Dental Implants – Lake Oconee, GA

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

One of the main goals of your initial dental implant consultation is to determine whether dental implants are a viable option in your case. Using state-of-the-art technology, we’ll thoroughly evaluate your mouth and jaw to determine whether implants can be placed. In some cases, preliminary treatments such as bone grafting may be required before you can be considered a dental implant candidate.

If we decide dental implants are a good choice for you, we can discuss what the next steps of the process will look like in full detail. Naturally, we’ll make sure to give you an accurate idea of how long each step will take as well as the costs involved.

Dental Implant Surgery

Our team is able to place dental implants in-office, so you won’t have to worry about being referred to an unfamiliar specialist across town. At the start of the surgery, a local anesthetic will be administered to keep your mouth numb. After that, the gums will be opened, and the implant posts will be placed at carefully chosen locations. Once the procedure is complete, the gums will be sutured shut, and a special cap will be attached to implant posts for their protection.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment

In order to be successful, dental implants need to join with the jawbone via a process called osseointegration. This typically takes about 3 to 6 months. Our team will give you instructions for taking care of your mouth during this time in order to ensure that osseointegration goes as smoothly as possible.

Once the implant posts have formed a sufficiently strong bond with the jaw, you’ll be ready to receive abutments. These are small metal connector pieces that will ultimately be responsible for keeping your replacement teeth attached to your implant posts. Placing abutments will require another surgical procedure, but it will be smaller and less invasive compared to implant surgery.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration(s)

After your mouth has healed from abutment placement, we can take the impressions required to design the final prosthesis that will ultimately act as your replacement teeth. Said prosthesis could be a crown, bridge, or denture depending on the extent of your tooth loss. Once the prosthesis ready, we’ll carefully attach it to your implant posts and put the finishing touches on your new smile.

Day-to-Day Benefits

• Nutrient-Rich Diet: Dentures can often make it difficult to eat nutrient-rich foods; however, with dental implants, you can freely eat textured and denser foods that are good for your oral and overall health. Not to mention, your bite force and chewing power will be much greater, and you won’t have to worry about your prosthetics slipping or falling out of place.
• Greater Aesthetics: As long as you have a trusted implant dentist in Lake Oconee who knows how to properly place dental implants, you can expect your results to look completely natural. Made from high-quality materials, your new teeth will blend in with the rest of your smile with much ease.
• Easy Maintenance: Dentures require that you soak them at night, and dental bridges can be difficult to clean, putting you at risk for tooth decay and gum disease. Dental implants, however, are easy to maintain because all you need are the instruments you already use to brush and floss your teeth.
• Better Quality of Life: Dental implants make it possible to embrace a better quality of life, especially as it pertains to your confidence. When you have a complete smile that looks and feels good, you’re more likely to take advantage of new opportunities at work and spend time surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues.

Health Benefits

• Unaltered Natural Teeth: Instead of having your healthy abutment teeth altered to fit a dental bridge, dental implants fit into the vacated sockets, requiring no anchors other than your jawbone. This ensures your remaining teeth are untouched and maintain their complete structure.
• Jawbone Stimulation: Because dental implants in Lake Oconee are surgically placed into your jawbone, they mimic the natural tooth root structure. Each time you bite down or chew, your bone is stimulated, allowing it to remain strong and avoid potential collapse later on.
• No Shifting Teeth: Tooth loss is known for causing many orthodontic problems. If you’re missing a tooth and notice your nearby healthy teeth are trying to shift, it’s because they’re trying to close the gap. Unfortunately, this causes alignment problems. But with dental implants, your healthy teeth will stay where they are and minimize any potential need for orthodontic treatment.
• Improved Overall Health: Losing a tooth doesn’t just affect your oral cavity and self-esteem, it also causes various health problems to occur. Osteoporosis, heart disease, and diabetes are just a few of the many systemic issues that can develop. However, if you choose dental implants, you can reduce your risk, improve your smile, and maintain greater overall health in the long run.

Long-Term Benefits

• High Success Rate: Upon initial placement and even after 10 years, dental implants can have a success rate of 95%. Of course, much of this depends on how well you take care of your new teeth, which is why it’s important to maintain optimal oral hygiene.
• Longevity: It is possible for your dental implants to last 30 years or even a lifetime with proper maintenance! This is vastly different than the 5-10 years you might get from dentures or a dental bridge.
• The Ability to Save Money: While dental implants are more expensive initially than dentures or dental bridges, they will save you a tremendous amount of money throughout your lifetime. You won’t need denture adhesives, special cleaning supplies, or regular adjustments and replacements.

Missing One Tooth

For a single missing tooth, we can place one dental implant in the mouth below the gums. This will restore the root structure of the tooth. We can then attach a customized dental crown to it to keep your surrounding teeth from drifting out of place and fill the gap.

Missing Multiple Teeth

Instead of needing to alter your surrounding healthy teeth, our team can secure a customized dental bridge to two implants located on either side of the gap in your smile.

Missing All Teeth

To secure a complete denture to your mouth, we can place anywhere from four to eight dental implants that we strategically place along your arch. This will eliminate any slipping or shifting that may occur when you eat or speak, which is common with traditional dentures.

Types of Dental Implants

One of the primary factors in determining the cost of your implant treatment is how many implants you need to rebuild your smile. For a single missing tooth, we can place just one titanium post and top it with a lifelike dental crown. If you’re missing multiple teeth in a row, you can receive an implant-supported bridge, which doesn’t alter your surrounding teeth like a traditional bridge does. Lastly, for an entire missing arch, we can place anywhere from four to eight implants in your jaw to support a full denture, which can be either fixed or removable.

