Questions About Dental Implants

A dental implant is a small titanium device that is placed in the jaw and serves as a replacement for the root portion of a missing natural tooth. Due to the biocompatible properties of titanium, a dental implant fuses with the bone and becomes a very solid anchor. Dental implants can be used for replacing single or multiple missing teeth, as well as supporting removable dental prosthetics.

A dental implant will maintain the bone where a tooth was removed. Otherwise the jawbone will shrink in all dimensions. An implant will add strength and stability to your dentition. Once in place, it will feel natural like your other teeth, and they are hard to tell apart from your natural teeth.

From years of clinical experience and millions of patients treated, statistics confirm a success rate of over 98 percent.

Options for tooth replacement may include: a removable partial denture, a fixed bridge, or a dental implant. When an implant is possible it adds strength to the dentition, sometimes becoming the strongest tooth of all. When there are no other teeth to use as bridge supports, or when the other teeth are inadequate supports for a bridge is when dental implants become the preferred option. Dental implants also eliminate the need to modify other teeth.

The first stage of treatment is the surgical placement of the dental implant in the jaw where there once was a tooth. Time is then required for the dental implant to osseointegrate to the jawbone before the abutment crown can be attached to the implant. This healing time varies on many factors. The total treatment time continues to decrease, but is usually between two and six months.

The fee for tooth replacement with dental implants depends on several factors including the number of teeth being replaced and the number of dental implants required to support your replacement teeth. The total fee includes three steps: 1) Surgical placement which may require additional bone grafting. 2) The type of abutment (the very technical part inside the implant that the crown attaches to) and 3) The type of crown desired. Our total fee for a single tooth replacement with implant, abutment, and crown starts at around $2500.00 and up. Each case is unique, and costs will vary for each patient. We will always provide superior service at a reasonable price. There are many implant manufacturers, but we have been using only the best implants, Bicon®, since 1986.

With any surgery, there can be some discomfort in placing the implant after the first appointment. Our experience is that most patients experience less discomfort than what they were anticipating. Placement of the implant is less painful than the extraction that removed the tooth. The additional steps in restoring the implant cause no discomfort and do not require local anesthesia.

Your implant supported crowns are just like your natural teeth. During your regular cleaning appointments we will provide instructions for your specific situation. If you have any questions about getting dental implants at Implant Dentistry of the Northshore…please call contact us at 781-639-2585.