Dental Implants – Raleigh, NC

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

When meeting with your implant dentist in Raleigh, you will go over your desired goals as well as your medical history. After examining your oral and overall health to determine if you are a candidate for treatment, we will decide if it’s necessary for you to receive preliminary treatments before having dental implants put into place. These types of services can include tooth extraction, periodontal therapy, sinus lifts, or even bone grafting.

Dental Implant Surgery

The placement and restoration of your dental implants occur in-house, which means you do not need a referral to see an outside specialist for your dental implant surgery. Instead, you’ll remain with our caring staff throughout the entire process.

When arriving for your oral surgery, we’ll administer local anesthesia to keep you comfortable and pain-free. We’ll then make one or more small incisions in your gums before placing each implant. We are careful to position it to ensure maximum support. When finished, we’ll close the gum tissue and send you home.

Dental Implant Osseointegration/Abutment

The recovery phase of treatment involves spending between three and six months allowing your jawbone and dental implants in Raleigh to fuse. This must happen to avoid any potential implant failure in the future. The process is known as osseointegration, and you’ll need to follow any instructions provided to you during this time.

Once you’re healed from your surgery, you’ll return to receive your metal abutments that serve as connector pieces between your implant and restoration.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations

The last step in completing your smile is to receive your finalized dental restoration. Whether it is a crown, bridge, or denture, we can have a beautifully made tooth created to match the rest of your smile and blend in seamlessly. Our dental team will secure it to the top of your implant, giving you the complete, functional, and longer-lasting smile you deserve.

Day-to-Day Benefits

• Eat whatever you want – Instead of worrying about your prosthetics slipping or falling out while enjoying a meal, you can eat with greater confidence and comfort. Dental implants are fused to the bone, which means you can consume foods of all textures knowing your teeth will remain firmly in place.
• More youthful appearance – Since jawbone loss can cause your facial skin to sag and your cheeks to hollow out, dental implants allow you to enjoy a youthful appearance for years to come.
• Gain the confidence you deserve – Unlike denture-wearers who shy away from social gatherings, you can exude greater confidence and live your best life. Talking, eating, and smiling become normal again, and you can feel good striking up a conversation with family, friends, and colleagues.

Health Benefits

• Preservation of remaining teeth – If you were to have a dental bridge put into place, you would lose valuable tooth structure because of the need for healthy abutment teeth to serve as anchors. However, with dental implants in Raleigh, you can keep existing structures fully intact and still fill in the gaps in your smile.
• Stimulate the jawbone – By replacing the roots of missing teeth, dental implants prevent the jawbone from deteriorating as it ordinarily would after tooth loss.
• Stabilize adjacent teeth – There is no dental drift to worry about when it comes to permanent prosthetics. Your teeth will remain in place thanks to the customized implant that mimics the natural root-to-crown structure of your tooth.

Long-Term Benefits

• High-success rate – A skilled and licensed implant dentist in Raleigh can ensure successful placement that offers a high success rate of around 95%. After a decade, this rate will typically remain between 90-95%.
• Last for several decades – Dental implants are capable of lasting for much longer than conventional bridges and dentures. As long as you practice good at-home oral hygiene and visit our dental office routinely for checkups, you can expect your replacement teeth to last for 30+ years!
• Cost-effective solution – Yes, dental implants are costlier up front, but if you begin to add up all the costs associated with replacements, adjustments, messy adhesives, and additional supplies, you’ll see by choosing dental implants, you’re saving money in the long run.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?

Before we move forward with dental implants, you need to check off a few required boxes. For instance, your mouth must be generally healthy, meaning you have no gum disease, cavities, or other infections. These can increase the risk of failure. In addition, your jawbone must be robust enough to support the implant posts. You must also be healthy overall as well. If you have diabetes, for example, you need to keep it under control to be eligible for these replacements. Those who don’t initially qualify for dental implants can receive treatment, like a bone graft or gum disease treatment, and then be reevaluated.

Missing One Tooth

To replace one lost tooth, we can vertically insert a single dental implant post into the socket and top it with a customized dental crown. Unlike a traditional dental bridge, an implant does not require any of your remaining tooth structure to be modified for support. As a result, your healthy teeth can stay that way for as long as possible!

Missing Multiple Teeth

We can restore several missing teeth in a row by placing one implant at each end of the gap and securing a dental bridge onto them. Again, the implants hold the restoration in place, so there’s no need to remove any healthy tooth enamel. If your missing teeth are located at multiple places along your arch, we can also anchor a partial denture onto a few strategically placed implants.

Missing All Teeth

Even an entire arch of missing teeth can be replaced with dental implants. An average of four to eight implants are all that’s needed to provide enough support for a full denture. By relying on dental implants rather than sitting on top of the gums, implant dentures are much more secure and comfortable than regular prosthetics.

