Dental Implants—Forest Park, OH
The Gold Standard of Tooth Replacement
Over the last several decades, dental implants have risen to become the most popular treatment choice for patients dealing with tooth loss in Forest Park. Our implant dentists partner with local oral surgeons to help restore smiles utilizing this cutting-edge technology, allowing them to enjoy a grin that not only looks natural, but also feels lifelike. With boosted confidence, improved eating and speaking abilities, and even more benefits, patients who invest in dental implants find that their investment in their smile is priceless. Call our office today to schedule a consultation with our team!
Why Choose Kemper Meadow Family Dentistry for Dental Implants?
- We Partner with Local Expert Oral Surgeons
- Advanced Planning with 3D Cone Beam CT Scanner
- We Work with CareCredit & Lending Point
What are Dental Implants?
Dental implants can be thought of as artificial tooth roots, similar to screws in shape. Once they’re secured in the jawbone, the implants bond with the natural bone structure through a process called osseointegration. This makes them a strong, sturdy foundation to support one or more restorations, including crowns, bridges, or dentures.
Dentistry has been utilizing modern dental implants successfully for years. They’re the most durable supports available for replacement teeth and boast an impressive 95% treatment success rate.
The 4-Step Dental Implant Process
Restoring your smile with dental implants is an outpatient process performed in several stages, allowing for time to heal between procedures. There are multiple steps involved in placing a dental implant, including:
- Removal of the damaged tooth or teeth
- Preparing the jawbone (grafting), if needed
- Placing the dental implant
- Bone integration and healing
- Placing the abutment
- Placing the artificial tooth or teeth
The whole process could take several months from beginning to end, depending on whether you require preparatory treatments and based on your personalized treatment timeline.
Initial Consultation
Since implants could require several surgical procedures, you will need to have a comprehensive evaluation to prepare for the entire process, which includes:
- Thorough dental exam: You might require 3D images and X-rays for making models of your jaw and teeth.
- Medical history review: We will ask about any health conditions and medicines you’re currently taking, including over-the-counter and prescription drugs and supplements. If you have orthopedic implants or certain heart conditions, we may prescribe you antibiotics before your procedure to help prevent infection.
- Plan of treatment: We’ll tailor your treatment plan to your specific situation, taking various factors into account like the condition of your jawbone, how many teeth you need replaced, and your remaining teeth.
- Sedation options: If necessary, you may invest in dental sedation to have a more positive experience. We’ll sit down with you before your procedure and discuss each option to decide on which is best for you.
Dental Implant Surgery
We partner with local, expert oral surgeons for the dental implant placement part of this process. When you see them, they’ll insert the implant posts below the gumline and into the jawbone, restoring the root portion of the missing teeth. Once you’ve healed from your surgery, you’ll return to our trusted team at Kemper Meadow Family Dentistry to complete the rest of your treatment.
Osseointegration & Abutment Attachment
Over the three to six months following your dental implant surgery, you’ll undergo an important process, called osseointegration. This is where the implants will fuse with the bone naturally, making them a strong, unwavering foundation for your restorations to be attached to. After osseointegration has occurred and your gums have healed, we’ll be able to place small, metal connector pieces to your implants, called abutments. These will act as anchors for your restorations, allowing them to seamlessly click into your smile.
Attachment of the Final Restoration
After your abutments are placed, we’ll capture an impression of your mouth that we’ll send off to our dental laboratory to craft your finished restoration. As soon as we receive it, we’ll call you back in for your final appointment to complete your smile by attaching the crown, bridge, or denture to your implants.
Benefits of Dental Implants
There are various benefits of dental implants, including:
- Improved speech: With poorly-fitting dentures, your teeth could slip around in your mouth and cause you to slur your words or mumble. Implants allow you to speak clearly without the concern of your teeth slipping.
- Enhanced appearance: Dental implants feel and look just like your natural teeth. And since they’re made to fuse with bone, they’re permanent.
- Enhanced comfort: Since implants become a part of you, they get rid of discomfort caused by removable dentures.
- Improved self-esteem: Implants provide you with a nice smile again, helping you to feel better and more confident in yourself.
- Easier eating: It can be difficult to chew with sliding dentures. Implants function like your own natural teeth and therefore allow you to eat your favorite food confidently and without discomfort.
- Improved oral health: Other teeth don’t need to be altered with dental implants like a tooth-supported bridge would. Since neighboring teeth aren’t altered for supporting the dental implant, you have more dental structure left intact which improves long-term oral health. Plus, individual dental implants allow simpler access between your teeth which also improves oral hygiene.
- Convenience: With removable dentures you remove them. With dental implants, however, you won’t have the embarrassing inconvenience of having to remove them or deal with keeping them in place with messy adhesives.
