Dental Implants Springfield

Treatment Planning & Preparation

Before we begin the dental implant supported tooth replacement process, we’ll carefully assess your oral and overall health, discuss past and current health conditions and medications, and capture diagnostic images to create a precise implant supported tooth replacement plan. In order to ensure you have the best chances for successful dental implant placement, we may need to provide one or more preparatory treatments, including tooth extractions, tissue grafts, and services like gum disease treatment to help patients achieve optimal oral health before starting the tooth replacement process. Once we have prepared your smile and fully planned your dental implant procedures, we can schedule the surgical placement of one or more dental implant posts.

Surgical Dental Implant Placement

Once you’re in good oral health and all preparatory treatments have been completed, we’ll surgically place the dental implants. This process is not as invasive as you may think. We simply make a small incision in the soft tissue and place the implant post into the jawbone. Then, a protective cap is attached over the top of the dental implant to protect the surgical site. This allows the implant to fuse with the jawbone and maintains space in the soft tissue that is necessary to access the implant after it fuses with the supportive bone and soft tissue. Over the course of three to six months, the implant posts undergo a process called osseointegration. This is a long word that essentially means your implant posts integrate with the rest of your healthy dental structures, recreating your lost tooth roots.

Abutments & Restoration Design

Once the dental implant posts have fused with supportive structures and the surgical site has healed, we’ll place the abutments. These are connector pieces that attach the dental implant posts to your replacement crown, bridge, or denture. After placing the abutments, we’ll capture bite impressions and design your replacement tooth or teeth. These replacement teeth may be a single tooth dental crown, a consecutive tooth bridge, a partial, or a full denture.

Placement of the Prosthetic Tooth or Teeth

Finally, when we receive your custom crafted dental restoration from the lab, you’ll return for the final stage of treatment. This process is simple. We check the fit of your prosthetic. Then, it’s attached to the abutment posts where it will seamlessly integrate into your smile. Once in place, the implant supported dental crown, bridge, partial, or full denture will remain in place and flawlessly functional for years to come.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?

Before we begin the dental implant process, we’ll need to make sure that you’re a good candidate for the treatment. To determine this, your dentist in Springfield will thoroughly examine your oral structure and mouth to find out of you need any preparatory procedures, including a bone graft, sinus lift, or gum disease treatment. Once you’ve healed, we’ll schedule your dental implant surgery.

Missing 1 Tooth

For a patient that is missing one tooth, we’ll use what is called an implant-retained crown to bring it back. For this, a custom-made, all-porcelain dental crown will be attached directly to an implant post using a metal connector called an abutment. The crown will be color-matched to the surrounding teeth, and because it will have the same basic structure as a natural tooth, it will seamlessly blend in with the rest of the smile.

Missing Multiple Teeth

For someone who is missing multiple teeth in a row, implant crowns can also be used to support a bridge. Two implant crowns are placed on either side of the gap in a person’s smile, and these are bonded to prosthetic teeth to close it. Implant-retained bridges look natural, are strong, and can be a lifetime restoration.

Missing All Teeth

Implants are extremely versatile and can also be used to support a denture to replace multiple teeth located around the mouth or even an entire arch. For this, the prosthetic teeth will be anchored directly to the jawbone using multiple implants placed within the mouth. This gives implant dentures multiple advantages over traditional removable ones:

• Stronger Hold:  Because the denture is attached to the jawbone just like natural teeth, it is much less likely to slip, slide, pop, or click while in the mouth.
• More Consistent:  Dental implants actually support the jaw from within, which will help stop the bone loss that causes many dentures to lose their fit in a short amount of time. With implant dentures, you can trust them to fit like the day you got them for a long time.
• Better Bite:  Regular dentures only bring back 10-12% of a person’s bite force, while implant dentures bring back 70%! This means a patient will be able to enjoy a wider variety of foods with ease, leading to an overall healthier (and more satisfying) diet.

Learn More About Implant Dentures

Types of Dental Implants

There are different factors that come into play when determining how much your implant procedure will cost. Some include:

• The number of implants you’ll need (single tooth, multiple teeth, implant-retained dental implants)
• How the implant is placed (the type of procedure)
• How the implant is made (different manufacturers)

During your initial consultation with our doctors, they will discuss all these factors, as well as if you need any additional dental surgery completed prior to dental implants. This will give you a better idea as to how much your implant procedure will cost.

Are Dental Implants Worth the Investment?

