Dental Implants — Fort Worth, TX
Your Permanent Smile Awaits
Did you know that the American Academy of Implant Dentistry estimates that 3 million people in the United States have dental implants, and that number is growing by 500,000 each year? Their longevity and ability to restore teeth from roots to crowns stand out as some of the most worthwhile reasons to invest. Contact our dental office if you’re interested in scheduling a consultation with Dr. Desai and our team. We’ll be happy to begin the process of helping you achieve your permanent smile with dental implants in Fort Worth!
Why Choose Care 32 Dental of Fort Worth for Dental Implants?
- Partnering with Local Dental Implant Specialists
- CBCT Scanner Used for Accurate Treatment Planning
- Flexible Financing Available
What Are Dental Implants?
While dental bridges and dentures only rest on top of the gums, dental implants penetrate the gums and bone, fusing with surrounding tissues to establish a firm foundation for your new smile. Versatile in their ability to replace one or more missing teeth, you can receive a customized crown, bridge, or denture depending on the number of teeth you need to have replaced.
Dental implants are made of titanium and mimic the way natural tooth roots work. Delivering stimulation to the bone when chewing helps to reduce the potential for facial sagging, aging appearances, and further tooth loss.
The 4-Step Dental Implant Process
Each person who chooses to have dental implants replace their missing teeth must undergo a four-step process that includes meeting with an implant dentist in Fort Worth for a scheduled consultation. During this visit, you will learn how Dr. Desai plans to help you achieve a complete smile with dental implants. This might include preliminary treatments like bone grafting, gum disease treatment, or tooth extraction before undergoing dental implant surgery.
When cleared, you’ll be partnered with a local dental implant specialist who will perform the surgery and place your implants in the designated spots. You’ll then return home to recover for several months, allowing osseointegration to occur. This process takes 3-6 months and allows the bone and implants to fuse and create a firm foundation. Once healed, you’ll receive your metal abutments, which are small connectors that keep the restoration attached to the implant.
The last step is receiving your custom-made restoration. This can be a crown, denture, or bridge and will be secured to the tops of your implants for optimal comfort and aesthetics.
Benefits of Dental Implants
If you’re looking for a tooth replacement solution that is cost-effective and lasts for decades, not years, dental implants are right for you. Designed with longevity in mind, these titanium posts are the foundational support for the custom-made restoration that blends seamlessly with your smile. You’ll not only enjoy restored bite force and chewing power, but you’ll also achieve better oral health and a more youthful appearance because of the continuous stimulation provided to your jawbone by these permanent prosthetics.
Who Dental Implants Can Help
When faced with missing teeth, you might assume that traditional bridges or dentures are the only options for tooth replacement. But the reality is that you can enjoy dental implants just like many others. While it is true that you might need one or more preliminary treatments before undergoing implant surgery, you can expect that our team will ensure your mouth is ready to receive one or more titanium posts to help build your new smile.
Missing One Tooth
If you no longer want to find yourself with the other 120 million individuals who are living with a single missing tooth, allow our team to use a single titanium post, metal abutment, and dental crown to restore your smile. Not only will you avoid altering healthy teeth, but you’ll also minimize the risk of dental drift, which is a common occurrence among tooth-loss sufferers.
Missing Multiple Teeth
Missing two or more teeth no longer has to result in receiving a fixed bridge. Instead, we can equip you with two implant posts and a customized dental bridge that is secured to the top. Placed only in the exterior sockets, the titanium prosthetics will serve as a stable foundation for your new smile, allowing you to eat the foods you love and speak clearly without the unsightly gap.
Missing All Teeth
Implant dentures are a great way to replace an entire arch of missing teeth. Unlike a traditional prosthetic that relies on natural suction and denture adhesives, this unique alternative uses between four and six implant posts that are strategically placed along the arch to support a customized denture that is either fixed or removable when put into place.
There is also the option of All-On-4 implants. While traditional dental implants require enough jawbone density to support your custom-made restoration, All-On-4 uses only four titanium posts. Placed within the densest areas of the jawbone, they can support a fabricated denture and help you avoid needing a bone graft.
Guided Dental Implant Surgery
We trust the dental implant specialists that we refer our patients to, especially since they are skilled in their craft and do not rely solely on traditional techniques. Instead, they use guided dental implant surgery to make for a more reliable, safer, and less cumbersome procedure. By using innovative solutions and technologies to craft a template, they can apply it to the mouth on the day of surgery so that it is easier to identify the exact locations, depths, and angles for each implant post. Not only does this lessen the chances of complications, but it also encourages quicker healing and recovery.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants
You want dental implants but you’re unsure if you can afford them. Their permanence and lifespan are what keep you intrigued and contemplating this kind of investment, but you worry that you simply won’t be able to cover the expenses required. The cost of dental implants is different for everyone, which is why you can count on our team to develop a treatment plan and cost estimate that works with your budget. Whether you choose to use dental insurance, we will find ways to maximize your benefits and help you save when it comes time to pay for your new smile.
Dental Implant FAQs
Does Getting Dental Implants Hurt?
To be honest, getting dental implants shouldn’t hurt. Dentists work to ensure the surgery is smooth and comfy.
You see, your mouth will be numbed before the procedure starts. The dentist will apply an anesthetic to ensure you don’t feel discomfort. Plus, you’ll likely be sedated as well. This latter measure will reduce your ability to register pain.
All that said, you may feel some post-surgery soreness. However, this effect is normal; it should fade after a few days. In the meantime, you can take prescribed pain medication as directed. If the discomfort worsens, though, don’t hesitate to call our office.
How Long Does It Take to Recover from Dental Implant Surgery?
It usually doesn’t take long to recover from implant surgery. If you’re like most, you can resume normal activities the day after placement. That said, avoid strenuous exercise for the first week after surgery; it would delay your recovery. Also, effects like bleeding or swelling will fade after a few days.
In contrast, fully healing from treatment involves more time. Implants often take up to six months to fuse with your jawbone. Before that period ends, you must be careful with your new teeth. The implants might fail early otherwise.
Can I Get Dental Implants If I Smoke?
Honestly, yes – it’s possible to get implants even if you smoke. Despite that fact, though, treatment isn’t a good idea for active smokers. Tobacco users have a higher rate of implant failure.
In reality, tobacco disrupts implant work. It often delays your recovery, increasing the risk of side effects. Also, it keeps implants from fusing well with your jawbone. Smoking can even give you a dry socket, dislodging the blood clot over the implant site.
Given these facts, smokers should take precautions before an implant treatment. The first is to give up tobacco products at least two weeks prior to implant surgery. Another is only to resume the habit 2-3 months after treatment.
Will People Be Able to Tell That I Have Dental Implants?
Except for dentists, people won’t notice that you have dental implants. The prosthetics will blend seamlessly with your other teeth.
To be clear, dentists personally design your implants. They take impressions before surgery so your new teeth have the right color, shape, and size. As such, the implants will match their surroundings well.
At the same time, remember that implants act like tooth roots. By fusing with your jaw, they remain secure and stable on their own. You won’t need to hold your jaw strangely to keep them in place.