Dental Implants Reynoldsburg

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

The first step is a dental implant consultation, during which you can expect several questions to be answered – including whether dental implants are right for you in the first place. We’ll check your mouth and your facial structures in order to determine if bone grafting, tooth extractions, or other types of preliminary work are needed. Once we’re confident that your jaw can safely support implants, we can schedule the surgery to have the posts placed in your mouth.

Dental Implant Surgery

Dental implant surgery is a minimally invasive procedure thanks to modern techniques. Your mouth is numbed before small incisions are made in the gum tissue at strategic points in your mouth. Then the implants are carefully inserted into the jawbone at just the right angles before the gums are stitched shut. A protective cap will be attached to the implant posts; not only does this protect them while your mouth is healing, but it also helps you maintain the overall shape of your gums during recovery.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment

Osseointegration is a natural biological process where the implants fuse with the jawbone. This is one of the most important steps of the whole process; it’s the bond between the posts and the jaw that gives dental implants their strength and stability, allowing you to enjoy all kinds of foods. Osseointegration takes about three to six months, after which we’ll ask you to our office so that an abutment can be attached. An abutment is a connector piece that will secure the final restoration once it’s ready. Installing the abutment will require a second smaller surgery, and as such, some recovery time will be required before we move on to the final step of the procedure.

Delivery of Dental Restoration(s)

After the implants and abutments have all been placed and your mouth has fully recovered, we can take impressions of your mouth in its current state. Then we’ll send the impressions to a dental lab where experienced ceramicists will design the final restoration or restorations. They’ll be made out of a material that can blend in with your natural teeth so that casual observers won’t be able to tell the difference. When they’re ready, we’ll schedule an appointment for you to come back to our office. Some last-minute adjustments may be made before the restorations are attached to the abutments.

Look Younger for Years to Come

To keep your face’s natural outline, you need to make sure your jawbone stays strong and well formed. With a dental implant, Dr. Glynn can replace both the crown and root of a missing tooth. This new root provides your jaw with the stimulation needed to encourage healthy new bone tissue growth, which helps prevent bone deterioration.

Eat & Enjoy

Depending on where on the location of your missing teeth, you may need to cut some foods from your diet, like fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and red meat. Those are all important to maintaining good health through a nutritious diet. Dental implants in Reynoldsburg will allow you to eat these, and all kinds of foods, as they restore up to 90 percent of your original bite power.

Implants Look & Feel Natural

Because dental implants are built like natural teeth, they are the most lifelike tooth replacements you can have. The implants stand in for your tooth root, while the crown looks and performs like one of your own teeth. You probably won’t even be able to see or feel the difference!

Keep Your Good Oral Health

Dental implants are independent tooth replacements, so they do not affect adjacent teeth. A partial, on the other hand, is equipped with clasps that latch on to your other teeth. Dental implants don’t require that kind of support. Furthermore, you’re less likely to suffer additional tooth loss with dental implants that help keep your jawbone strong.

Brush & Floss as Usual

However you take care of your teeth now is how you will take care of your dental implants, too. Just brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and floss at least once a day. Also, schedule regular dental checkups with Dr. Glynn.

A Confidence Booster

Dental implants go a long way toward improving your self-confidence. Even one missing tooth can affect the way you feel in social and professional situations. Replace that tooth with a dental implant and chances are you’ll be back to your old self again in no time.

A Smile That Lasts a Lifetime

Dental implants can cost more than other tooth replacements initially. However, you must consider that with good oral hygiene at home and regular dental checkups, they can last a lifetime. You can’t say that about dentures or a bridge that often require maintenance and eventually will need to be replaced.

The Longevity of Dental Implants

With proper daily oral hygiene and regularly scheduled dental checkups every six months, your dental implants could easily last for a lifetime. That cannot be said about other tooth replacement options.

Both bridges and dentures will need to be repaired and readjusted to keep them comfortable, and they will inevitably need to be replaced over time. Yes, the upfront cost of a dental implant may be more than other prosthetics. But when you consider that cost over the years of a lifetime, then a dental implant can actually end up costing you less.

The Cost of Preparation

Many dental implant patients require some type of preparatory procedure before receiving implants. For example, some patients need to have teeth extracted or bone and soft tissue grafts in order to ensure that the jawbone and gums are strong enough to support implants.

Charges for these types of procedures vary and depend on the details of each case, such as how many teeth require extraction.

The Cost of a Tooth Restoration

Dental implants are only half of the prosthetic services needed to replace missing teeth. Once the implant is firmly anchored in the bone, then it’s time to attach the portion that everyone sees when you smile. In the case of a single missing tooth, Dr. Glynn will need to place a dental crown over the implant. If you are replacing several teeth with implants, then he may recommend a bridge instead. Finally, implant-supported partial and full dentures require the placement of four to six implant posts and range in price depending on the case.

Paying for Your New Smile

While the individual cost of implants may decrease if you need more than one, you may still be wondering how you can affordably cover the cost of your new smile.

Dental insurance does not typically cover the total cost of dental implants but does often provide benefits for the preparatory procedures you need as well as a crown, bridge or denture. Our Reynoldsburg, OH dental office is in-network with Delta Dental. We also accept several other major dental plans, so be sure to inquire at the front office. And we are happy to process and file insurance claims for any insurer.

In addition, we’ll be glad to help you apply for financing through CareCredit, a third-party healthcare financier.

As great as dental implants are, not everyone who might be considering getting them is an ideal candidate. That doesn't mean that implants are completely beyond reach, though. With a special bone grafting procedure, patients who didn’t previously have sufficient bone to support one or more implants may finally qualify for treatment. Once your graft area has healed, we will evaluate when the implant can be placed.

Bone Grafting

Some patients need bone graft surgery in order to rebuild the shape and size of the alveolar ridge (gum ridge) after tooth loss. If you’ve been missing a tooth for a while, then there has likely been bone resorption. This happens when you don’t have a tooth root to stimulate healthy new bone tissue growth. Bone grafting may absolutely be needed if you’ve lost bone tissue and want to have dental implants to replace your missing teeth.

With the aid of digital X-rays, Dr. Glynn will be able to determine if there is bone loss at the site of a missing tooth. If so, then a small piece of bone from another area of your mouth is harvested and placed on the area of your jawbone that needs to be rebuilt. We can also use freeze dried bone tissue from a human or animal donor. The newly placed tissue will encourage the growth of more bone, thus strengthening the jaw. Once you’ve healed, it will be strong enough to support your new smile.

Dental Implant Failure & Salvage

Dental implants are successful in the vast majority of cases – in fact, more than 90% of them are still thriving 10 years after placement. However, there is always a small chance of dental implant failure. If you believe that something isn’t quite right with your restored smile, get in touch with us right away. Dr. Glynn will carefully evaluate your oral health and your implants before designing a treatment plan to resolve the problem.

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