Over the last few decades, dental implants in Fort Worth have emerged as one of the most popular tooth replacement treatments chosen among patients. This is because they offer a wide array of unique benefits that revolve around both health and aesthetics. They restore the entire structure of missing teeth, making them feel and function nearly identically to your home-grown pearly whites. To learn whether you’re a good candidate for dental implants in Fort Worth, TX, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team to schedule a consultation with Dr. Buck today.
Why Choose Hulen Crossing Family Dental for Dental Implants?
Start-to-Finish Dental Implant Treatment
Experienced Oral Surgeon On-Staff
Dental Sedation for Surgery
What are Dental Implants?
Dental implants themselves are small, titanium posts that are surgically placed below your gum line and into the jawbone to restore the roots of your missing teeth. Due to their biocompatible nature, they’re able to fuse with the bone, helping them keep the structure from eroding by providing it with necessary stimulation and blood flow. Once this process is complete, we’ll be able to attach a customized crown, bridge, or full or partial denture to replace any number of missing teeth.
The 4-Step Dental Implant Process
Dental implants are considered the gold standard of tooth replacement for a good reason. Even though the process takes several months to complete, patients find the incredible benefits well worth the time and effort. At Hulen Crossing Family Dental, we’re proud to be able to offer this top-tier smile upgrade to you. While every patient’s treatment plan will look slightly different, there are four main steps that you can expect regarding dental implants in Fort Worth.
Initial Dental Implant Consultation
The first step on your journey toward a complete and fully functioning smile is a consultation with our dentist. During this appointment, he will conduct an oral examination, review your dental health and medical history, ask about your goals to determine whether this treatment is right for you, and make sure you understand how dental implants work in Fort Worth. Based on the findings, he may need to perform some preliminary procedures (gum disease therapy, tooth extractions, bone grafting) to prepare your mouth.
Dental Implant Surgery
Our dentist can complete the entire dental implant process in-house to ensure a top-notch result for your smile. In preparation for implant placement, he numbs the area to ensure you’re completely comfortable during the procedure. Then, he will make small incisions in the gums, insert the implants at precise angles and locations in the jawbone, and suture your gums shut. Afterward, he will place a protective cap over the posts to keep your mouth safe.
After approximately 3-6 months, the dental implant will integrate with your jawbone via a natural process called osseointegration. Once that step is complete, you’ll return to the office for a second smaller surgery to place the abutments on top of the posts. While you heal, your final restorations will be made using impressions taken of your mouth.
Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations
A trusted dental laboratory will craft each dental implant restoration so that it fits perfectly inside your mouth. When it’s ready, we’ll call you back to the office and attach your crown, bridge, or denture to your abutments. Your implant dentist in Fort Worth will make any final adjustments to ensure your new smile is exactly what you wanted. You’ll be ready to enjoy your newly rebuilt grin that same day!
Benefits of Dental Implants
As the only tooth replacement option that rebuilds the entire structure of a missing tooth, dental implants offer a variety of important benefits that you simply can’t get with dental bridges or dentures. You can enjoy results that mimic natural teeth in virtually every way, boosting your health, confidence, and quality of life in the process. Read on as we cover some of the most popular benefits dental implants have to offer!
Day-to-Day Benefits
Easy maintenance: Unlike dentures and dental bridges that need special cleaning solutions and brushes, you can care for your dental implants just like they were natural teeth.
Eat all your favorite foods: Dental implants can restore 80% or more of your natural chewing power with optimal stability, so you can easily eat nuts, steak, apples, or anything else on your plate.
Absolutely seamless results: The restorations that are paired with dental implants are designed to look just like natural teeth, so no matter how many teeth you’re replacing,
Smile confidently: Since dental implants are firmly anchored into your jawbone, they will never slip or pop out of place at embarrassing times. You may even forget you have them as you talk, laugh, smile, and go about your day!
Health Benefits
Preservation of your youthful appearance: Dental implants prevent jawbone deterioration, which stops the sunken, aged facial appearance that typically comes with tooth loss.
Minimize your risk of future tooth loss: As dental implants strengthen the portion of the jawbone they’re embedded in, they support the surrounding tissues supporting the rest of your teeth, helping keep them securely in place
Keep your remaining teeth healthy: Dentures and dental bridges wear down remaining teeth and cause gum irritation, but dental implants are completely self-supporting, making them the healthiest option for your smile.
Enjoy better overall health: Dental implants allow you to eat a healthier, more nutritious diet, which can dramatically improve your health. Plus, research indicates that maintaining better oral health has a demonstrable positive effect on overall health, including a lower risk of heart health, memory loss, and respiratory disease.
Long-Term Benefits
A reliable, long-term success rate: When placed by an expert like one of our doctors, dental implants have an astonishing success rate of 95% over 10 years!
New teeth for life: With the proper care, you can easily expect your dental implants to last a lifetime!