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant 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. Since 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 Implant

Here are some of the factors that affect the cost of treatment:

• Number of dental implants: Depending on the number of teeth that you are needing to have replaced and where they are located in the mouth, we will determine what the right number of implants is for you. The more implants, the higher the cost.

• Type of restoration: Crowns, bridges, and dentures all have different costs. Smaller restorations are generally more affordable.
• Size or material: Implants can be made out of zirconia or titanium. 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 Pay for Themselves

Many people find it tempting to try to save money by opting for dentures or bridges instead, but dental implants have benefits that you can’t get from any other option. 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. They can also help you to avoid oral health issues from developing, like gum disease and tooth decay, that will require payments costs over time.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Often times, dental insurance plans don’t pay for the implants themselves, but there are some exceptions. Parts of the final or preliminary treatments are often covered. Our team will gladly 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 to maximize your coverage.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

If you don’t have dental insurance, this doesn’t mean you’re left completely on your own. We have an in-house dental membership plan that helps patients access complimentary exams, cleanings, discounts, and other benefits to make dental care more affordable. Talk to our friendly team to learn more about your financial options.

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Dental implants are impervious to decay, but these prosthetic teeth can still get plaque buildup on them, potentially infecting your gum and bone tissue. As a result, you need to continue cleaning your teeth every day through normal brushing and flossing to keep oral bacteria under control. Fortunately, most find these routines easier than maintaining traditional dentures, which must be taken out and soaked in water every night.

Eat a Healthy Diet

You likely already know that fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains and lean proteins, are good for your body, but these foods can also help you keep your smile healthy. Limiting sugar intake also goes a long way to prevent infection from harmful oral bacteria. Try to drink plenty of water throughout the day, which can rinse your mouth of food debris and plaque, giving your smile an extra boost in the right direction.

Break Bad Habits

Certain habits, such as smoking and vaping or even grinding or clenching your teeth, can increase your chances of complications with your implants. Therefore, if you decide to get these longer-lasting prosthetics, you should seriously consider quitting. It may not be easy, but the reward of having stable, secure, natural-looking teeth is well worth the effort, time, and sacrifice.

Protect Your Dental Implants

If you’ve gone through the whole process of getting dental implants, you should want to protect your investment. For instance, while playing sports involving contact, you should wear a mouthguard, which can not only prevent accidentally knocking out your implants but also lessen the impact if you receive a blow to the face.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

Problems like peri-implantitis, a gum infection that could lead to implant failure, tend to creep up slowly over time, which is why we strongly recommend getting checked with us at least every six months. We can make sure your implants and the surrounding oral tissue stay in good shape and can correct any sign of trouble before it puts your implants at risk of failure.

How Long Do Dental Implants Last? 

One of the biggest advantages of dental implants is their long-lasting nature. With proper care, you can expect your implants to last for 30 years or more! This is significantly longer than traditional bridges and dentures, which typically must be replaced every 5 to 15 years. The lifespan of your dental implants will depend on your oral health and lifestyle. To make your implants last, be sure to brush twice a day, floss daily, and rinse frequently with mouthwash. In addition, avoid chewing on anything too sticky or hard (e.g., ice cubes) or opening packaging with your teeth. Finally, be sure to attend dental checkups and cleanings every six months.

Does Getting Dental Implants Hurt?

Patient comfort is always a top priority at Barker, Rohner, and Hunt DMD. That’s why your implant dentist in Raleigh will numb your mouth with a local anesthetic before your implant placement procedure beings. In addition, you will most likely be sedated, which lowers the body’s ability to register pain. While the implant surgery shouldn’t hurt, your mouth may be sore for a few days afterward. Taking prescribed or over-the-counter pain medication as directed and using a cold compress can help manage any mild discomfort. Call our office if the discomfort worsens instead of improving after two or three days.

How Long Does It Take to Recover from Dental Implant Surgery?

While every person’s recovery is slightly different, you should be able to resume your normal activities the day after surgery. Avoid strenuous exercise for the first week or so. Intense physical activity can increase blood flow and lead to bleeding in the mouth, which may delay healing. Bleeding around the implant site should stop after the first couple of days, while swelling should subside after three to four days. Take prescribed or over-the-counter pain relievers as directed to help manage pain during the initial recovery period. While you’ll likely return to your normal routine shortly after implant surgery, remember that it may take up to six months for your implants to fully fuse with your jawbone.

Will People Be Able to Tell That I Have Dental Implants?

No! Your dentist will take impressions of your mouth that are then used to design your custom restorations. Once your restorations are attached to your dental implants in Raleigh, people shouldn’t be able to differentiate them from your natural teeth. Dental implants are the only tooth replacement that restore missing teeth from the roots up. Because implants integrate directly with the jawbone, you won’t have to hold your jaw in a strange way to keep your false teeth in place like you might have to with poorly fitting dentures.