Dental Implants – Castle Rock, CO

The Initial Dental Implant Consultation

The first step on your journey towards a whole and functional smile is the initial consultation with Dr. Radz or Dr. Thompson. During this visit, you’ll get plenty of one-on-one time with your dentist to discuss all of your tooth replacement options with you. They’ll examine your mouth, ask about your oral and medical health history, and discuss your smile goals with you. Based on all of the information our team gathers, we’ll be able to let you know whether you’re a good candidate for dental implants in Castle Rock.

Dental Implant Surgery

Next, the dental implants themselves will be surgically placed below the gumline and within the jawbone. Although this procedure sounds extensive, it’s fairly minor and doesn’t involve a lot of downtime. Our team works alongside local dental implant experts to make sure you achieve the best results possible, so we’ll refer you out for this part of the process.

Osseointegration & Abutment Attachment

Following your surgery, your gums will begin to heal around your dental implants and your implants will begin osseointegration, which is the process where they fuse with the jawbone. This will occur over the following three to six months after your surgery. Once osseointegration is complete, our team will have you come back in to secure small metal connector pieces called abutments to your implants.

Delivering the Final Restoration

Finally, after your gums have healed around the abutments and our team has received your final dental restoration from our laboratory, we’ll have you return to our office to have your new teeth connected to your implants. In some cases, we may have an implant ceramist come to the office and work with patients to create custom-designed restorations for the best possible appearance.

Day-to-Day Benefits

There are several ways dental implants can help you get the most out of your everyday life:

• The Ability to Eat Most Foods: You’ll be able to eat virtually anything you want once the final crown, bridge, or denture has been attached to your dental implants. This is because the implant posts provide stability and chewing power that is almost on par with your natural teeth.
• The Ability to Speak More Clearly: If you wear traditional dentures, you might sometimes slur your words due to your prosthesis slipping out of place. Dental implants ensure that your replacement teeth will stay put while you’re trying to speak, allowing you to communicate clearly with others.
• Easier Oral Hygiene: Taking care of dental implants isn’t much different than taking care of your natural teeth. You can simply brush and floss like you normally would; there’s no need to worry about learning any complicated cleaning techniques.

Health Benefits

As an implant dentist in Castle Rock can tell you, dental implants can be an excellent choice for your smile due to the many ways they can benefit your oral health:

• Preservation of the Jawbone: Did you know that your teeth stimulate the jawbone in order to help it maintain its strength and bone density? Dental implants can provide the same sort of stimulation, which means they can help combat the bone loss that usually occurs when teeth are missing.
• Protection for Your Remaining Teeth: If you still have some of your natural teeth, there’s a chance that they could start to drift toward the empty space that’s now present in your smile due to tooth loss. Fortunately, dental implants can fill these gaps and keep your remaining teeth properly aligned.
• Better Nutrition: It’s easier to maintain a nutritious diet when you aren’t limited in what you can eat. Dental implants give you the freedom to enjoy all kinds of foods, including those that your body needs to stay in excellent health.

Long-Term Benefits

Dental implants offer plenty of advantages in the short term, but their long-term benefits should not be overlooked:

• High Success Rate: In 95% of cases, dental implants remain successful even 20 years after their initial placement. They’re definitely worth considering if you want a reliable solution for tooth loss.
• A More Youthful Appearance: Bone loss in your jaw can ultimately result in a sunken, aged look. But dental implants can prevent this problem, which can go a long way toward helping you look younger.
• Durability: Dental implants can typically last far longer than other forms of tooth replacement. In fact, it’s possible for dental implant posts to last a lifetime if they receive the right kind of care.