Save thousands of dollars: Dental bridges and dentures have a lower initial price than dental implants, but they need to be replaced every five to seven years. Since dental implants can last a lifetime, they can potentially save you thousands of dollars in replacements alone over the years! Plus, dental implants prevent future tooth loss and lower your risk of oral health issues, which reduces the overall cost of caring for your smile.
Who Dental Implants Can Help
Dental implants can help patients who are missing one or more teeth. However, there are a few traits that are necessary to be a good candidate. If you don’t meet all of the requirements right away, we can help improve your oral health or provide you with preparatory treatments to help get you there. We’ll discuss your candidacy at your initial consultation, once we’ve had a chance to speak with you, collect X-rays of your mouth, and conduct a visual examination of your teeth and gums. Afterward, we’ll walk you through how we plan to restore your smile.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?
Practically any healthy adult with missing teeth can be considered a good candidate for dental implants. We typically don’t recommend dental implants for patients younger than 18 years old, since their jawbones are still developing and changing. However, there is no upper age limit for dental implants! You simply need to have these main qualities:
Good health: You need to be well enough to undergo minor oral surgery to have your dental implants placed.
Great oral health: Issues like cavities and gum disease need to be treated first, since these problems can cause dental implant failure.
Adequate jawbone dentistry: Your jawbone needs to be strong enough and dense enough for dental implants to fuse with.
If you are not initially considered a good candidate for dental implants, we may be able to help you become one. Many patients need preliminary procedures like a bone graft or gum disease treatment before they can move forward with dental implants. Once you’ve been given the green light, we’ll work with you to detail the next steps of your plan, which will revolve largely around how many teeth you’re missing.
Missing 1 Tooth
We can place a single dental implant below the gumline and into the jawbone. Once it has fused with the bone, we’ll attach an abutment that will hold a customized dental crown in place, filling the gap between your teeth seamless. This is much better than replacing one missing tooth with a traditional dental bridge, which requires altering the healthy teeth on either side.
Missing Multiple Teeth
For replacing multiple consecutive missing teeth, we can secure an implant bridge to two dental implants that we’ll place on either side of the gap in your smile. Again, this prevents the need to file down healthy teeth.
For replacing multiple missing teeth around the mouth, you have a few options. You could choose to replace each individual tooth with a single dental implant and crown, but it may be easier and more cost-effective to use a few dental implants to secure a partial denture in place.
Working with Local Specialists
If you are missing all your natural teeth or are tired of your traditional removable denture, dental implants can be an excellent choice for you! For more complex tooth loss situations like these, Drs. Buck and DeSimone partner with local implant specialists to ensure that you receive the expert care you deserve. We want to make sure that your new smile lasts a lifetime!
Understanding the Cost
of Dental Implants
The dental implant procedure is completely customized to fit each patient’s unique needs. Because of this, there’s no set cost associated with the treatment. During your initial consultation, we’ll determine key, price-determining factors so we can provide you with a detailed estimate. In the meantime, here are some things for you to keep in mind.
Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implants Surgery
Any preliminary treatments that you require before getting dental implants, like gum disease therapy, tooth extractions, or bone grafting, will contribute to the overall cost. For many patients, these treatments are necessary to ensure that the dental implants are successful. Sometimes, preliminary treatments are covered by dental insurance, so this is something that you should double check with your provider. Because we place implants in-office, you don’t need to worry about working with an outside surgeon and needing to pay for the implant placement separately.
The Parts of Your Dental Implants
Here are some of the factors that affect the cost of your treatment:
Number of Implants: Depending on the number of teeth that you are needing to have replaced and where they are in the mouth, we will determine what the right number of implants is for you. The more implants you get, the greater the cost.
Type of Restoration: Crowns, bridges, and dentures all have their own costs. Smaller restorations tend to be more affordable.
Materials Used: Implants can be made out of either titanium or zirconia. These materials are at different price points.
Brand of Dental Implant: Dental implants come from numerous different manufacturers. This can influence their cost.
How Dental Implants Can Save You Money
Lots of people find it tempting to try to save money by opting for traditional dentures or bridges. However, dental implants have benefits that you can’t find with other tooth replacement options. They can even help you to save on overall costs in the long run. You won’t need to pay for replacements every five to seven years either like you would for dentures. There’s no need to stock up on adhesives or soaking solutions. Implants can also help you prevent oral health issues from developing, like gum disease, that will require costly treatments later on.
Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?
A lot of the time, dental insurance doesn’t pay for the implants themselves, but there are some exceptions. Parts of the final or preliminary treatments are often covered. Our team would be happy to go over your benefits with you so that you know exactly what is and isn’t covered before treatment begins. This way, we can help you fully maximize your coverage.
Making Dental Implants Affordable
If you don’t have dental insurance, this doesn’t mean that you are completely out of luck. We have an in-house dental membership plan that allows patients to save on procedures completed at our practice. We also work with CareCredit – a third-party financing company that can divide the cost of treatment into manageable monthly installments to fit into your budget. Talk to one of our friendly team members to learn more.
