Dental Implants – Newport, RI
The Closest Alternative to Your Natural Teeth
Our team understands just how big of an impact losing teeth can have on your life, even if it’s just a single tooth. We use the latest techniques in the dental field to be able to revive your smile to look and feel natural. Dental implants from our Newport, RI dentist are a highly successful treatment that restores the entire structure of any number of missing teeth, including the roots. This allows them to look and feel completely natural. To learn whether you’re a good candidate for this procedure, we invite you to schedule a consultation with us today!
Why Choose Newport Dental Associates for Dental Implants?
- Prevent Jawbone Deterioration
- Dental Implants Last 30+ Years
- Experienced & Skilled Dentist
What is a Dental Implant?
A dental implant is a small, titanium post that is surgically placed below your gumline and into your jawbone to restore the root structure of your missing tooth. Due to its biocompatible nature, it’s able to chemically fuse with the bone to provide a strong, stable, and lasting foundation for your restoration to be secured to. Atop the implant will be placed a metal connector piece that will hold your crown, bridge, or denture in place.
Benefits of Dental Implants
As the most comprehensive and lifelike tooth replacement currently available, dental implants are the closest alternative to your natural teeth. They’re practically indistinguishable from the teeth you were born with in terms of looks, feel, and function. Compared to traditional dental bridges and dentures, there are multiple unique benefits you’ll enjoy by choosing dental implants.
Day-to-Day Benefits
- The restorations that we place on top of your implants are customized to mimic your original pearly whites, ensuring a flawless appearance. Additionally, your implants will feel natural because they’re firmly embedded in your jaw.
- While regular dentures notoriously slip around and fall out, dental implants are just as secure as natural teeth. Not only will you be able to flash your grin with complete confidence, but you can also dig into your favorite crunchy and chewy foods.
- With dental implants, your daily oral care routine shouldn’t be all that different from what it was when you still had all of your natural teeth. You won’t have to spend time taking your prosthetic out of your mouth, cleaning it, and letting it soak overnight. Instead, all you need to do is brush and floss exactly as you did before tooth loss.
Health Benefits
- People who wear dentures often struggle to get all of the nutrients they need, as fresh fruits and vegetables can be hard to chew. That’s not an issue with dental implants. It should be a snap to eat a balanced diet and maintain great overall health.
- Implants are actually the more conservative option compared to dental bridges, which require the permanent removal of enamel from two of your remaining teeth. We don’t need to modify any of your existing tooth structure to place implants, as they can support themselves.
- When you lose a tooth, your jawbone also loses the stimulation that the tooth’s roots gave it through the forces of biting and chewing. Over time, your jawbone could deteriorate to the point where your remaining teeth lose support, increasing the risk of those teeth falling out. Dental implants are the only tooth replacement that bring back the roots of your teeth, keeping your jawbone strong and healthy.
Long-Term Benefits
- By preventing jawbone loss, dental implants not only improve your oral health, but they also help you stay looking young for years to come. A weakened jawbone cannot adequately support your facial muscles, resulting in that sunken-in, wrinkled facial appearance that many denture wearers have. With dental implants, you’ll maintain a youthful glow!
- Once your implants have finished integrating with your jawbone, you can expect them to last for a remarkably long time. In fact, more than 95% of dental implant patients still have their new teeth after more than 10 years, and with the right care, your implants could potentially last a lifetime!
- Since dental implants can last several times longer than regular dentures and bridges, you’ll save money in the long run by not having to get your prosthetic replaced every few years.
Are Dental Implants Right for You?
To find out whether dental implants are right for you, you’ll first need to schedule an initial consultation. During this appointment, our team will take X-rays of your mouth and conduct a thorough visual examination. As we’re doing this, we’ll be considering the following questions:
- Does the patient have an autoimmune disease that could impact their ability to heal properly from the surgery?
- Is the patient committed to maintaining good oral hygiene at home?
- Does the patient have any lingering oral health problems that need to be treated before beginning the dental implant process?
- Does the patient require any preparatory procedures, such as a bone graft or sinus lift?
- Is the patient a better candidate for a traditional restorative treatment?
Even if you’re not a great candidate right away, there are a variety of ways that we can help to make sure that you are one. Once you decide to move forward with the treatment, we’ll develop a customized treatment plan and walk you through the steps and details of your procedure.
Missing Single Tooth
If you’re missing a single tooth, we can place one dental implant in the gap in your smile. After we attach the abutment to it, we can complete your smile by securing a customized dental crown. This will help keep your surrounding teeth from drifting out of alignment to fill the gap.
Missing Multiple Teeth
If you’re missing two or more consecutive teeth, we can secure an implant-retained bridge without having to alter your healthy teeth. We’ll surgically place two dental implants at either end of the gap in your smile that will hold the bridge in place, allowing you to eat and speak with ease.
Missing All Teeth
If you’re missing all of your teeth, we can secure a denture in place with anywhere from four to eight dental implants. These will be strategically placed along your arch and keep your restoration from slipping or shifting.
The 4-Step Dental Implant Process
At Newport Dental Associates, we want to be completely transparent with you about your smile. The dental implant procedure takes place over the course of multiple months (up to a year) and several appointments, but patients will agree that it’s well worth the investment of their time. Before you begin treatment, we can explain to you each step with as much detail as you’d like so that you know what’s coming up next.