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

A suitable candidate for dental implants will be free from oral infections like cavities and gum disease, and we will be happy to address these issues in our office so you can qualify for the treatment. While any restorative procedures administered will be represented on your bill, they may receive some coverage from your dental insurance plan. You’ll also need strong jawbones, so we may have to refer you to a specialist for bone grafts before you can receive implants. Dental implant placement surgery will also incur its own cost, and we’ll be sure to walk you through the treatment process during your consultation so you can know what you can expect to pay.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

The cost of your dental implants will also be determined by factors like:

• Number of implants: Each individual implant will be noted on your bill.
• Type of restoration: Larger restorations like dentures require more material to make and are, therefore, more expensive than smaller restorations like crowns.
• Size and material: Longer implants are more expensive than shorter ones, and devices crafted from zirconia may be priced differently than those made from titanium.
• Brand: Please contact our office if you’d like to know more about who manufactures our dental implants.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

While traditional restorations may seem more affordable than dental implants at first glance, these devices will typically need to be replaced within seven years even if they receive excellent care. Traditional bridges and dentures also do not address the problem of bone atrophy that occurs after tooth loss, so they may not be able to prevent issues like dental drift and facial collapse. Dental implants, on the other hand, can last for several decades or even a lifetime if they receive excellent care, which can negate the need for frequent expensive replacements. They can also stimulate the jawbone to prevent bone loss, which can help a patient avoid oral health problems that are costly to treat.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Dental insurance policies do not usually cover dental implants, but we’ll be happy to go over your plan with you in case it is an exception. However, insurance will usually pay for preliminary treatments that address oral infections at least in part. We’ll be sure to help you understand what your policy will pay for during your consultation.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

We understand that many patients may need a little help fitting their dental implants into their budgets, so we offer several options that can make their bills easier to manage. These include:

• Flexible financing options: We partner with iCreditWorks, a trusted third-party financier that can break your bill into easy monthly payments.
• Our in-house membership plan: For $40 a month, you can have your routine oral care covered and receive a 20% discount on many of our other services.

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Your new teeth are made from biocompatible materials to help ensure your mouth won’t reject them, but unlike your natural enamel, they can’t get cavities. However, it’s essential to maintain a twice-daily dental hygiene routine to prevent the surrounding tissues from developing disease or decay, which can contribute to failure.

You can help maintain them by brushing and flossing both morning and night, taking care not to press so deeply into the pocket of your implants that you damage their protective seals.

Eat a Healthy Diet

These prosthetics are the only ones that are embedded in your jaw and eventually fuse with the bone to become a more permanent part of your mouth. As a result, they are so firmly rooted that there are very few dietary restrictions required.

But that doesn’t mean they’re invincible, and eating overly hard, sticky, crunchy, acidic, or sugary foods can be problematic. Fortunately, your new teeth are strong enough that patients can enjoy a wide variety of wholesome foods to enhance their oral and overall health. For instance, dairy products contain calcium for strong teeth and bones, and many citrus fruits and leafy greens are high in vitamin C to support your connective tissues.

Break Bad Habits

You might think anxiously nibbling your fingernails, chewing pen caps, or eating ice is harmless, but your dental implants aren’t meant to be used on such hard objects. You might accidentally chip, crack, or destabilize them if you use them as tools or to bite items not intended for oral use, so it’s best to try to break these habits.

Furthermore, if you smoke cigarettes, vape, or use tobacco products, you may be significantly more likely to harm your new teeth. They contain nicotine, which suppresses your immune system and reduces healthy blood flow to your mouth. This increases the likelihood of developing an infection after oral surgery, such as peri-implantitis, the leading cause of failure.

Protect Your Dental Implants

Athletes and other who participate in close-contact activities are prone to sustaining injuries that can hurt their teeth and restorations. Not only that, but subconsciously grinding your teeth at night can hinder successful recovery after your procedure or hurt your new teeth.

Thankfully, our team can provide custom-fitted oral appliances, such as a mouthguard or nightguard, to safeguard your smile from physical trauma.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

Seeing our team every 6 months for a routine checkup and cleaning allows us to monitor your condition so we can identify and address any areas of concern, such as swollen gums or a loose dental implant, before they progress into more serious problems.