Restoring Smiles from Root to Crown
The American College of Prosthodontists estimates that around 40 million Americans are missing all of their teeth, while 178 million are missing at least one. Over the years, patients looked towards traditional tooth replacement methods like dentures to restore their smiles, only to be disappointed in their lack of stability and functionality. Today, more patients are opting for leading-edge dental implants in Melrose to rebuild the entire structure of missing teeth, including the roots! The results are more lifelike, comfortable, and longer lasting. Learn whether you’re a good candidate for this modern answer to tooth loss by scheduling a consultation today.
Why Choose Melrose Dental Group for Dental Implants?
- In-House Dental Implant Placement & Restoration
- Additional Flexible Financing Available
- Partnered with Local Ceramic Artisan, Yuki Momma, RDT
What are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are small posts that are made from a number of biocompatible materials, such as titanium. This allows them to fuse with the jawbone once they’re surgically placed below the gumline and into the bone, restoring the missing root structure of teeth and providing a strong foundation for replacement teeth to be attached to.
The 4-Step Dental Implant Process
Dental implants are more complex than other tooth replacements, so their treatment process spans several months and multiple phases. Still, the posts are ultimately worth this time and effort! We at Melrose Dental Group place dental implants entirely in-house, so you’ll benefit from Dr. Leno’s expertise. He and our dental team supervise all four steps of the dental implant process. In fact, these are consultation, surgery, osseointegration, and delivery of the final restoration(s).
Initial Dental Implant Consultation
For the initial consultation, you’ll have a one-on-one discussion with Dr. Leno. This session lets him confirm your restoration goals, oral health background, and other key factors. After reviewing such details, he’ll determine whether dental implants suit you and how to tailor your final treatment.
You needn’t panic if you don’t initially qualify for dental implants. In reality, you can become a good candidate for them through extra dental work – gum disease therapy, tooth extraction(s), etc. These procedures would strengthen your mouth so that it can properly support implant posts.
Dental Implant Surgery
If we approve your care, you’ll receive dental implant surgery after your consultation. This phase of implant work is performed and supervised by our own Dr. Leno. With his advanced expertise, you can trust your new teeth will look and feel great!
Dental implant surgery at our office always includes the following:
- Anesthesia – Dr. Leno will first numb the treatment site with anesthesia. That way, our team can ensure your placement work won’t hurt; you’ll only feel a slight pressure at most.
- A Minor Incision – After the anesthesia “kicks in,” our team will make an incision in your gums. This new opening makes room for your final implant post.
- Implant Placement – Our team will place your implant post precisely with advanced tools and methods.
- Gum Closure – Dr. Leno will close your gums’ incision once the placement is done. Afterward, he’ll set a cap over your new post.
Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment
Your dental implant(s) will start fusing with your jaw soon after placement surgery. This fusion process normally takes 4-6 months to finish, and it firmly roots your implant posts. It’ll ensure your new “teeth” become permanent parts of your mouth when it’s over.
After the implant fusion ends, you’ll attend a follow-up surgery. This “extra” treatment places an abutment – a metal connector – on your implant post. While you recover from the abutment work, a dental lab will craft your final restorations.
Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration(s)
We’ll deliver your implant’s final restoration at the end of treatment. Depending on how many teeth you’ve lost, this prosthetic will vary in its nature. It could be anything from a single dental crown or bridge to an entire implant denture.
Fitting your final restoration won’t take long. After we’ve applied dental cement to your abutment, we’ll simply set the device(s), make some last-minute changes, and ensure your post fits well. With all that out of the way, you can head out and enjoy your full smile!
Benefits of Dental Implants
Dental implants are unique in the fact that they offer a variety of benefits, ranging from boosted confidence due to a complete and healthy smile to recovering up to 80% of your restored bite power. Dental implants also allow patients to enjoy a solution with greater longevity, as they have the ability to last for 35 or more years with good oral health and professional maintenance.
Who Can Dental Implants Help?
Your dental implant journey will depend on a couple of factors which Dr. Leno will go over with you during your consultation. These include how many teeth you’re missing and their location. Based on these details, our team will help determine what pathway below will work best for your unique situation.
Missing One Tooth
For a single missing tooth, our team will secure one dental implant into the jawbone below the gumline. Once the implant has fused with the bone and the abutment has been attached, we will secure a free-standing dental crown to the implant to fill the gap in your smile and keep surrounding teeth in alignment.
Missing Multiple Teeth
Depending on the location of your multiple missing teeth, we may opt to secure a dental bridge to two dental implants or use a combination of implant bridges and implant crowns to restore your smile.
Missing All Teeth
If you’re missing all of your teeth in an arch and require an implant denture, we will place between four and eight dental implants below the gumline. This will secure a denture in place, eliminating any slipping or shifting that can occur with traditional prosthetics.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants
The cost of dental implants in Melrose can only be determined after Dr. Leno and our team have had a chance to examine your mouth and create a treatment plan for you. Once we’ve created your plan, our team will walk you through the estimated cost of the procedure as well as your financing options. To make getting dental implants as streamlined and stress-free as possible, we’re proud to work with trusted third-party financers like CareCredit and Lending Point.
Dental Implants FAQs
Are Dental Implants Safe?
Thankfully, yes – dental implants are pretty safe. These prosthetic teeth won’t harm patients with fairly good oral health, assuming they’re placed by a qualified professional.
Dental implants are only dangerous when you have prior dental issues. For example, low jawbone density and gum disease can make the posts fail and cause other smile troubles. The good news is that dentists can treat such problems through preliminary procedures. In doing so, they’d make your dental implant surgery safer and more successful.
Granted, you’ll need to be careful if you have diabetes, cancer, or other medical conditions. It’s crucial to discuss them with your dentist during your consultation and plan accordingly.
How Successful are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are some of the most successful replacement teeth around. Indeed, their placement almost always goes well and ensures treatment restores your smile. The posts even have a ten-year success rate of over 95%!
That said, whether your own dental implants succeed will depend on your lifestyle. These posts only work well when provided with oral hygiene, routine checkups, a healthy diet, etc. If they don’t receive proper care, they’ll fail soon after placement and force you to get new ones.
Am I Too Young to Get Dental Implants?
Almost any adult with good oral health can receive dental implants. Therefore, whether you’re “too young” for them will depend on your age.
If you aren’t yet a young adult, you likely can’t get the posts. Most people’s jaws don’t fully develop until their early 20s and such development is crucial for implants. If the posts are placed before the jaw is done growing, they’ll interfere with bone tissue and cause serious complications.
Given these facts, most dentists don’t place dental implants for patients below 18. Treatment would simply be too troublesome for such people. On the bright side, dental implants have no upper age limit; even the most elderly adults can get them.
Will I Have to Take Off Work for Dental Implant Surgery?
You probably will need to take off work for dental implant surgery. Still, don’t worry too much; most patients only require a day or two to get the posts.
The time off you need will also depend on your situation. After all, patients who need preliminary procedures first must have more days off from work. Someone may also need extra time off to heal from surgery, especially if their job is physically demanding. Such people should probably schedule their surgery on a Thursday or Friday.