Dental Implants – Lenox, MI

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

Everything begins when you first visit our office. We can figure out whether you’re a viable dental implant candidate and set up any preliminary treatments you may need. This could include bone grafting, gum disease treatment, or a sinus lift depending on the current state of your smile and surrounding areas. Once your jaw and gums are in great shape, we can continue moving forward with your treatment.

Dental Implant Surgery

At Forever Young Dentistry Bayside, we are proud to complete the entire dental implant process at our practice, so you don’t need to work with an outside specialist. A guide will be used during dental implant placement, which lowers the risk of unexpected complications occurring during the process. After the area is numbed with a local anesthetic, an incision is made in the gum tissue. Then, the implant is placed at a precise angle in the jaw. The gums are closed, and a protective cap is placed over the post to keep it protected as it heals.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment

About 3 to 6 months are needed for the implants to finish joining with the jawbone. This process is called “osseointegration.” Then, you will need to get another minor procedure where the abutments are placed onto your implant posts. Impressions are taken so your restoration can be customized to fit your unique smile.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration

Finally, we will design your replacement teeth and use the implants to firmly anchor them to your jaw. We will then examine your smile to ensure that everything looks and feels as it should. Then, you will be sent on your way to show off your new and improved smile!

Day-to-Day Benefits

Dental implants do more than just replace missing teeth. They also offer patients considerable benefits for their quality of life, including:

• Lasting for three decades or more with good maintenance. In many cases, dental implants last for a lifetime.
• Making you look younger and helping you feel more confident by completing your smile and preventing the jaw from receding.
• Allowing you to eat all kinds of foods that traditional restorations like dentures have difficulty chewing, such as steak, crunchy fruits and veggies, and corn-on-the-cob.
• Being very easy to clean, as they only require the same oral hygiene routine as natural teeth.

Health Benefits

Dental implants can be an excellent way to improve a patient’s oral and overall health, as they offer dramatic benefits like:

• Keeping the underlying bone healthy and strong by stimulating the jaw to prevent it from receding.
• Preventing your remaining teeth from shifting out of place as the atrophying jaw changes shape.
• Allowing the patient to enjoy a nutritious diet of many different types of food, helping the body stay healthy and fit for decades to come.
• Since dental implants are surgically fixed in place, dental bridges and dentures secured with them cannot slide out of position to irritate and cause sores in the surrounding soft tissues of the mouth.

Long-Term Benefits

Dental implants are a sound long-term investment in your future health and confidence that can vastly improve your daily experience. A few great reasons to consider getting them include:

• Dental implants boast an impressive 95% success rate even ten years after placement.
• Dental implants can last for decades with excellent care, so they will not require regular replacement like dentures or dental bridges.
• Since dental implants work just like real teeth after being placed, they can save you a lot of money by not requiring replacement or special maintenance like other tooth replacement options.

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

Firstly, some patients need preliminary services before implant surgery. These procedures may include bone grafts, gum disease therapy, or even tooth extractions. If you require them, they’ll add to your treatment expenses. That said, they’d serve a vital purpose: Ensuring your new smile’s success. Plus, most dental plans partially cover them.

Furthermore, implant surgery incurs its own cost. This amount is shaped by your implant’s location, anesthesia, etc. Fortunately, our office performs this treatment wholly in-office. You won’t have to worry about paying an outside surgeon.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

Of course, the actual implant features also affect your treatment cost. The most common of these are:

• Implant Number – In most cases, placing more implants means higher expenses. Notably, though, an implant denture is more cost-effective than replacing each tooth separately.
• Implant Size/Material –Implants often come in different sizes and materials. For example, zirconia ones cost more than titanium kinds. Similarly, long implants are pricier than short ones.
• Implant Brand – Different manufacturers make implants differently, so one provider may charge more for their stock than another.
• Restoration Type – Crowns, bridges, and dentures have different prices. The smaller of these restorations are generally less expensive.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

Because dentures and bridges have low upfront costs, you may think they’re the better choices. However, dental implants will save you money in the long run.

For starters, implants often lack long-term expenses. Due to their long lifespans, they need few (if any) repair visits. The restorations also don’t require adhesives to work. Patients can typically care for them without buying pricey tools.

More crucially, implants are good for oral health. They won’t wear down your teeth or irritate your gums. Even better, they’re as easy to clean as natural teeth. So, implants will lower your odds of having to treat costly oral issues (i.e., tooth decay, gum disease, etc.).

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Sadly, dental insurance normally won’t cover implants. Most policies see the restorations as medically unnecessary. Therefore, patients must often pay for them out-of-pocket.

On the bright side, exceptions do exist. Your plan may well offer partial coverage. Given that fact, confirm your policy’s benefits before care. Our office can even help you do so.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

Aside from insurance, other methods can make implants affordable. Notable among them are a dental practice’s payment options. With the right one, your future implants will be budget-friendly.

For instance, consider our own practice. We provide:

• In-House Membership Plans – For a flat annual fee, our membership plan offers a discount on dental implants.
• CareCredit Financing – We happen to work with CareCredit, a third-party financier. They’d let you pay for implants in monthly installments.

In the end, we’re eager to give you effective and affordable implants. Learn more about financing them with a consultation at our office!

What to Do Directly After Dental Implant Surgery

Right after your dental implants are placed, you need to leave the forming blood clot alone. Doing so ensures you won’t have major delays in your recovery. With that said, remember to follow these rules:

• Keep your fingers and tongue away from the surgical site(s) for a few days.
• Don’t spit; swallow your saliva or use a tissue for dabbing instead.
• Avoid smoking during the first day after your surgery.
• Since suction can dislodge blood clots, don’t use drinking straws for a while.

Common Side Effects When Recovering from Dental Implant Placement

While you recover from placement surgery, you may face some mild side effects. These could include the following:

• Facial or Gum Swelling – Your gums may swell in the first 72 hours after surgery. If they do, please apply a cold compress.
• Mouth-Related Discomfort – The treatment site could ache once the surgery’s anesthesia wears off. In that case, use store-bought pain relievers to ease your discomfort.
• Intermittent Bleeding –  Your implant site could bleed a little after the placement. Apply gauze and light pressure to reduce such symptoms.

Rest assured that the symptoms above are temporary; they should fade after a few days. If they don’t or get worse, please contact our office.

Your Diet After Dental Implant Surgery

To heal smoothly from dental implant surgery, stick to soft and non-abrasive foods for a few weeks. Tough meals would likely dislodge your blood clot, delaying your overall recovery.

Some of the best foods to include in this temporary diet are:

• Yogurt
• Soft Cheese
• Scrambled Eggs
• (Non-hot) Soup 
• Mashed Potatoes 
• Pasta
• Pudding
• Sweet Potatoes
• Smoothies
• Ice Cream

Most patients can eat normally again once they’re up to it. Still, we do suggest limiting your intake of crunchy/tough foods and not chewing directly on the implant site.

Post-Op Health & Oral Hygiene

You should continue to practice good oral hygiene as you recover. Still, make sure to include these tricks as part of the process:

• Be careful of the surgical site(s) when brushing your teeth twice daily.
• If possible, rinse your mouth with salt water 2-3 times daily. You could also do oral rinses with a prescription mouthwash.
• Avoid using a mouthwash with high alcohol levels (i.e., Scope, Listerine, etc.).

What to Do After Your New Teeth Are Attached

Once your new crown, bridge, or denture is attached, the hard part of your treatment is over! The most you’ll face from that point is some slight gum sensitivity – a symptom you can manage with painkillers. In other words, you won’t have major symptoms like swelling, bleeding, or a long recovery time. Instead, you can go out and enjoy your fully-restored grin!