Initial Dental Implant Consultation
Prior to any dental treatment, you need to meet with us for a consultation. This appointment is meant not only to answer any questions you have about this specific treatment but also make sure you make a good candidate for the procedure. After all, we wouldn’t want to waste your time and money on dental implants if you do not qualify for them. Plus, we put together a customized treatment plan, allowing us to break down some of the financial and timeline details.
Dental Implant Surgery
For this stage of the implant process, you’ll visit one of the oral surgeons that we partner with for the surgery. As specialists, these professionals perform this type of procedure all the time, which means you are sure to have a successful implant placement. The surgery entails opening the gum tissue and inserting the implant post into the jawbone. We are selective about which oral surgeons we trust, and we make sure you are well provided for while in their care.
Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment
While surface healing from the placement surgery doesn’t usually take long, the real healing takes place underneath within the jawbone. It grows and envelops the post in a process called osseointegration, which is usually complete in three to six months.
After the jawbone has finished integrating, you’ll return to our dental office, where we will secure the abutment to your implant. This also requires a recovery time of a few weeks because we need to reopen the gum tissue to insert the abutment.
Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration(s)
During your abutment healing, we will be crafting your custom restoration. These are fabricated to fit your unique mouth, which means they should look completely natural and feel comfortable. Around the time you’re done healing, it will likely be finished, and we can then attach your crown, denture, or bridge to complete your smile.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants
The dental implant procedure is customized to meet each individual patients’ needs, which means that the cost of treatment can vary based on a variety of factors. Before you commit to continuing on with the process, we’ll walk through all of the details with you and discuss your financial options. We’ll also be more than happy to discuss any questions you have about dental insurance coverage as well.
Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery
In some cases, patients who have sustained bone loss or who require preparatory procedures, like a bone graft, sinus lift, or ridge augmentation, will need to pay for these separately. Although these incur an extra fee, they’re crucial to the long-term success of your dental implants. Some other preliminary services that your dentist may recommend include gum disease treatment and tooth extractions. These typically all must be completed before you can undergo dental implant surgery.
Treatment Factors That Can Impact the Cost
There are a number of factors that will play into the overall cost of your treatment. Dr. Baldelli will discuss the following with you at your initial consultation:
- How Many Implants You Need: The type of restoration you need will inform how many dental implants need to be replaced. Typically, the more teeth you’re having replaced, the more dental implants are necessary to anchor it within the mouth.
- The Type of Restoration: Restorations like bridges and dentures are more costly than free-standing crowns, as more materials and time are needed to craft them.
- Materials Used: Restorations and dental implants can be made from a variety of materials, including ceramic, acrylic, porcelain, titanium, and zirconia. Some of these are more costly than others.
Dental Implants Can Help You Save in the Long-Run
Dental implants are not just an investment in your smile now, but also down the road, as they’re able to continue serving you for 35 years or more! This means that, although they have a higher up-front cost, you’ll be paying less in follow-up visits, replacements, and other maintenance factors that you’d have with traditional restorations. So, in the long-run, dental implants can actually help you save money.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?
While many dental insurance plans don’t pay for the cost of dental implant surgery or the implants themselves, some may foot a portion of the cost of the restorations. However, this really depends on your dental insurance plan. At Newport Dental Associates, we’re proud to be in-network with Delta Dental and BlueCross BlueShield, which means we can help you maximize your coverage if you have these PPO providers. If you need help navigating your coverage and are out-of-network, we can also help you with that!
Dental Implant FAQs
After reading through the information above, you now know a bit more about the dental implant process in Newport. Of course, because it involves major oral surgery, it’s completely normal to have a few concerns about the treatment before committing to it. For your convenience, our team at Newport Dental Associates has decided to answer some frequently asked questions below. If you don’t see the answers you’re looking for, feel free to give us a call today!
Does Getting Dental Implants Hurt?
Before the procedure begins, your mouth will be numbed with a local anesthetic to ensure you’re completely comfortable. You’ll also likely receive dental sedation, which lowers your body’s ability to register pain. Although the surgery itself shouldn’t be painful, your mouth may feel sore for the next few days. Luckily, you can easily manage your discomfort by taking over-the-counter pain medication, using cold compresses, and diligently following your oral surgeon’s aftercare instructions. Don’t hesitate to give us a call if your symptoms worsen over time!
What Can Cause Dental Implants to Fail?
Even though it’s rare, dental implant failure can occur for one of the following two reasons:
- Peri-Implantitis – This is a form of gum disease that usually develops from poor oral hygiene. If left untreated, it can damage the bone and gums supporting the implant.
- Failed Osseointegration – For patients with low jawbone density, the implant may not successfully fuse with the surrounding bone tissue.
Chronic teeth grinding, tobacco use, poor oral hygiene, and certain medications are a few other causes of dental implant failure. During your consultation, Dr. Baldelli will explain how you can minimize your risk of it happening.
Am I Too Young to Get Dental Implants?
For most people, the jawbone isn’t fully developed until they reach young adulthood. If dental implants are placed before the jaw is finished growing, it can affect further bone development, potentially resulting in complications down the line. Because of that, there’s a minimum age requirement of 18 at most dental practices. Most people don’t have fully developed jaws until their mid-20s. It’s worth noting that men’s jaws take longer to develop than women’s jaws.
Can I Get Dental Implants If I’m Diabetic?
As long as your diabetes is under control, your chances of dental implant success are comparable to those of nondiabetic patients. Otherwise, your conditions can delay the healing process, making it more difficult for your implants to fuse with the jawbone. If you’re diabetic and want to get dental implants, you should discuss it with your endocrinologist or primary care doctor beforehand.