Dental Implants – Spring Hill, TN

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

Before we get started with your implant-supported tooth replacement plan, we’ll want to perform a complete evaluation of your current oral and overall health as well as your health history and any past surgical experiences. This includes a review of all medications to ensure no health condition or medication will adversely impact the success of your dental implant treatment plan. Then, we’ll plan any necessary preparatory treatments that may include one or more of the following services:

• Restorative services to improve oral health prior to treatment, including gum disease therapy
• Bone grafts to increase the density of supportive alveolar bone structures
• Soft tissue grafts may also be necessary to ensure the maximum chances for successful implant placement
• Medication and health history review with you and/or your employer

Dental Implant Surgery

Once your smile is prepared, we will place your dental implant posts. This is a minor surgical procedure. We start by making an incision in the soft tissue. Then, the dental implant post is inserted into the supportive structure. A protective cap is placed to allow the surgical site to heal and let the implant fuse with the gum and jawbone tissues.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment Placement

After the dental implants have fused with the gum line, we attach abutments. These pieces are used to affix the implant to the restorations. When the abutments are in place, we will design your dental crown, bridge, or denture that will be crafted by our dental lab technicians using the highest quality materials.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations

The final step of the process is the attachment of your custom-crafted dental crown, bridge, or denture. Once in place, these implant-supported restorations will look, feel, and function just like your healthy, beautiful smile. With such stunning results, you’ll proudly be showing off your pearly whites in no time!

Day-to-Day Benefits 

You use your teeth every single day for eating, speaking, and smiling. Here are some of the benefits that you can experience all the time with dental implants:

• Versatile: Dental implants can be used to replace any number of missing teeth, and they can be used to support numerous types of restorations. No matter what your tooth loss story is, dental implants can likely help!
• Efficient: An entire arch of missing teeth can be placed with anywhere from four to six dental implants. A bridge or partial denture can be supported with just two implants.
• Maintenance: It’s as easy to care for dental implants as it is for natural teeth. Great oral hygiene and regular dental checkups help to keep your restored smile in excellent shape.
• Confidence: No one wants to deal with tooth replacements that shift around or slip out of place. Dental implants remain anchored in the jawbone, allowing for a sturdy smile.

Health Benefits

In addition to improving your appearance, dental implants have a variety of health benefits. Here are some of the most prominent:

• Nutrition: With additional stability, it’s much easier to thoroughly chew the nutritious foods that you need to thrive.
• Strong Jawbone: Dental Implants act like tooth roots, so they stimulate the jawbone when you chew. This helps to prevent jawbone deterioration from occurring over time.
• Oral Health: By replacing missing teeth with dental implants, you can prevent your other teeth from shifting around and causing issues.

Long-Term Benefits

The benefits you feel right away are great, but they don’t stop there. Here are some of the advantages that you can experience many years down the road:

• Successful: Dental implants have an impressive success rate of over 95%.
• Youthful Appearance: Replacing missing teeth with dental implants can take many years off your appearance.
• Long-Lasting: With proper maintenance, dental implants can last upwards of three decades.

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

The long-term success of dental implants is largely due to the multi-phased treatment process. Although it can take several months to complete your smile, it is necessary to ensure your new smile lasts. Each step of your treatment has different costs. Your dentist in Spring Hill explains the cost of each phase during your initial consultation, including:

• Initial Consultation: You need an initial consultation that includes digital X-rays and a CT scan to ensure dental implants are right for you.
• Additional Treatments: It is common to need additional treatments to create the right foundation for your dental implants, like tooth extractions or bone grafting.
• Placement Surgery: Sedation or anesthesia is used during oral surgery to place your implant posts into your jawbone.
• Abutments & Restorations: After your jawbone fuses to the posts, abutments are connected to them. The special fixtures allow your restorations to be attached to the posts.

The Parts & Type of Your Dental Implant

There is no set amount you can expect to pay for dental implants because the amount is determined by your individual treatment plan. One factor that influences the cost is the type of dental implant needed, such as a traditional or mini-post. Besides the posts, the type of restoration you need also impacts the cost, such as if you need an implant crown, bridge, or denture. Generally, the more teeth you replace, the more it will cost.

How Dental Implants Pay for Themselves Long-Term

Dental implants can cost more than traditional options upfront, but they are the more affordable choice long-term because they never need to be replaced. They can last for several decades with the right aftercare. Not to mention, they improve your oral health to reduce your risk of tooth decay, gum disease, and additional tooth loss. This lowers your overall dental expenses.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Now, many insurance companies help pay for dental implants. Although they do not cover the entire treatment, they may lower the cost of certain aspects, like your CT scan or restorations. We work on your behalf with the insurance company to maximize the value of your policy. We also help reduce the amount you need to pay out-of-pocket to keep your new smile affordable.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

If you do not currently have dental insurance to cover the cost of dental implants, there are other ways you can make your treatment more affordable. For example, we accept a variety of payment options to cover any remaining balance, like third-party financing with CareCredit. This option allows you to cover payments for dental implants over the span of several months or years, depending on which plan you choose. These payments often come with little-to-no interest attached, making it possible to fit dental implants into almost any budget!