Dental Implant Post-Op Instructions
The entire dental implant process takes place at our office. After your procedure, you will be given specific post-op instructions to help you recover as quickly and comfortably as possible. In the meantime, here is what you can expect after your surgery and what kind of post-op instructions you can anticipate to ensure a quick, comfortable recovery.
What to Do Directly After Dental Implant Surgery
You may not be looking forward to the procedure itself, but when you take all the right steps, you can make the healing process quick and tolerable. Your biggest priority should be to leave the forming blood clot untouched so that the healing isn’t interrupted. Be sure that you:
Avoid spitting. Instead, swallow your saliva or use a tissue.
Don’t use straws when you drink.
Keep your tongue and fingers away from the surgical site.
Common Side-Effects When Recovering from Dental Implant Placement
It’s normal for you to experience some side effects in the first few days after getting your dental implants, but they are generally mild. Here are some of the most common:
Bleeding: Intermittent bleeding is normal right after surgery. This can be lessened with the use of gauze and light pressure. This should subside after just a few days.
Swelling: Swelling is often present for the first 72 hours after surgery, but sometimes it can last over a week. Cold compresses can help to reduce this.
Soreness: It’s normal for the area to feel sore for a few days, but this can be managed by taking recommended pain relievers as directed by your dentist.
Your Diet After Dental Implant Surgery
It’s important that you’re mindful of what you’re eating after your procedure. Here are some soft foods that you should stock up on ahead of time:
Mashed potatoes
Yogurt
Ice cream
Pudding
Soup
Scrambled eggs
Pasta
Once your discomfort subsides, you can start to transition back to your normal diet. Just remember that you should still avoid chewing directly on the implant site until it has completely healed. You want to give your restoration the best possible chance of being successful.
Post-Op Health & Oral Hygiene
It’s crucial that you keep your smile clean after your surgery. This way, the dental implants will be better able to integrate with your jawbone. Here are some tips that can help you keep up excellent oral hygiene:
Brush your teeth the day after your surgery. Be especially careful near the surgical site.
Rinse your mouth with saltwater.
Use your prescription mouth rinse if you were provided with one.
Stay away from mouthwashes that contain high levels of alcohol.
What to Do After Your New Teeth Are Attached
Now, the difficult part is over! When your dental crown, bridge, or denture is attached to your implant(s), you may experience some sensitivity, but this is usually easy to control with over-the-counter pain relievers, and it’s temporary. You shouldn’t experience any additional bleeding, inflammation, or extensive recovery.
Dental Implant FAQs
If you’re looking for new, lifelike replacement teeth, there’s simply no better option than dental implants in Fort Worth. However, we fully understand that choosing how to replace your missing teeth is an important decision that should be made carefully and with confidence. That’s why we’ve gathered some of the most common questions we get about dental implants below so you can learn more about them. If you don’t see the answers you’re looking for below, feel free to give us a call or schedule a consultation and we’ll be happy to go over all the information you need.
How Long Do Dental Implants Last?
One of the most popular benefits of dental implants is their longevity. Traditional tooth replacement options like dentures and dental bridges will lose their fit and need to be replaced every five to seven years. On the other hand, dental implants are rooted firmly in the jawbone and stimulate it to prevent deterioration. Thanks to this unique combination, dental implants are designed to last for decades. In fact, with the proper care, most patients can expect their dental implants to last a lifetime!
Does Getting Dental Implants Hurt?
At first, dental implant surgery may sound somewhat intimidating, but we want to reassure you that there’s nothing to fear. We use powerful and reliable numbing medications to ensure you don’t feel anything during the procedure. For particularly anxious or sensitive patients, we also offer several forms of sedation dentistry, including nitrous oxide sedation, oral conscious sedation, and IV sedation. For more complex dental implant treatments, you’ll be referred to a trusted specialist to have your dental implants placed. Not only does this ensure that your treatment is as successful and smooth as possible, but also that you’ll be absolutely comfortable the entire time.
Am I Too Young or Old to Get Dental Implants?
Since dental implants are anchored in the jaw, it’s important that a patient’s jawbone is fully developed before getting dental implants. For this reason, we typically won’t recommend dental implants for patients under the age of 18. However, there is no upper age limit for dental implants! As long as you are healthy and have a strong jawbone, you’re never too old to get a complete smile with dental implants. While the older you are, the more likely you are to run into issues that prevent you from getting dental implants, we offer a variety of services that can help you overcome these hurdles and get on track for dental implants.
How Long Does It Take to Recover from Dental Implant Surgery?
How long it takes to recover from dental implant surgery varies from person to person depending on how many dental implants you received, where they are in your mouth, and your body’s natural healing abilities. You should plan to take at least one day off following your dental implant surgery. It may take a week or two for the swelling and bruising to fully subside, but you should be feeling back to normal within just a few days.
