Do your missing teeth make living your daily life increasingly frustrating and difficult? Do you avoid smiling in front of other, saying certain words, or eating certain foods? Do you wish you could just have your real teeth back? While that’s not possible, dental implants are able to look and feel exactly like the teeth you used to have. They make smiling, eating, and talking a breeze again! Dr. Natalie Ortiz and Dr. Ramon Ortiz work closely with the best dental implant specialists in the area to ensure you receive the top-notch tooth replacement care you deserve. If you’re ready to learn more about how dental implants in Las Cruces can revitalize your smile after tooth loss, contact Painted Skies Dental Center today!
A dental implant is a small, screw-shaped post that is made out of titanium or another biocompatible material. Dental implants differ from other types of tooth replacements because instead of being placed on top of the gums or existing teeth, implants are instead inserted into the jaw, where they merge with the surrounding bone and tissue. This unique process, called osseointegration, allows dental implants to act as new tooth roots for a custom crown, bridge, or denture. As a result, the strength and stability they offer is unparalleled in comparison to traditional methods. Not to mention, dental implants are capable of lasting for several decades as long as you take good care of them!
Although dental implant treatment takes longer than placing a dental bridge or denture, rest assured that implants are worth the wait! The details of every patient’s journey differ, but the four basic steps of the dental implant process are:
Unlike other options for tooth replacement, dental implants bring back the entire tooth, including the root. As a result, they offer countless advantages when compared to regular dentures and bridges. In fact, there are plenty of benefits of dental implants that you may not have considered before. Here are a few of the reasons why dental implants are the best tooth replacement in both the short and long term!
Whether you’ve lost one tooth or an entire arch of teeth, there’s a dental implant solution that can meet your needs. By combining dental implants with dental restorations, you can regain your smile’s health, function, strength, and beauty.
For a single missing tooth, we attach a dental crown to an individual implant, which will be surgically placed into your jawbone by a specialist. Once the jawbone has grown around it, you’ll return to our dental office so that we can attach the dental crown on top.
When patients are missing two teeth in a row, we typically create two dental crowns fused together that are attached to a single dental implant. Those patients missing three to four consecutive teeth will likely need a fixed bridge which consists of three or four prosthetic teeth crafted as a single unit and supported on either end by a dental implant post.
Full dentures traditionally are held in place through suction between the denture and the gums, but implant-supported dentures offer superior support and stability by anchoring the denture to an average of four to eight dental implant posts.
Although dental implants typically have a higher upfront cost compared to bridges or dentures alone, implants are typically considered the wisest financial decision for tooth replacement because they last much longer and offer a higher quality of life. The cost for your dental implants will depend on how many you need, the type and location of your implants, and the restoration that will be attached to them. At your consultation, our team can help you determine an accurate price for your specific treatment to get your smile back up to par.
There are a variety of dental implants, the most popular being titanium ones. Depending on what materials are being used to replace your missing teeth, the cost will be different. In addition to this factor, the number of implants you need to have placed can also drastically impact the price. For example, replacing a single tooth will require the placement of one post, while replacing two or more requires multiple in order to support the restoration.
If you’re looking to have an entire arch of missing teeth replaced, an implant denture can require the placement of anywhere from four to eight posts. This will affect the surgery time, amount of anesthesia required, and several other factors that affect the price.
The dental implant process can be broken down into a few separate stages. The good news is that you don’t have to pay for everything upfront. Rather, you’ll pay for each individual procedure as you need it over the course of several months. Here are the separate visits that you can expect to pay for:
Patients and professionals will agree that dental implants are well worth the investment. Over the long run, these are more cost-effective than having to replace multiple traditional restorations. Plus, they can last over three decades when they’re properly cared for. They also reduce your risk of experiencing costly oral health problems like bone decay, additional tooth loss, and gum disease.
Most dental insurance policies do not cover implants because they’re considered a cosmetic procedure. However, this is slowly beginning to change, so it’s worth it to contact your insurance provider to double-check. We’ll be more than happy to help maximize your coverage and explore additional financing options with you as well. Plus, at Painted Skies Dental Center, we accept most major providers and will help develop a payment plan that fits your unique needs.
Dental implants are available in a variety of metals, ceramics, and polymers. We will most often recommend high quality, time-tested titanium implant posts. However, for those patients who have metal allergies or sensitivities, a zirconia implant may be a better option.
Your implant placement surgery is actually minimally invasive and completed quickly and comfortably. We numb the area around the empty socket. Then, a small incision is made into the soft tissue. Your implant post is placed. A protective cap is attached to the implant post. Then, you’ll wait for three to six months in order to allow the implantation site to fully heal and the implant post to fuse with the gums before returning to our dental office to receive your final replacement tooth or teeth.
The number of implant posts you need depends on how many teeth are missing and where they’re located in your smile. We will usually recommend the following:
The cost of dental implants varies based on a number of factors, including the material, manufacturer, and size of the post. In most cases, a single implant post will cost between $500 and $3,000. Our team can help you to plan for the out-of-pocket costs of implant-supported tooth replacement.
Implant-supported replacement teeth have a high success rate after two decades, and many patients are able to maintain their flawlessly repaired smile for the rest of their lives.
Many patients hear horror stories about dental implant failure. While this is a possibility, it’s extremely rare. With detailed planning prior to placement and appropriate oral health care after implantation, a dental implant supported replacement tooth or teeth has a 90 to 95% success rate after 20 years. This is compared to traditional tooth replacement options that need to be replaced every five to ten years.