Dental Implants – Fuquay-Varina, NC

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

You’ll sit down with Dr. Langworthy, and after giving you a thorough exam and taking some X-rays, she’ll go over your replacement options, including implants. During this appointment, feel free to ask any questions you may have about the procedure, the advantages and disadvantages of this treatment, potential timeline, and other concerns. She can also help prepare your mouth for implants through gum disease treatment or tooth extraction if necessary.

Dental Implant Surgery

If you and Dr. Langworthy both decide that implants would be the right choice for you and that you are prepared for the procedure, she’ll prepare you for the surgical placement of the new roots into your jawbone. Thanks to her advanced training in dental implant sugery, she will ensure you receive the highest quality of care. This procedure entails making small incisions in the gum tissue, which means you’ll need a couple of days to recover afterward.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment

Over the next 3-6 months, your jaw will be given time to heal and bond with the implants. You’ll be fitted with temporary teeth during this time. This process, which occurs beneath the gums, is called osseointegration. When your implants are integrated with the jawbone, a small connection piece called an abutment is attached to the implant. The abutment will stick out above the gums and will join the restoration to the implant.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration(s)

Once your mouth is ready with abutments, you’ll return to Dr. Langworthy so she can take impressions of your upper and lower arches. These impressions will be sent to our dental lab, where the restoration(s) will be fabricated. Finally, after they’re complete, we can then attach your custom, permanent teeth to your implants. At that point, you can treat and enjoy them just as you would natural teeth!

Day-to-Day Benefits

Once your gums and jawbone have healed, your replacement teeth shouldn’t feel any different from your natural ones. You may even forget that they are there! Here are just some of the benefits you can experience every single day:

• Easy Maintenance: There isn’t a special way to care for your dental implant. You just need to use all of the same practices you would for natural teeth. Brush twice, floss, and rinse with mouthwash every day. You should also continue to attend regular cleanings and checkups.
• Stronger Bite: Dental implants can restore your bite force up to 90%. This is much more than you can expect with traditional bridges and dentures.
• Increased Confidence: If you have gaps in your smile, it can be easy to feel self-conscious. With dental implants, you can show off your smile with pride.

Health Benefits

Dental implants positively influence your health. Here are some of the ways that dental implants can benefit your well-being:

• Improved Dental Health: Missing teeth increases your risk of further dental problems. This includes gum disease, misalignment, and additional tooth loss. Dental implants help to prevent these negative effects.
• Better Overall Health: Dental health and overall health go hand-in-hand. When you have better dental health, you are at lower risk of several life-threatening conditions, including diabetes and heart disease.
• Prevents Bone Loss: When your jawbone isn’t being stimulated through regular chewing as a result of tooth loss, it will be reabsorbed by the body. Fortunately, dental implants replace the roots of the missing teeth. This way, they can stimulate your jawbone and prevent bone loss.

Long-Term Benefits

Dental implants have a higher cost than traditional dentures and dental bridges, but it makes sense why. Dental implants are an investment in the future of your smile. Here are some of the benefits that you can experience every single day:

• Successful: Dental implants have an incredible success rate of over 95%! Dental implant failure is very unlikely.
• Long-Lasting: Other tooth replacement options, like dentures, need to be relined or replaced periodically. However, implants are made to last for many decades. You may never have to worry about your missing teeth again!
• Save Money: Dental implants might have a higher upfront cost, but they last a longer time, so you don’t have to replace or repair them periodically. Dental implants also help to prevent oral health issues that are expensive to treat. Ultimately, you can take some of the pressure off of your wallet.

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

While dental implants don’t decay like your enamel can, they do require a healthy mouth. Placing the posts near weak teeth or gums will make them unstable. For example, a bout of gum disease could easily loosen implants near the infected tissue. You’d then be at serious risk of losing your new tooth.

The best way to avoid such risks is to practice good oral hygiene. With twice-daily brushing and once-daily flossing, you’ll make mouth-related threats to your implants less likely. The result should be that your new teeth stay strong and last longer.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Though dental implants can handle most meals, junk food is still a bit iffy. Chewing sugary and sticky stuff can cause debris to wedge between your implant posts. Should that happen, the pieces could cause tooth decay or gum disease – problems that trigger implant failure.

Given these facts, you’re honestly better off with a mouth-healthy diet. Foods with calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin C can help implants thrive. By absorbing those nutrients, you’ll make your jaw’s bone tissue stronger and lessen your chance of getting gum disease.

Break Bad Habits

Since they use sturdy titanium and porcelain, dental implants can put up with a lot. Even so, these replacement teeth can still fail if you practice bad oral habits. That means you should quit such quirks as soon as you can.

In fact, various oral habits can cause implant failure. Using tobacco is a prime example –  doing so delays your treatment recovery and keeps the posts from working. Tendencies like chewing fingernails, ice cubes, or pencils could also break your implants’ surfaces.

