Start Your Smile Transformation
Missing teeth can disrupt your life, affecting everything from your ability to enjoy meals to your confidence in social interactions. At Shawn B. Davis, DMD, Oral & Facial Surgery Institute, Dental Implant Specialists, we offer advanced dental implant services to restore your smile and enhance your quality of life.
Dr. Davis and our experienced team provide personalized care, utilizing cutting-edge techniques to ensure successful implants and long-term success. We understand that each patient's needs are unique, and we are committed to creating a tailored treatment plan that addresses your specific concerns. Our goal is to provide a permanent solution for tooth loss, restoring both function and aesthetics to your smile.
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are titanium posts, often made of titanium alloys, that serve as artificial tooth roots. These titanium posts are surgically placed into the jaw bone, providing a strong foundation for replacement teeth. The process involves bone growth around the implants, ensuring stability and longevity.
Once the bone healing process is complete, an implant abutment is attached, which serves as a connector for the prosthetic teeth, such as a dental crown, bridges, or an entire arch of teeth. Dental implants are a popular option for replacing missing teeth, offering a stable and natural-looking alternative to removable dentures.
The Benefits of Dental Implants
Dental implants closely resemble real teeth, providing a seamless and natural-looking smile. This ensures that your replacement teeth blend flawlessly with your existing teeth, restoring your confidence in social situations.
Unlike removable appliances, dental implants allow you to eat, speak, and smile easily. You can enjoy your favorite foods without restrictions and speak clearly without worrying about slippage or discomfort.
Dental implants prevent bone loss and protect adjacent teeth, contributing to overall oral health. By stimulating the jaw bone, implants prevent bone resorption, maintaining your facial structure and supporting nearby teeth.
With proper care, dental implants can last a lifetime, making them a cost-effective solution. Regular dental visits and proper oral hygiene habits will ensure the longevity and success of your implants.
Dental implants help maintain the natural bone structure of your jaw, preventing bone resorption and preserving your facial features. This helps maintain a youthful appearance and prevents the sunken facial look often associated with tooth loss.
Unlike bridges, dental implants do not require the alteration of nearby teeth, preserving their natural tooth structure. This ensures that adjacent teeth remain healthy and intact, avoiding unnecessary damage.
Types of Dental Implants
Every patient's tooth loss is unique, and so are their implant needs. We offer a variety of implant options to address diverse situations, ensuring a customized and effective solution. Discover which type of implant is right for you.
- Single Tooth Implants: Ideal for replacing a single lost tooth, these implants provide a stable and natural-looking replacement. They are a popular choice for patients who have lost an individual tooth due to trauma, decay, or other reasons.
- Multiple Implants: Used to replace multiple missing teeth, multiple implants can support bridges or partial dentures. This solution offers a strong and secure foundation for restoring multiple adjacent teeth.
- Full-Arch Restoration: This option replaces an entire arch of teeth. It is an excellent option for patients who have lost all or most of their teeth in one or both arches.
- Zygomatic Implants: These implants are anchored in the cheek bone, offering a solution for patients with insufficient bone height in the jaw. They provide an alternative to bone grafting procedures for patients who do not have enough bone to support traditional implants.
- Zirconia Implants: Made from zirconia, a ceramic material, these implants offer a metal-free alternative for patients with metal allergies. These implants are biocompatible and aesthetically pleasing.
What to Expect During Dental Implant Surgery
The journey towards a restored smile begins with a comprehensive consultation. During this initial visit, Dr. Davis will evaluate your oral health, discuss your treatment goals, and assess your candidacy for dental implants. Advanced imaging techniques, such as 3D scans, will be used to create a detailed treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. If bone grafting is necessary to ensure adequate bone volume for implant placement, this procedure will typically be performed before the implant surgery.
On the day of surgery, local anesthesia will be administered to ensure your comfort. For patients who experience dental anxiety, sedation options may be available. Once you are comfortable, small incisions will be made in the gum tissue to expose the jaw bone. Titanium posts, serving as artificial tooth roots, will be carefully placed into the bone at precise locations. The gum tissue will be sutured closed, and a healing period will commence.
During the healing phase, a process called osseointegration occurs, where the titanium posts fuse with the jaw bone, creating a stable foundation for your replacement teeth. This process typically takes several months. Temporary teeth or temporary dentures may be provided to maintain aesthetics and function during this period.
Once osseointegration is complete, a second minor procedure will be performed to attach abutments to the implants. Abutments serve as connectors between the implants and the final prosthetic teeth. Impressions will be taken to create custom-made dental crowns, bridges, or dentures that will be attached to the abutments. These prosthetic teeth will be carefully crafted to match the color, shape, and size of your natural teeth, ensuring a seamless and natural-looking smile. Regular visits to our office will be scheduled to monitor the healing process and ensure the long-term success of your dental implants.
Types of Anesthesia
Depending on your procedure, you will receive one of the following forms of anesthesia to ensure your comfort.
How Much Do Dental Implants Cost?
The cost of dental implants varies depending on several factors:
- Extent of treatment required.
- Type of implants used.
- Need for additional procedures, such as bone grafting.
- Complexity of the surgical procedures.
- Additional costs related to restorative treatments.
- Insurance coverage and out-of-pocket costs.
We will discuss dental care costs with you during your initial consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Am I an ideal candidate for dental implants, and what factors affect the dental care cost?
The ideal candidate for dental implants generally possesses healthy gums and sufficient jaw bone to support the titanium posts. During your initial visit and consultation appointment, our oral surgeon will evaluate your oral health and current medical conditions to determine if you are a suitable candidate for this treatment option. Factors such as the extent of treatment required, the need for additional procedures like bone graft, and the type of implants used will influence the overall dental care cost. We will discuss all aspects of the implant process to ensure you understand the investment in your complete smile.
2. How do dental implant procedures compare to alternative procedures like bridges or conventional dentures?
Dental implant procedures offer a permanent solution compared to alternative procedures. While bridges can require altering adjacent teeth and conventional dentures are removable prosthesis, dental implants provide a stable, natural-looking anchor for replacement teeth. They help prevent bone loss, maintain facial structure, and function like real teeth. Our dental professionals will explain the different treatment approaches and help you understand why implants are a popular option and a cost-effective solution for long-term oral health.
3. What can I expect during the dental implant surgery process and the healing phase?
During dental implant placement, our dental surgeon will administer local anesthesia and, if needed, antibiotics before surgery to minimize the risk of infection. Titanium posts are then carefully placed into the jaw bone. Following the procedure, you may experience moderate pain, which can be managed with over-the-counter pain medications. The healing phase involves osseointegration, where the implants fuse with your jaw bone. Regular visits will be scheduled to monitor implant success and ensure proper healing of the soft tissues. We will provide detailed instructions on oral hygiene and preventative care, including how to use dental floss and avoid hot liquids, to minimize the risk of complications and ensure the long-term success of your implant restorations.
Providing Excellent Oral Surgery in St. George
Outstanding outcomes and excellent care. That's our goal at Oral & Facial Surgery. At our office in St. George, we're able to craft beautiful smiles and serve our community. If you're looking for an Shawn B. Davis, DMD, Oral & Facial Surgery Institute, Dental Implant Specialists that exceeds expectations, contact our office to learn more about how we can help you achieve optimal oral health.