- Durability: Dental implants are strong and durable and can last for years. With proper care, they could last a lifetime.
Who Dental Implants Can Help
We typically recommend dental implants for patients who:
- Have a full-grown jawbone
- Have one or more teeth missing
- Have healthy oral tissues
- Don’t smoke tobacco
- Are unwilling to or unable to wear dentures
- Have sufficient bone for securing the implants or can have a bone graft
- Have realistic expectations of the process
- Are looking to improve speech
- Are treating any medical conditions that may impact bone healing
Once we’ve had a chance to examine your mouth, we’ll discuss the best treatment route to restore your smile based on your unique situation.
Missing One Tooth
For a single missing tooth, we’ll secure one dental implant below the gumline that will anchor a customized dental crown in the gap in your smile. This will prevent surrounding teeth from shifting or slipping to fill the space over time.
Missing Multiple Teeth
Instead of needing to alter your natural tooth structure to support a traditional dental bridge, we can anchor one to two dental implants secured to either side of the gap in your arch. Not only is this less invasive, but it also doesn’t rely on your natural teeth to stay in place, should those abutment teeth ever become compromised.
Missing All Teeth
While traditional dentures are an excellent option for many patients missing several or all of their teeth along an arch, many struggle with them slipping and shifting, making eating and speaking more difficult. When dentures are secured to implant posts, it eliminates any wavering and has the ability to restore your bite power by up to 80%!
Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants
If you’re considering replacing your missing pearly whites with an extremely effective treatment, then dental implants may be the solution you’ve been looking for. While you can expect to appreciate numerous benefits from these restorations, you’ll want to know how much they cost before committing to the procedure. We won’t be able to provide you with an accurate estimate until we’ve seen you for an initial consultation. During your visit, we’ll look over your oral health, discuss your smile goals, and review the different factors that influence the price. Read on to learn more about the cost of dental implants in Cincinnati.
Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery
Patients will usually need to undergo preliminary procedures before they can get their dental implants if they have underlying oral health issues that need to be addressed. Some of these services may include bone grafting, gum disease therapy, and even tooth extraction—each of which can add to the overall price of the treatment. The good news is that many of these treatments can receive coverage from dental insurance.
The dental implant surgery itself will also have its own cost. Our team works with a trusted local specialist who will place your implants. The complexity of your treatment can also affect the final price. We’ll work closely with your oral surgeon so that you receive the best service within your budget.
The Parts of Your Dental Implant
The price of your dental implants themselves will typically be affected by several factors, such as:
- Number of implants – Having just one dental implant placed in your jawbone will cost less than replacing an entire arch of missing teeth.
- Type of restoration – Your tooth replacement may involve a dental crown, bridge, or dentures, all of which come at their unique prices. Generally speaking, the smaller the restoration, the less it costs.
- Dental material – Dental implants can be made of different materials like zirconia and titanium. Typically, the former costs less than the latter.
- Brand of manufacturer – Different companies create dental implants in various ways depending on the patient’s needs. Our team will be sure to only use the best products to guarantee successful treatment.
How Dental Implants Can Save You Money
Although choosing to replace missing teeth with dental bridges or dentures seems like a cost-effective move, they won’t measure up to the essential benefits that you can expect from dental implants. Dentures and dental bridges, while reliable and natural-looking, will need to be replaced after several years. Implants, on the other hand, can last several decades to a lifetime with proper care. While they come with a higher upfront cost, the fact that you’ll only need to take care of them with minimal effort and without the use of special cleaning tools makes them a much more worthwhile investment in the long run.
Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?
The majority of dental insurance companies won’t cover the cost of dental implant treatment. That said, there can be some exceptions, such as parts of the final restoration (dental crown, bridge, or denture) and/or any preliminary procedures that you may have needed (bone graft, gum disease therapy, tooth extraction). For this reason, you’ll want to confirm the details of your insurance plan before starting your treatment so that you know exactly how your benefits work. We will also be more than happy to help with this step if necessary.
Making Dental Implants Affordable
If you don’t have dental insurance, you can still explore alternative financing options to have dental implants work within your budget. Our team is partnered with CareCredit—a third-party financier that can help break up the overall price of your treatment into small, monthly installments with little to zero interest. This means you can likely afford your tooth replacement(s) without breaking the bank!
Maintaining & Caring for Your Dental Implants
Like your natural teeth, dental implants also require regular dental visits and conscientious at-home hygiene. To keep your dental implants clean and free of plaque, you’ll need to brush and floss them like you would your natural teeth.
Following your treatment, we’ll work with you closely to come up with the best aftercare plan for you. We’ll schedule periodic follow-up visits to monitor your teeth, gums, and implants to ensure they’re all healthy.