Dental Implants – San Antonio, TX

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

One of the most important steps of the dental implant process is your initial consultation. Dr. Racha Kadamani and her team of professionals will examine your teeth, gums, and X-rays to see whether dental implants are right for you. We’ll be keeping an eye out for jawbone density, good oral health, and making sure that you don’t have any lingering oral issues that could cause complications during the healing process. We’ll also create your customized treatment timeline and walk you through it, including discussing details such as pricing.

Dental Implant Surgery

 

At Laith Family Dentistry, Dr. Kadamani believes in providing patients with the best results, which is why she partners with expert oral surgeons in the San Antonio area for the implant placement portion of the procedure. Once you’ve had your implant posts surgically placed, you’ll return to our office so we can finish the process.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment 

After your surgery, you’ll go through an extensive healing and osseointegration period. This is when the dental implants will naturally fuse with your jawbone, providing your new restorations with a stable and strong foundation to be secured to. Once this part of the process is complete, you’ll return to our office so we can place your abutments, which are small, metal connector pieces that will allow your implants to hold restorations. This will also require a healing period of about four to six weeks.

Placement of Dental Implant Restorations 

Finally, the moment you’ve been waiting for—the completion of your smile! Once your permanent restorations arrive from our dental laboratory to our office, we’ll call you back in for the last part of the procedure. Before securing your replacement teeth, we’ll make sure that they incorporate seamlessly into the rest of your smile and look great. We’ll also show you how to take care of them and what you can do to make sure that they last for 35 or more years!

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

The initial consultation involves several important steps. First of all, it allows us to evaluate the health of your gums and jawbone so that we can confirm that you’re a candidate for implant placement in the first place. In addition to taking an X-ray, we’ll also have to measure your jawbone density. You’ll need a certain amount of bone tissue in order to support a dental implant. We know this is likely to be your first experience with the implant process, so we’ll be sure to walk you through every step and answer any questions you have as thoroughly as possible.

Dental Implant Surgery

Dental implant surgery is a minimally invasive procedure. Local anesthetic is used to numb the part of the mouth where the surgery will be performed. This means as far as the procedure itself is concerned, your experience will basically be painless. Additional sedation may be administered if you’re feeling particularly nervous. Once your mouth is ready, we’ll make an incision in the gums and make a small hole in the bone underneath. A dental implant is then placed inside the hole, and the process is repeated depending on how many implants you need. A protective cap will be placed over the post while you recover.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment

Once the implant is in place, it’s time for osseointegration – the key to the success of implant-retained restorations. The titanium post will fuse with the bone, permanently fixing it into position. Osseointegration usually takes around six months, but it all depends on how many implants were placed and how quickly your mouth can heal. Then, after osseointegration is done, an abutment will be attached. This small addition to the implant post can lock a dental prosthetic in place so that it doesn’t slip or otherwise move out of place whenever you bite, speak, or chew.

Delivery of Dental Restoration(s)

No matter what kind of restoration you need – be it a crown, a bridge, or dentures – it will be placed after the mouth has fully healed and osseointegration has been completed. Each prosthetic is completely personalized so that they match your natural teeth in terms of color, size, and shape. On the day of your appointment, we’ll make any last-minute adjustments that are necessary to make sure that the end results are as natural-looking as possible. As a side benefit, since the restoration will be placed on the implant, we won’t have to make any permanent changes to the natural teeth.

Lifestyle Benefits

• You can feel more confident with your new appearance, allowing you to embrace a better quality of life that includes feeling comfortable around friends, family, and colleagues.
• You will enjoy greater self-confidence, which can be difficult for those with dentures and experience regular slippage.
• You’ll enjoy a more stable and durable prosthetic that will never slip or fall out. Their permanent placement within your jawbone will create a firm foundation for your restoration.
• You’ll be able to eat and drink your favorite foods and beverages without worrying about damaging your implants or causing them to warp. Dentures have an acrylic base that can easily break or become warped when exposed to hot temperatures.

Health Benefits

• With dental implants in San Antonio, you can avoid a complex process for keeping them clean. Instead of removing and soaking them overnight like you would dentures, you can easily brush, floss, and rinse just like you do your regular teeth. This makes for a much easier process and ensures optimal oral health.
• You’ll enjoy greater bone health because of your dental implants’ ability to stimulate the bone and prevent facial collapse. When a prosthetic or restoration on sit on top of the gums, chewing and eating will not keep the jawbone strong. However, because your implants are surgically placed into your bone, you can enjoy improved functionality and oral health.
• You can expect prosthetics that do not irritate your soft oral tissues but instead, fit comfortably within your mouth and function just like regular teeth.
• You’ll be increasing your chances of living longer by replacing your missing teeth. The reason is that there is a direct link between tooth loss and lifespan. Individuals who have multiple missing teeth by the age of 65 are more likely to develop overall health problems that can shorten their lifespan.

Long-Term Benefits

• You’ll save money in the long run because you will not need to buy dental adhesives or rely on an implant dentist in San Antonio to reline or replace your implants. You also won’t need to purchase special cleaning products.
• You can enjoy the realization that dental implant placement after 10 years has a 90-95% success rate.
• You’ll enjoy a smile that is designed to last a lifetime as long as you commit to proper maintenance.

Who is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?

Almost any healthy adult can get dental implants. Usually, you’ll have to have these 3 things to be considered a good candidate for this treatment:

• Good overall health: Because dental implants require a minor surgery, you must be healthy enough to undergo the procedure.
• Great oral health: Common problems like gum disease and tooth decay can negatively impact the success of your implants, which is why they’ll need to be addressed first.
• Adequate jawbone density: In order for your treatment to be successful, your jawbone must be strong enough to support dental implants.

