Dental Implants – Kent, WA

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

First, you'll come in for a dental implant consultation. During this visit, our team will use advanced dental tools to carefully check your mouth and face. We’ll decide if dental implants are a good fit for you. In some cases, you might need preliminary procedures like bone grafting, gum disease treatment, or tooth extraction before we can proceed with the implant process. Once these steps are done, we'll set up a date for your dental implant surgery.

Dental Implant Surgery

Now it's time for your dental implant surgery! An implant dentist will numb your mouth with a local anesthetic to ensure you're comfortable. Then, a small cut will be made in your gum to reach your jawbone. Carefully, the implants will be inserted in specific spots and angles. Finally, your gums will be sutured shut, and protective caps will be placed on the implant posts to keep them safe while you heal.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment Placement

The next step is a waiting period of three to six months for osseointegration to happen. This is when the implant posts fuse with your jawbone, making your dental implants incredibly sturdy.

After osseointegration is finished, you'll come back for a smaller second surgery to get your abutments. These are metal connectors that go on top of your implants. They serve as anchors for your custom-made dental crown, bridge, or denture.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations

We'll craft your replacement teeth, known as restorations, using detailed impressions of your original smile. These impressions will be carefully sent to a reliable dental lab. Skilled technicians at the lab will use materials that closely mimic natural tooth enamel, even in how they catch and reflect light. Once your new teeth are fixed onto the abutments, they should blend seamlessly with your original pearly whites!

Day-to-Day Benefits

Naturally enough, you’re most likely to notice implants’ day-to-day benefits. These include the following:

• An Outstanding Smile – Because implants are made from dental-grade porcelain, they look beautiful and seamlessly blend with your other teeth. As such, you can trust them to look highly lifelike and natural. Most people can’t even tell them apart from your regular teeth.
• High Confidence – With your grin fully restored, feeling more confident in your looks is natural. Consequently, implants tend to boost one’s self-esteem and body image.

• Better Chewing – Unlike dentures or bridges, implants actually fuse with your jawbone. Their doing so means they restore much of your bite force. From there, you can enjoy your favorite foods once again.
• Easy Maintenance – It doesn’t take much to keep implants functional. Generally, you just need to clean them as you would natural teeth. So, remember to brush them twice daily and floss them once daily. Furthermore, make sure to rinse them with mouthwash as needed.

Health Benefits

The perks of implants don’t stop at everyday conveniences. As it happens, implant treatment also confers health benefits. With time, then, you’re likely to experience:

• Improved Nutrition – In restoring your bite force (see above), implants expand your potential dietary choices. That means they’ll help you ingest more and better nutrients for your body.
• A Stronger Jawbone – Left untreated, losing teeth will make your jaw degrade. That decline could then result in facial collapse – a condition that greatly ages your face. However, implants can prevent and even reverse the jaw’s loss of bone tissue.
• Natural Tooth Support – Besides weakening your jaw, tooth loss can tilt your other teeth. After all, newly-made smile gaps pull surrounding chompers towards themselves. With that said, implants fill the spaces and therefore stop the tilting.

Long-term Benefits

Lastly, implants have long-term benefits that make treatment a worthy purchase. In particular, review those listed below:

• Low Chance of Failure – After placement, implants are usually successful for a long period. Their ten-year success rate, notably, is higher than 95%.
• Little-to-No Replacement – The average implant lasts 15-20 years, while a well-maintained one can have a lifespan of over 30 years. Either way, it follows that this treatment doesn’t involve very many follow-up visits – some patients even use the same implants for a lifetime.
• Cost-Effectiveness – Compared to other restorations, implants save you money in the long run. Their longevity, you see, results in few (if any) replacement or repair fees. Meanwhile, dentures and bridges only last 5-7 years and therefore involve regular (and costly) repairs.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?

Almost any healthy adult with missing teeth can become a suitable candidate for dental implants. You’ll need to meet three main criteria, those being:

• Good overall health: Dental implant placement is a surgical procedure, so you’ll need to be in health good enough to receive minor surgery.
• Excellent oral health: You’ll need to have any tooth decay or gum disease resolved before receiving dental implants, as these infections can make your new teeth more likely to fail.
• Enough jawbone mass: A dental implant must be placed in a strong jawbone to be successful.

Even if you are not ready for implants yet, you may be able to receive them after having restorative treatments like gum disease therapy or reinforcing your jawbone with bone grafts. We’ll be happy to help you schedule these preliminary procedures if necessary.

Missing One Tooth

A single implant designed to replace one missing tooth can complete your smile in a way that’s both conservative and completely satisfying in look and feel. Dental implants are an exceptional replacement option because they help rejuvenate the health of your jawbone, which can deteriorate over time from tooth loss, and they don’t require the alteration of healthy teeth like dental bridges do.

Missing Multiple Teeth

An implant bridge makes it possible to replace several consecutive missing teeth. The restoration comprised of three or more dental crowns will be anchored with two dental implants placed on either side of the gap. If you have many missing teeth throughout your mouth, you can receive as many individual implants or an implant-secured partial denture to replace them.

Missing All Teeth

If you are missing all your teeth, there’s no need to worry that traditional dentures will be your only solution. With implant dentures, you can enjoy the stability, functionality, and longevity that dental implants offer while replacing every tooth in your mouth. We will place between four and six implants along your arch before securing your customized denture to them, and you won’t have to worry about elaborate denture cleaning rituals or your appliance slipping out of place during speech or meals.