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Although dental implants can’t possibly develop cavities themselves, this doesn’t mean the surrounding bone and gum tissue are immune to future complications. To effectively avoid oral health issues like periodontal disease and decay, make sure to continue practicing good oral hygiene every day. This means you should brush twice a day, floss at least once daily (or after eating your meals), and rinse with ADA-approved mouthwash frequently to keep your breath fresh and dental implants clean.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Unlike other traditional tooth replacement options, you won’t have to worry much about any dietary restrictions with your dental implants since they’ll help you regain more than 80% of your natural biting power. Still, the kinds of foods you choose will be essential for promoting both your oral and overall health in the long run. Instead of overindulging in hard, sticky, sugary, or starchy treats, make sure to munch on meals that are packed with calcium and vitamin C to encourage healthier and stronger gums and jawbone.

Break Bad Habits

While durable, dental implants can still become damaged or end up failing due to certain bad oral habits. This can involve things like biting your nails, chewing on ice, or smoking tobacco, which can increase the risk of chipping your restorations or developing an infection. Make sure not to use your teeth as tools that way you can make the most of your new pearly whites for many years to come.

Protect Your Dental Implants

Do you often clench or grind your teeth at night? If so, you may need to consider investing in custom nightguards for bruxism. These oral appliances can help protect your dental implants from wear and tear as well as promote better rest. If you enjoy participating in contact sports, you might think of getting personalized mouthguards to prevent damage in case of physical trauma to the mouth.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

Even if you practice daily oral hygiene habits, there’s only so much you’ll be able to do on your own. That’s why it’s important to visit your dentist for checkups and cleanings every six months or sooner. This will allow them to monitor your dental implants, address any underlying issues they might detect, and help thoroughly clean any areas of your mouth that you can’t reach. With regular visits, you’ll have a higher chance of keeping your dental implants safe and healthy for decades to a lifetime.

How Long Do Dental Implants Last? 

One of the major benefits of dental implants is that they outlast other tooth replacement options by a considerable amount. It’s common for them to last for over 30 years if you maintain them well.

Of course, a lot of that depends on you. Dental implants need to be taken care of to prevent infection, so you should be sure to brush and floss thoroughly each day. It’s also a good idea to see us at least twice a year so we can check on the quality of your implant.

Can I Take Dental Implants Out?

Dental implants are designed to be fixed in the bone tissue, meaning that you can’t expect to take them out. In some ways this is an advantage to dental implants—they can be cleaned just like the rest of your teeth, and you’ll never have to worry about losing them.

However, it’s worth noting that some implant dentures are designed to be taken out for cleaning, which may make them a good option if you need to replace a lot of teeth and like the removability.

What Can Cause Dental Implants to Fail?

There are two main things that can cause your dental implants to fail. The first occurs just after the initial surgery if the titanium isn’t able to fuse with the jaw well. This may happen if you have an impaired healing capacity, if you have low jawbone density, or if the implant is disturbed during healing.

The second is infection. Severe gum disease is capable of attacking the jawbone, eroding the support structures for the implant. In severe cases, your dental implants may even fall out completely.

If you want to avoid these problems, you should a) listen carefully to all aftercare instructions, and b) take good care of your oral health.

How Long Does It Take to Recover from Dental Implant Surgery?

In the grand scheme of things, dental implant surgery isn’t all that intense. Aftercare should be mild—you should be able to go back to normal as soon as the day after surgery. Any bleeding and swelling should go down after a few days. However, it is recommended that you avoid strenuous activity, as this can slow down healing.

Be sure to take any prescribed or over-the-counter pain medicine as directed to keep yourself comfortable while your dental implant heals.

What to Do Directly After Dental Implant Surgery

The most important thing to do is leave the forming blood clot untouched. This is crucial for a successful healing process. Here are some rules that you should be following at this time:

• Don’t spit! Instead, use tissues or swallow your saliva.
• Don’t use straws when drinking.
• Avoid smoking immediately after your procedure.
• Avoid touching the surgical site with your fingers or tongue.

Common Side-Effects When Recovering from Dental Implant Placement

Some mild side effects are normal – especially in the first few days after your surgery. Here are the most common ones you are likely to experience:

• Bleeding: Intermittent bleeding can occur for several days. This can be lessened with gauze and light pressure.
• Swelling: For the first 72 hours, you may experience some inflammation. Cold compresses can help to reduce this.
• Discomfort: Some soreness is normal after this procedure. It can be managed with your pain medication.

All of the effects should be temporary and subside over time. If you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Your Diet After Dental Implant Surgery

For the first few days after your procedure, you should stick to softer foods. Here are some of the items you can enjoy while you heal:

• Mashed potatoes 
• Yogurt
• Ice cream
• Pudding
• Soup (not extremely hot) 
• Scrambled eggs
• Pasta

You can return to your normal diet as soon as you feel comfortable, but we recommend that you avoid foods that are extremely crunchy and don’t chew directly on the implant site.

Post-Op Health & Oral Hygiene

The day after surgery, it is okay to brush your teeth as usual, though be very careful to avoid the surgical sites. To keep this area clean, rinse your mouth a few times a day with salt water. Use your prescription mouthwash if you are provided with one. You should avoid any mouthwashes that contain high levels of alcohol, so be thorough when checking labels.

What to Do After Your New Teeth Are Attached

Now that your replacement teeth have been attached, the difficult part is over! After your new crown, bridge, or denture is attached, you may experience some temporary sensitivity in your gum tissue, but this should be easy to control with pain medication. You shouldn’t experience any swelling, bleeding, or extensive recovery. You will be ready to smile on the exact same day!