Dental Implants – Washington, PA
Permanent Teeth That Can Last a Lifetime
At Dean Dental, Dr. Stacy and Dr. Jessica understand the struggles and challenges many patients face when battling tooth loss. Without a complete smile, it can be daunting trying to complete normal daily tasks like eating and speaking. Unfortunately, some tooth replacement options only restore the visible appearance of a smile, not the full structure. However, with dental implants, these superior solutions can do what no other restorative option can – restore the root-to-crown structure. Although we work closely with implant dentists in the area, we will create customized restorations, including All-on-4™, that feel great and look beautiful. Call us to learn more about dental implants in Washington and if you’re a candidate for treatment.
Why Choose Dean Dental for Dental Implants?
- We Partner with Implant Dentists in the Area
- High-Quality Restorations Made Using Natural-Looking Materials
- Treatment Plans That Are Tailored to Patients’ Needs
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are titanium posts that look similar to screws but mimic natural tooth roots. These prosthetics are the only ones that can restore root-to-crown structures, providing you with greater stability and functionality as you perform normal daily tasks such as eating, speaking, and smiling. Offering improved oral health and aesthetics, these unique restorative dentistry solutions can last a lifetime with proper care and maintenance.
The 4-Step Dental Implant Process
- Initial Dental Implant Consultation: You will first meet with Dr. Stacy or Dr. Jessica to discuss whether you are a good candidate for treatment. The doctors may find that you require preliminary treatments before moving forward with dental implant surgery.
- Dental Implant Surgery: You will be referred to an implant dentist in the area who will place each implant post into the correct spot within your mouth.
- Dental Implant Osseointegration/Abutment: You will spend the next 3-6 months recovering from surgery, allowing the bone to fuse with your dental implants before returning to have your metal abutments put into place. Temporary "teeth" will be provided so that your appearance and oral function does not suffer in the meantime!
- Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration(s): The last step is to see us for your new, customized dental restoration. Depending on how many teeth are missing, you may need a dental crown, bridge, or denture.
Benefits of Dental Implants
Numerous benefits of dental implants cannot be achieved using any other type of restorative care. Unlike dentures and dental bridges, these permanent prosthetics can last a lifetime, and they fully restore the entire tooth structure, ensuring continuous stimulation to the jawbone. As a result, you will maintain a more youthful appearance because you no longer need to worry about facial collapse or sagging, which can often occur with tooth loss.
Who Dental Implants Can Help
Most patients who are missing one or more teeth can receive dental implants. But before any finalized decisions are made, a thorough consultation must occur with a member of our dental team. During this visit, we will examine your smile, discuss your oral and overall health history, and determine the density of your jawbone and how many dental implants you will need.
Missing One Tooth
If you are only missing one tooth, we recommend that you receive a single titanium implant post, metal abutment, and customized dental crown to replace it. This will make eating and speaking easier, giving you the certainty needed to converse with others and eat more confidently.
Missing Multiple Teeth
When missing two or more teeth in a row, our team can position a customized dental bridge on top of two dental implant posts that will be put into place by a local implant specialist. This fills in the gap in your smile without altering any of your healthy teeth.
Missing All of Your Teeth
An entire arch of missing teeth can be replaced and rebuilt using between four and six implant posts. Once placed, our team will attach a customized implant denture to create a permanent smile that feels and looks natural and is capable of lasting decades or even a lifetime.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants
The cost of dental implants can only be determined once you meet with a member of our Dean Dental team. This consultation will give us greater insight into the severity of your tooth loss as well as what goals you hope to achieve as a result of treatment. Once we determine how many teeth you need to have replaced as well as the type of restoration you will need, we can formulate a cost estimate that will help you to prepare for the financial side of dental care.
Maintaining & Caring for Your Dental Implants
Your new dental implant can restore your smile’s appearance and functionality and can potentially last the rest of your life. However, it’s important to care for it correctly to prevent problems that could potentially lead to its failure. If your prosthetic becomes damaged or infected, it will need to be replaced, which can be both inconvenient and costly. Thankfully, keeping your artificial tooth in good shape is relatively easy!
Continue reading below to learn several ways that you can preserve your dental implant, and feel free to contact us if you have additional questions.