If you have especially thin jawbones due to going a long time with missing teeth or another reason, you may be an excellent candidate for All-On-4 dental implants. This method uses four strategically placed dental implants to securely anchor a full denture that looks natural and feels comfortable.

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

Your consultation is your first step to replacing your lost teeth. Your implant dentist in Kent will examine your mouth and review a CT scan of your oral tissues and structures. They’ll learn more about your medical history, including any medications you’re taking. Based on their findings, they may recommend preliminary treatments, like periodontal therapy, tooth extractions, or bone grafting, which may be covered under your dental insurance.

After healing from any preliminary procedures, you’ll have your implant placement surgery. Your dentist will use sedation or anesthesia to keep you comfortable, which will be included in your estimate.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

The amount you’ll pay will also be determined by the number of teeth you’re treating. You must pay for each part needed to replace your teeth, which will include:

• Implant Post: Titanium posts are surgically placed into the jawbone to replicate roots.
• Abutment: Each implant post will require an abutment to attach your restoration.
• Restoration: You’ll need either a crown, bridge, or denture.

Since your treatment is performed in multiple steps, you won’t have to come up with a lump sum. You can pay for each phase individually, giving you more time to pay.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

Dental implants might cost more upfront than traditional methods, but they are the most cost-effective overall. They can last for decades, not a few years, so you won’t have to budget for replacements. Dental implants are also the only solution to preserve your jawbone to avoid common issues caused by tooth loss. You won’t need costly procedures later to save even more money down the road.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Your dental insurance won’t cover the entire cost, but it can be used to lower the amount you’ll pay for certain steps in your plan, like your consultation, prep work, or restoration. You can use your annual allowance after meeting your deductible. A member of our team will work on your behalf with your dental insurance to maximize your coverage. We’ll explain how your benefits are being used and your options for any remaining balance.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

Our office accepts many payment options to keep your new smile within your budget, including:

• Traditional Payments: We accept all traditional payment methods, including cash, personal checks, and credit cards.
• Special Offers: We routinely run promotions for select services.
• Monthly Payments: Pay using monthly installments through a third-party financing company, like CareCredit.

If you have any questions about your payment options, contact our office today to speak with a member of our team.

3D CT Scanning

While a digital X-ray might help show the majority of your teeth, roots, and jawbone, it won’t typically provide the most detailed and precise image of your oral health. To give us a clearer view of your mouth, we’ll instead use a 3D CT scanner which can offer a 360-degree image of a patient’s head. This device takes hundreds of images during the process and combines them all so that it develops a 3D model of your smile as well as other detailed parts that a normal X-ray can’t show, such as the sinuses, dentition, and nerves. The detail of this technology allows our team to plan more accurately during the dental implant treatment, increasing the success rate and significantly lowering any chances of error or complications during your procedure.

Digital Impression System

After you’ve undergone the dental implant placement surgery and your post has properly integrated with your jawbone, our team will then place your personalized restoration onto it. This can involve a dental crown, bridge, or denture to complete your smile—whichever is necessary to replace the specific number of missing teeth. However, to make certain that your new tooth/teeth match the rest of your pearly whites, we’ll utilize a digital impression system. This device is much quicker, easier to use, and more accurate when creating a model of your teeth, so you won’t have to worry about using messy and uncomfortable putty. Afterward, you can be sure to enjoy more natural-looking results.

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

To maintain your dental implants, stick to a proper oral hygiene routine. This involves brushing your teeth twice a day for two minutes using a soft-bristled toothbrush. Use a non-abrasive toothpaste to avoid accidentally scratching your customized restoration. Additionally, remember to floss between your teeth to eliminate harmful bacteria and food debris, and rinse with an ADA-approved mouthwash. Although your dental implants themselves are not vulnerable to decay, it's important to prevent gum disease by diligently following your oral hygiene regimen.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Want to lower the likelihood of cavities in your natural teeth and prevent gum disease? Make sure you’re conscious of your diet! Opting for nutritious choices such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, low-fat dairy, and leafy greens can not only assist in managing your weight but also contribute to better gum health and stronger tooth enamel. By moderating your intake of sugary and starchy foods, you'll steer clear of cavities, tooth decay, and potential health concerns that can affect your smile negatively.

Break Bad Habits

Harmful habits like smoking, chewing on non-food items, munching on ice, and biting fingernails can have negative effects on your dental implants. It's important to take the right steps to break these unhealthy habits, such as joining a group to quit smoking or using sugarless gum as a substitute for ice, pens, or pencils. Implementing these minor adjustments can lead to significant improvements in safeguarding your smile.

Protect Your Dental Implants

If you engage in sports or experience nighttime teeth grinding, it's crucial to have appropriate mouth protection. A custom-made mouthguard acts as a barrier, shielding your teeth from potential forceful impacts that could lead to a visit to the emergency dentist. Preventing damage to your natural or artificial teeth is key to avoiding additional expenses and time investments. With a mouthguard, you can significantly reduce the risk of serious injuries and preserve a healthier, damage-free smile.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

We’ll not only protect against tooth decay, gum disease, cavities, and oral cancer, but also ensure the integrity of your restorations and prosthetics. Be sure to stay on top of your routine six-month checkups and cleanings to prevent complications from developing. Even if you're diligent with your at-home oral care, plaque buildup requires the use of professional tools for removal.