Without a doubt, the answer is yes! Dental implants are the superior method of tooth replacement restorations. Your dentist in Springfield can offer a wide variety of treatments; however, none of them will offer the stability, longevity, and natural look and feel like dental implants. While they may be a costly endeavor, the results speak for themselves. Not only will you have a fully restored smile that can last a lifetime, but you’ll have increased confidence in your ability to speak and eat!

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Since each dental insurance company is different, you’ll need to check your individual policy to see if your insurance will cover your dental implants. If you’re unsure how to navigate this process, talk to one of our office team members. They will be happy to discuss your coverage with you and determine how you can get the most out of your benefits.

It’s also important to know that our office does offer flexible financing options through CareCredit, Lending Club and Green Sky Financial. You may be eligible to qualify for low-to-no interest payment plans that can break up the cost of your care, so it works best for you.

A Long-Lasting Investment

No two budgets are the same, and no two patients are the same. This means, if you only need a few dental implants in Springfield, your cost will be significantly less than someone needing a full row. At Advanced Dental Care of Springfield, we understand dental implants are a costly option; however, we can assure you that the investment you’re making now is one you’ll be happy with for years to come.

CBCT Scanning

A CBCT (cone beam computed tomography) scanner is a special X-ray machine that can create a three-dimensional image of the inside of your mouth. The machine will fully rotate around your head, taking somewhere between 150 and 200 pictures at various angles; at the end, special software combines these images into a digital 3D model.

Unlike traditional X-rays, CBCT images can show the dentist various dental structures, soft tissues, nerve paths and craniofacial bones in great detail; this gives your dentist in Springfield a more comprehensive understanding of your jaw and other anatomical structure. The technology can be used to improve all kinds of dental surgeries.

Thanks to the models produced by CBCT scans, patients with missing teeth can enjoy various benefits of an enhanced dental implant procedure, such as:

• Better Precision:  An improved, more accurate understanding of your mouth will make it easier for the dentist to anticipate potential obstacles during a procedure and plan accordingly. Furthermore, CBCT images tend to be of higher quality.
• Higher Success Rate:  Enhanced precision means that the entire procedure is more likely to succeed than if we merely relied on traditional X-rays.
• Safe and Comfortable:  The scans are painless, noninvasive and leave no radiation remains in your body afterwards.

Guided Dental Implant Surgery

CBCT scans can also be used to directly guide the implant surgery itself. A model is created that lets us “perform” a virtual surgery. This is invaluable in situations that require a particularly careful touch. For example, if all of the teeth in the upper or lower jaw are missing, there won’t be any landmarks to indicate where an implant is supposed to go. A computer-generated guide will make it much easier to visualize the correct position for the implant.

Because a guided surgery is much more precise, patients will often experience less pain, swelling, bruising and discomfort afterwards. Smaller incisions are usually required as well, which means your gums will heal faster.

Bone Grafting

When teeth are lost, the unused portion of the jawbone will begin to deteriorate or “resorb.” (This can also be the result of gum disease). Bone grafting is a technique that can help rebuild the damaged structure. This is done by adding grafting material – usually processed bone minerals – in strategic areas of the jaw.

There are several different kinds of bone grafts that each use a different type of material:

• Autografts use your own bones. Usually the necessary material is taken from the hip or the back of your jaw.
• Allografts involve bone tissue that came from a separate human donor.
• Xenografts use bone taken from an animal. In most cases, it will be a cow.
• Alloplasts employ synthetic materials that contain calcium, phosphorous and hydroxylapatite.

The different types of grafts have various advantages and disadvantages; we’ll make our recommendation based on the state of your oral health.

After the surgery, you may experience some minor soreness that can be controlled with anti-inflammatory medications, pain relievers or ice therapy. The discomfort shouldn’t last longer than a couple of days. Once you’ve recovered, it’ll take several months for your body to replace graft with its own bone; when that’s done, your jaw will be ready to receive a dental implant in Springfield, bringing you one step closer to enjoying your new teeth.

Sinus Lifts

Like with bone grafting, a sinus lift uses transplanted materials (your own bone, a donor’s bone, etc.) to encourage the production of new bone tissue. However, a sinus lift is specifically for the upper jaw.  It’s used when there’s not enough bone present or if the sinuses don’t leave enough room for implants to be placed.

During the procedure, an incision will be made in the gum tissue near the back for your mouth. This will give your dentist in Springfield access to the membrane separating the sinus from the jaw. The membrane will be gently pushed up, and the grafting material will fill the space left behind. The site will be closed, and after a few months, you’ll be ready to get your implants!