Make Oral Hygiene a Priority
Your restoration isn’t made of the same organic material as your natural teeth, so it’s impossible for it to get cavities. That said, your natural teeth are still at risk of tooth decay, and you might also develop gum disease. That means it’s just as important as ever to brush and floss twice daily to remove plaque and tartar buildup that contribute to oral issues.
Eat a Healthy Diet
Dental implants are the only artificial teeth that are embedded into your jawbone for added strength and resiliency. Unlike dentures or dental bridges, they’re less likely to be damaged or dislodged by certain foods, so they also have fewer dietary restrictions.
However, overly sugary, sticky, or hard foods can still be problematic. It’s a good idea to opt for ingredients that improve your dental well-being. For example, dairy products contain calcium for strong teeth, while citrus fruits are full of vitamin C to support your gums.
Break Bad Habits
If you tend to bite your nails or nibble pen caps anxiously, now’s the perfect time to stop. Biting on hard or inanimate objects with your dental implant can chip or break it, so it should be avoided. Instead, take a few moments to find the appropriate tools to open boxes, containers, and bottles instead of relying on your teeth.
Also, smoking can lead to implant failure even years after their successful placement, so you probably will want to consider quitting. Tobacco products contain nicotine that restricts your blood flow and oxygen levels, so your mouth can’t get the nutrients it needs, which interferes with your implant’s success.
Protect Your Dental Implants
Although your artificial tooth is incredibly resilient, it’s not entirely invincible. If you participate in team or high-contact sports or martial arts, you could sustain a blow that breaks or dislodges it. Our team at Dean Dental can provide you with a custom-fitted mouthguard to safeguard your smile during physical activities so that your dental implant won’t be injured.
Furthermore, if you suffer from bruxism (chronic teeth grinding), you may need a nightguard to shield your teeth from all the added pressure.
Schedule Regular Dental Checkups
A consistent at-home dental hygiene routine is essential to keeping your restoration clean and healthy. But if you don’t also visit our team for a checkup every six months, you could be putting it at risk. Certain issues, like gum disease, are hard to detect in their early stages. You might not know there’s a problem until it’s already too late for your dental implant. Meanwhile, we can identify and treat any areas of concern before they progress.
Dental Implant FAQs
Below you’ll find common questions patients have asked about dental implants. If you have others not addressed here, contact us to schedule a consultation.
How Long Does It Take to Get Dental Implants?
The timeframe for dental implants can be different for each patient. It mainly depends on how complex your treatment is, how quickly you heal and generate new jawbone growth, and other factors. As a result, the dental implant process can take between six months and a year to complete. At your consultation, we will estimate how long you can expect your treatment to take from beginning to end.
Are Dental Implants Hard to Care for?
Not at all. In fact, they are pretty easy to care for! You should maintain dental implants just as you should natural teeth. To keep them in top condition, you simply need to brush and floss your teeth every day to prevent inflammation-causing plaque from building up. You also must come to see us at least every six months for a checkup. If an infection starts to form, we can get it under control long before it puts your implants and your smile at risk.
Does Getting Dental Implants Hurt?
During the placement procedure, you will be numb and comfortable, but part of the dental implant process does involve minor surgery, which means you will likely experience some discomfort as you heal and recover from this procedure. However, any pain shouldn’t last longer than a couple of days, and you’ll be able to take over-the-counter pain medication. Compared to the years you could enjoy having a complete smile again, this brief period of discomfort is well worth the sacrifice.
Are There Any Food Limitations with Dental Implants?
Once your dental implants are fully restored, you will have the biting power and freedom to eat basically anything you would like. That being said, you should be careful about how much sugar and starch you eat and drink, because these substances can encourage infection-causing bacteria to grow in the mouth.
In the immediate aftermath of implant placement, you will need to have a soft food diet because your gums will need to heal. You will get more comprehensive aftercare instructions from the specialist.
Are Dental Implants Safe?
Yes, dental implants are perfectly safe when treatment is handled by qualified professionals. If you have uncontrolled diabetes, cancer, low jawbone density, or a few other conditions, proceeding with dental implants could involve a higher risk of failure, but if you are a generally healthy person, your chances of success should be high. Dr. Stacy and Dr. Jessica dedicate the entire consultation to making sure you are healthy enough and prepared to undergo the dental implant process.