Protect Your Dental Implants

To be clear, dental implants can break when put under enough force. It’s best if you take steps to protect them from injuries and incidents.

An ideal method for defending your implants is wearing a mouthguard. By using a special one for sports, you could shield your teeth (natural or not) from outside forces. A nightguard would also help keep from grinding your arches while asleep. If possible, you should try to get both to keep your implants safe.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

Even if you use the tips above, you can’t care for dental implants alone. You’d inevitably miss or overlook threats to your restorations’ success. Given that fact, remember to attend your regular dental checkups and cleanings. Those visits let dentists monitor your implants and check their viability.

Note that dental checkups are top-tier preventive oral care. Since they frequently diagnose and treat your smile, they prevent threats to your new teeth. You can expect that much from a trained and experienced dental team. So, make your checkups and cleanings effective by doing twice-yearly visits.

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

Every case differs, so no two treatment plans are identical. The amount you’ll pay is determined by your specific needs and preferences. Although every situation is unique, you can expect your estimate to include:

• Preliminary Treatments: You may require prep-work before getting dental implants in Fuquay-Varina, like gum disease treatment or tooth extractions.
• Placement Surgery: Sedation or anesthesia will keep you comfortable while an implant post is placed in your jaw.
• Number of Teeth: The more teeth you’re treating, the more you can expect to pay.
• Materials: Discounted materials can save more upfront, but they’ll cost more down the road because they may not be as durable.

Rest assured; you’ll know exactly how much you’ll have to pay before committing to anything.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

Your implant dentist in Fuquay-Varina can treat one, multiple, or all your missing teeth. Your estimate will include each part of your dental implant, including:

• Post: An implant post replicates a root to stabilize your restoration.
• Abutment: Each post will require an abutment to attach your restoration.
• Restoration: You’ll need either a single crown, bridge, or denture to replace your missing teeth.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

Believe it or not, dental implants are the most cost-effective method of treating tooth loss. Traditional prosthetics only last for a few years before needing to be replaced, but dental implants can thrive for decades. You’ll never need to budget for replacements with the right aftercare, like maintaining your oral hygiene. Not to mention, dental implants lower your overall oral health expenses. The implant posts will keep your jawbone strong to prevent common issues associated with missing teeth, like cavities and gum disease.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Don’t expect your dental insurance to cover the entire cost of the procedure; however, it can be used to lower the amount you pay out-of-pocket. You can use your policy to offset the fees for certain steps in your plan, like the consultation, imaging, or restorations. We will work on your behalf with your insurance company to maximize your annual benefits.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

We make it easy to rebuild your smile, even if money is tight. Besides using your dental insurance, we offer multiple payment methods, including:

• Traditional Payments: We accept all traditional payment forms, including cash, checks, and credit cards.
• Third-Party Financing: Pay for your new smile using monthly installments through a third-party financing company, like CareCredit.
• In-House Savings Plan: Enjoy reduced rates for specific services by joining our in-house savings plan.

If you have any questions about your payment options, or you are ready to schedule your consultation, contact our office today.

What to Do Directly After Dental Implant Surgery

Once dental implants have been placed, you will need to focus on making sure the surgical site remains undisturbed. This is to protect the blood clot that will form as part of the body’s natural healing process. Using a straw, smoking, and spitting are examples of actions that might dislodge a blood clot; you should therefore make a point of avoiding them until your mouth has sufficiently recovered.

Common Side Effects When Recovering from Dental Implant Placement

Our team will explain what symptoms are normal after dental implant surgery as well as what you can do to keep them under control. Common side effects include discomfort (which can be reduced with over-the-counter medication), swelling (which you can keep down with a cold compress), and intermittent bleeding (which can be stopped by pressing down on the area with gauze). Please let us know immediately if any unexpected symptoms occur.

Your Diet After Dental Implant Surgery

For a few days after your surgery, you will be instructed to eat only soft or liquid foods. Soup is probably one of the first options to come to mind, but while it can be a great choice, you will need to make sure that it isn’t too hot. Other common examples of soft foods that can safely be enjoyed after dental implant placement include yogurt, scrambled eggs, and mashed potatoes.

Post-Op Health & Oral Hygiene

An oral infection is one of the last things you want to occur while you’re still recovering from dental implant placement. Keep your mouth clean by rinsing with salt water multiple times a day. (You can also use mouthwash as long as there’s no alcohol in it.) You will still be able to brush your teeth, but you will need to exercise caution; specifically, you should be very careful when cleaning around the implants.

What to Do After Your New Teeth Are Attached

At the end of the dental implant process, your new dental prosthesis will be attached to your implant posts. There won’t be any extensive recovery period to worry about at this point, but you might need to take pain relievers to deal with sensitive gums. Bleeding and swelling are not normal at this stage; if they occur, call us right away.