What Are Dental Implants, and How They Change Your Life For the Better!
Missing teeth can have a major impact on your self-esteem, career, social life and the basic need to chew and enjoy food! You may refuse to be in photos, find yourself smiling less and struggle to enunciate clearly. While dentures help, they do not function like natural teeth, however, dental implants do! Dental implants provide an aesthetically beautiful and highly functional solution for missing teeth. Dental implants can make a huge difference in how you look, feel and interact with others. Here are a few ways dental implants can change your life for the better!
What Are Dental Implants and How Do They Work
Think of dental implants as artificial tooth roots, similar in shape to screws. When dental implants are placed in your jawbone, they bond with your natural bone. They become a sturdy base for supporting one or more artificial teeth, called crowns. A connector, also known as an abutment, is placed on top of the dental implant to hold and support your crowns. The crowns are custom made to match your natural teeth and fit your mouth. Modern dental implants have been used successfully for well over 30 years. They are the strongest devices available to support replacement teeth, and even better, they allow these new teeth to feel, look and function naturally! When performed by a trained and experienced dental implant dentist, dental implant surgery is one of the safest and most predictable procedures in dentistry.
Ditch The Dentures
Dentures are one way to replace your missing teeth, but routine care, comfort and functionality takes effort. Messy adhesive, cleaning and the unpleasant feeling of loose dentures can be annoying for many people. In contrast, dental implants provide a natural looking, functional and beautiful smile; no adhesives, no bedside soaking, no difficulty chewing or fear of loose teeth in public.
Eat The Foods You Love – This is a BIG one!
Dental care isn’t just about having nice looking teeth. It’s also important to prevent disease and to be able to chew without difficulty or pain. When you have missing teeth, you may have trouble eating the foods you love. With dental implants, you’ll be able to chew easily once again. Dental implants look and operate just like natural teeth. This enables you to eat beef jerky or a crunchy apple, and you’ll never have to worry about loose teeth again. In fact, your overall health may improve since you can eat a greater variety of healthy food.
Get Your Smile Back – This IS A WIN!
Of course, having a great smile is part of the appeal. Dental implants will help you to regain your confidence in social situations. Imagine what it would be like to smile without worrying about missing teeth: what would you do differently? Dental implants will restore your smile so you can eat, drink, laugh freely, take photos and carry-on conversations, without being self conscious.
Enjoy Easier Dental Care and Speak More Clearly
Since dental implants are designed to look and function like natural teeth, your dental care will be easier. Rather than removing dentures and cleaning them, you can simply brush and floss all of your teeth (including the implants) as usual. A streamlined oral health routine can be a big relief. Your dental implants will allow you to enunciate your words properly. Depending on where your teeth are missing, speaking clearly may be difficult. Once your implants are placed, your speech will improve, and you won’t have to worry about misspeaking again!
Dental Implant Surgery is Not Complicated or Dangerous
Some people may think that because dental implant surgery involves implanting a prosthesis into the bone of the jaw, it is a complicated procedure. However, dental implant surgery is a routine procedure performed by thousands of dentists. Dental implant surgery has a success rate of over 98%. Anyone who is in reasonably good health and has enough jawbone to support a dental implant is a good candidate for the procedure. Though natural teeth are susceptible to cavities and decay, dental implants are not. Because they are made of materials that are not affected in the same way as natural teeth, dental implants cannot form cavities. Once the site of a dental implant has fully healed, normal brushing and flossing are all that is required to care for them.
Dental Implants Are An Investment For Your Smile and Your Health
We at Gentle Dental understand. We’ve got families to provide for as well, and we know how difficult it can be to juggle all of your needs. However, dental implants might just be more affordable than you think! On the surface, dental implants look incredibly expensive, especially when they are compared to other tooth replacement methods. However, dentures and bridges, the two alternatives, typically have to be repaired or replaced every 5 to 10 years. The cost of this regular maintenance may quickly outstrip the costs of simply turning to implants, which can last a lifetime (so long as you care for them properly). They also prevent your jawbone from deteriorating; dentures and bridges can’t do that. As your jaw deteriorates, your face shape will change. You’ll start to look older. Moreover, your existing teeth will start to grow loose. The jawbone provides the structure that holds your teeth’s roots in place. Once it’s gone, you’ll lose your other teeth as well. Keeping the rest of your teeth in your mouth is priceless. Thus, we encourage you to think of dental implants as an investment, and not as an expense.
So How Much Are Dental Implants
First, every case is unique. In general, however, single dental implants cost $1,500 to $2,000 per implant. Not per procedure, but per implant. Some patients are only going to need a single implant, whereas others will need several because they’re missing multiple teeth.
Note that this is only the cost of the dental implant itself. There are other costs involved including:
- The crown (the tooth itself) – this can be custom or stock
- The abutment (the part that connects the implant and the crown)
- The cost of tooth and root extraction
- The cost of the office visits.
- Pre-op care
- Post-op care
These additional costs can range from $1,500 – $2,800, bringing the total cost for a single implant in the range of $3,000 – $4,800. The best way to find out what your implants will cost is to have an initial consultation with our wonderful doctors. Our doctors will use the 3D scan image during the consultation to determine the density of the bone and to see whether you’re a candidate for an immediate implant or if some additional grafting will be needed prior to implant placement. After your consultation, you’ll know exactly what will need to be done and what the total costs will be. You will also be presented with our patient financing options if you need them! The good news is most dental insurance providers cover some of the costs for dental implants. Insurance doesn’t typically cover all the expenses so you’re probably still going to have to put some money aside before you can schedule your dental implant procedure, but certainly not as much as you would if you didn’t have insurance! Call us today for more information!
Why YOU NEED Springfield Gentle Dental
Our team of experts are sure to make this process simple and easy for you. You have nothing to worry about in the great hands of our team here at Springfield Gentle Dental. We provide the best services to you and your family, for a worry-free, seamless process.
So, if you have any questions about dental implants or where to get them, contact the Springfield Gentle Dental team to have your questions answered and your problems solved (those related to teeth, at least)! We are your trusted dental team and ready to assist you get the smile you want and deserve!