What Are the Stages of Dental Implant Treatment?

We’ll walk you through the different stages in greater detail at your consultation. Because everything takes place in separate appointments, you can break your treatment cost up into manageable chunks. Some of the steps of your treatment might include:

• Preparatory procedures such as bone grafting or periodontal therapy
• Surgical placement of implants directly in the jawbone
• Osseointegration, which is the months-long process during which your implants fuse to your jawbone
• Placement of abutments, which are small metal connector pieces
• Placement of restorations atop your abutments, whether that be a crown, bridge, or denture

Are Dental Implants Worth the Investment?

Absolutely! Dental implants offer a multitude of benefits to your everyday life that make them well worth the investment. While there are other tooth replacement options available, like dentures and dental bridges, none of them offer the same longevity, strength, and stability that implants do. Additionally, implants are incredibly easy to maintain; all you have to do is regularly brush, floss, and attend checkups. Because implants replace the entire tooth structure, they’ll look and feel as natural as the pearly whites you were born with.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Although most dental insurance companies don’t cover the full cost of dental implants, they may provide coverage for other elements of the treatment, such as periodontal therapy, bone grafting, or your restoration. It’s always worth your while to check your individual policy to see what they cover. If you need help getting in touch with your insurance carrier, our team is more than happy to help.

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

The good news is that your dental implants cannot get cavities, however they are still at risk of failure due to common dental issues like gum disease. In order to prevent infection of your gums, practice regular dental hygiene, including brushing, flossing, and using a nonalcoholic mouthwash. Be sure to spend 2 minutes brushing each session, paying close attention to your gumline.

Eat a Healthy Diet

What you consume affects your body, but it also impacts your oral health. Dental implants in Lake Oconee, Georgia give you the ability to eat virtually anything you want, which is why you should feel free to enjoy a full, nutritious diet. Eat foods that are rich in calcium and Vitamin D to keep your jaw and gums healthy. Do your best to avoid foods that are extra sticky, hard, sugary, or acidic. These items can put your implants at risk of damage or failure if you overindulge.

Break Bad Habits

Dental implants are made to be durable and lasting, however they can still break or fail due to bad habits and lifestyle choices. Stop smoking and using tobacco products because this habit slows down healing and promotes infection. Additionally, avoid using your smile for anything other than chewing, speaking, and smiling. Using your teeth to open packages or bottles is a quick way to damage your grin, which will require a visit to your implant dentist in Lake Oconee, Georgia.

Protect Your Dental Implants

Do you participate in sports or physical activity? If so, it’s vital that you wear a mouthguard to protect your dental implants. Teeth can be injured in contact and non-contact sports, which is why it’s so important to wear a mouthguard. Additionally, wear a nightguard if you suffer from bruxism (teeth grinding) to prevent unnecessary pressure and wear on your implants and restorations. We offer custom-made mouthguards and nightguards to give our patients the best and most comfortable solutions.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

Your daily at-home care is the easiest, most proactive way you can try to fend off issues that impact your dental implants. However, routine checkups allow one of our dentists to catch any problems that occur while they are still small. We can save you from more severe and costly dentistry in the future by taking steps early on. Without regular checkups, a warning sign may go unnoticed, leading to your implant eventually failing. These appointments also include a professional cleaning where one of our skilled hygienists can remove plaque and bacteria that are hard to reach on your own.

What to Do Directly After Dental Implant Surgery

Immediately following your dental implant surgery, your biggest priority is to leave the forming blood clot over your surgical site(s) untouched so that healing happens smoothly. To that end, please abide by the following rules:

• Do not spit. Use tissues or swallow your saliva.
• Do not use drinking straws. 
• Do not smoke for at least the first day but ideally quit permanently or for at least six months.
• Do your best to keep your fingers and tongue away from the surgical site(s).

Common Side-Effects When Recovering from Dental Implant Placement

Following your dental implant placement, you can expect to experience some mild side effects. These are perfectly normal, especially in the first few days after surgery, and may include:

• Intermittent bleeding which can be lessened by gently biting down on gauze with light pressure. This may continue for several days.
• Swelling over the first 72 hours, which could continue for over a week. You can apply cold or warm compresses to help.
• General discomfort can be treated with over-the-counter pain medication.

All these side effects should be temporary and will gradually subside as time goes by. If this is not the case, please let us know as soon as possible. 

Your Diet After Dental Implant Surgery

For the first few days following your dental implant surgery, we recommend you stick to a softer, non-abrasive diet full of the following nutritious foods:

• Mashed potatoes 
• Yogurt
• Ice cream
• Pudding
• Soup (nothing extremely hot) 
• Scrambled eggs
• Pasta

You may return to eating a normal diet as soon as you feel up to it, but we recommend limiting any overly crunchy or tough foods and avoiding directly chewing on your dental implant site(s).

Post-Op Health & Oral Hygiene

The day after your dental implant surgery it is okay to brush your teeth as usual, however please be very careful around the surgical sites. Rinse your mouth with warm saltwater two to three times a day and use any prescription mouth rinse you’ve been provided. Be sure to avoid any mouthwashes that contain high levels of alcohol like Listerine or Scope.

What to Do After Your New Teeth Are Attached

Once your new dental restorations have been attached, you may experience some minor, temporary sensitivity in the gum tissue. Thankfully, this is usually very easy to control with over-the-counter pain relievers. There should be no swelling, bleeding or extensive recovery required at this stage. In fact, you should be able to use your brand-new smile that very same day!