Dental Implants – What To Expect
If you’ve lost a tooth (or teeth) due to decay, disease, or injury, you’re probably looking at options for treatment. Dental implants are a safe and natural-looking solution that have a strong history of success.
Dental implants are made of titanium, a material that the human body accepts and works well with. They replace the root of your natural tooth and form a strong foundation for a crown (a replacement “tooth” that is made to match your natural teeth). Implants are a permanent solution that actually fuse to your own bone, and with proper care, should not need replaced.
Benefits of Dental Implants
People choose implants over bridges or dentures for several reasons, including the following:
- Appearance — Dental implants look like natural teeth. Observers won’t be able to tell a difference. You can have confidence in your smile!
- Comfort — Because they’re permanent once they are placed, dental implants don’t move around. They feel like natural teeth. Although dentures can shift and cause irritation, dental implants are locked securely in place permanently.
- Health — Unlike bridges, which require that the teeth on either side of the bridge be filed down, implants allow other teeth to stay intact. Intact teeth are always going to be healthier teeth. Also, with implants it’s easier to maintain cleanliness, since you clean them by brushing your teeth as you normally would.
- Convenience — While dentures require you to remove the teeth to clean them, dental implants don’t require any additional care beyond what you need to be doing for your natural teeth. You also don’t need any type of adhesives with dental implants.
- Longevity — Dental implants are durable and designed to last many years. Most people can go a lifetime without needing to replace them.
- Historical Success — Dental implants have been used successfully since the 1950s, and over the years many improvements have been made to the basic system. They have a success rate (defined as not having to remove the implant) of 98.6%.
For all of the reasons above, dental implants are a popular choice for lost teeth. Although the process from start to finish does take a few months, the results are so far superior to other options that patients report extremely high satisfaction rates.
The Process of Getting Dental Implants
After we consult with you and once we’ve determined that you’re a good candidate for a dental implant, we’ll first place the small, titanium post into the bone socket of the missing tooth. Over the next several weeks, the jawbone will grow around the post, fusing it to the jaw.
After 4-5 months of healing time, your new “root” is strong, and you’ll be ready for the placement of the crown over the now-permanent post. If you are replacing a missing front tooth or other visible tooth, we can provide you with a temporary solution before the crown is installed so you don’t have to be without a tooth for those months.
The Cost of Dental Implants
We partner with the most highly-skilled dental surgeons in the Greenville area for the placement of the implants. And to ensure longevity, we use high-quality implants made by two top manufacturers (Astra and Nobel). With the surgeon’s fee included, the total cost for a dental implant is typically $1700. Unfortunately, most patients’ insurance companies usually consider the majority of the implant and crown “cosmetic,” so insurance often only covers $575 of that cost.
Dental Implants Greenville SC
If you’re curious about dental implants or if you want to be evaluated to see if implants are a good option for you, schedule an appointment with us at (864) 729-8661. Keenan W. Smith DMD PA is located on Woodruff Rd in Greenville, SC.
