oral health and check for problems at every routine appointment. By spotting issues early on, you can get the treatment you need and avoid painful complications down the line.

What Are Dental Implants Made Of?

Dental implant posts are available in a variety of materials. However, the most commonly used and successful implant posts are crafted from high-quality titanium. This metal has been proven to create strong, long-lasting bonds with the gum tissue and jawbone to provide effective support for replacement teeth. Other metals have proven less successful or require further research to determine whether or not they are as effective as titanium.

How Long Do Dental Implant Restorations Last?

With proper care, your dental implant-retained prosthetic can last two or more decades. In fact, most people keep the same dental implant-supported tooth replacements for the rest of their lives. By contrast, traditional tooth replacement options, like dentures or bridges, need to be refitted or replaced every five to ten years.

Does Dental Implant Surgery Hurt?

Like any surgical procedure, you should expect some discomfort following dental implant placement. However, during the surgery, you will be completely numbed and free from pain, and in some cases, we may also recommend sedation dentistry to improve comfort. Following treatment, patients can typically treat pain with over-the-counter medications and cold compresses applied at twenty-minute intervals (20 on/20 off).

Are Dental Implants Good for Your Oral Health?

Because dental implants imitate the root structure, they provide the necessary stimulation to maintain jawbone density and gum tissue volume. This is ideal for oral health, but it is also important to maintain whole body health. For example, when jawbone density and gum tissue volume decreases, the face changes shape, and the person can look older. Additionally, patients with traditional tooth replacement options may not be able to consume the wide range of foods necessary for adequate nutrition, which can lead to numerous health concerns.

Can I take dental implants out?

No, you can’t take dental implants in Goode out on your own because they are designed to serve as a permanent solution to tooth loss. An implant post is surgically placed into your jawbone to mimic the root. Your bone will fuse to it through a process called osseointegration. Therefore, only a trained dental professional can remove them; however, some implant dentures are removable for easier cleaning.

How successful are dental implants?

Dental implants are the most reliable method of replacing lost teeth. They have over a 95% success rate to last for decades. Various factors affect the success of the procedure, such as the qualifications of your implant dentist in Goode. With a trusted dentist by your side, your new smile can have the foundation it needs to last for 30 years or longer. You can safeguard your investment with a solid home oral hygiene routine. Brushing, flossing, and a daily mouthwash will keep your mouth healthy. Don’t forget to visit your dentist twice a year for a cleaning and checkup. Your dentist will recommend stopping any bad habits that can increase your risk of failure, like smoking.

What are the signs of dental implant failure?

Although dental implant failure is rare, it’s best to be vigilant to watch for any signs of a complication, like redness, pain, or redness near the implant. You don’t want to ignore any changes with your dental implant because quick treatment can save your new smile from failing. Your dentist will examine your mouth to find the source of the problem to implement a personalized strategy to keep implant failure at bay.

What should I do if my implant feels loose?

After your bone has integrated with the post, your dental implant should never feel loose. If your implant doesn’t feel stable, contact our office immediately. It can be a sign of a serious problem, like dental implant failure; however, it can also be as simple as a damaged restoration. Don’t take the risk. Schedule an appointment right away.

Do dental implants feel natural?

It will take time for your mouth to heal and get used to your new teeth, but in no time at all, you may forget they aren’t real. You’ll never have to deal with slipping or irritation because your restoration will be anchored to your jawbone. You can regain up to 70% of your natural biting force, so you can enjoy your favorite foods again. You will have the confidence you need to speak, laugh, and smile freely because your replacement teeth will never fall out.

Am I too old for dental implants?

Your age doesn’t determine your candidacy for dental implants. Instead, your implant dentist bases their decision on your oral and general health. Patients with certain medical conditions associated with aging, like diabetes or heart disease, may require a more strategic approach to ensure the success and safety of the procedure. This can include additional procedures, like bone grafting.