Even if you’re initially not a good candidate for dental implants, we can usually provide treatments that make this option possible. Preliminary dental services like bone grafting and gum disease therapy allows a wide range of patients to enjoy the benefits of dental implants without being a perfect candidate at first. Once we get you completely healthy, we can develop your personalized treatment plan around how many teeth you’re missing.

Missing 1 Tooth

To replace a single tooth, a dental implant is placed into the jaw and given time to integrate with the existing bone and soft tissue. After enough time has passed and the implant is secure, a porcelain crown can be affixed to the implant via an abutment. We will design the crown to match the size, shape, and shade of the rest of your smile for a seamless replacement.

Missing Multiple Teeth

Multiple missing teeth can be replaced via a dental bridge customized to fit on top of a pair of dental implants. The best part is that an implant bridge doesn’t rely on natural teeth for support, leaving your remaining smile healthy and untouched. While this is best suited for consecutive missing teeth (typically two to three), it’s also ideal for teeth on opposite sides of the mouth. In this instance, a partial denture can be designed to fit on top of dental implants.

Missing All Teeth

Even if you are missing all the teeth in your upper or lower arches, we can rebuild your smile with dental implants. In this instance, a custom-made denture made from metal, acrylic and ceramic materials is constructed to fit onto four to six dental implants in San Antonio. Combining the best of both worlds, implant dentures give you the most stable and secure full smile replacement.

Learn More

Concerns about financing treatment often deter patients from receiving the dental care they need. In fact, a poll conducted by a leading dental insurance provider revealed that patients’ worries they would not be able to pay for treatment was the number one reason they skip out on dental appointments. If patients avoid basic care because of cost, they are obviously much more likely to forego more advanced treatments for this reason. Even though dental implant tooth replacement is the most natural, longest lasting treatment option, many patients choose less effective treatment methods entirely due to the cost. At Laith Family Dentistry, we understand that our San Antonio dental patients may think the initial costs of implant tooth replacement are outside of their budgets. Let our Northwest or Central San Antonio dentist and dentistry team review your unique tooth replacement plan, treatment costs, and help you find ways to fit this advanced tooth replacement option into your budget. We go above and beyond to help our patients receive the advanced dentistry services they need within their budgets. If you want to learn more about your tooth replacement options, call Laith Family Dentistry to schedule a dental implant consultation appointment today.

The Cost of Dental Implants & Their Placement

The majority of the costs of your implant supported tooth replacement plan is the price of each implant post. Depending on the materials used and the type of implant, each post can cost between $500 and $2000 or more. This price is before the placement or restoration. Luckily, the cost of each additional implant post often decreases, and as long as your implants are all placed at the same appointment, additional surgical fees remain fairly low.

Other Factors that Impact the Cost of Implant Tooth Replacement

In addition to the cost of each dental implant post, you will need to consider the pricing of a number of other treatments. Unlike dental implants and their placement, most of these services do receive some coverage from insurance. Treatments you may need as part of your implant supported tooth replacement plan include:

• Preparatory bone or soft tissue grafting
• Tooth extractions
• Sedation dentistry
• Replacement restorations, including crowns, bridges, or dentures

How We Help Make Dental Implants Affordable

Before we start your implant supported tooth replacement plan, our team members will walk you through every step of the process and the costs associated with each. We ask that patients be prepared to pay for each part of the implant plan during the appointment when the service is provided rather than charging for all of these services upfront. This allows patients to pay for individual treatments over the course of the months of implant restoration. While your dental implants and their placement are not usually covered by insurance plans, other parts of your treatment, including preparatory extractions and replacement teeth, will be. Our team will maximize this coverage. We are also happy to work with CareCredit to offer low and no interest payment plans to spread the costs of treatment out over several months.

Making Oral Hygiene a Priority

While at home, it’s essential that you maintain good oral hygiene. Brushing twice a day for two minutes using fluoride toothpaste as well as flossing once a day (at least) and rinsing with antimicrobial mouthwash will keep decay and gum disease away. Choosing to neglect this vitally important routine will only cause your oral health to worsen and result in potential dental implant failure.

Eating a Healthy Diet

Foods high in Vitamin C and calcium are some of the best you can eat when living with dental implants in San Antonio. Leafy greens, lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables are also healthier alternatives that you should incorporate into your daily diet, as they will strengthen regular tooth enamel and encourage healthy gums. Too much sugar and starch can cause the development of gum disease and tooth decay that can affect your natural teeth. Swap out the cookies for an apple or carrots and watch your smile maintain its health and appearance.

Breaking Bad Habits

Do you smoke or use your teeth to open packages and containers? Do you eat ice or bite your fingernails? No matter which unhealthy habit you regularly practice, it’s best to give them up before you ever receive your dental implants. A sudden chip, break, or crack in your new teeth can result in additional time and money being spent caring for your new smile. Dental implants are an expensive investment you don’t want to compromise, so make sure you’re seeking alternative solutions to help curb these bad habits (i.e., sugar-free chewing gum, cessation groups).

Protecting Your Dental Implants

If you enjoy playing sports, one of the first things you should purchase after receiving dental implants is a customized mouthguard. These not only protect your teeth and soft tissues from hard-hitting impact, but they help to absorb any pressure or force and spread it out instead of allowing the hit to focus on one particular area. Mouthguards are also helpful if you grind or clench your teeth while you sleep. Too much pressure applied to your new teeth can cause them to become loose and fail over time. Wearing a customized mouthguard that fits comfortably and offers maximum support will ensure greater longevity for your implants.

Scheduling Regular Dental Checkups

Even if all your teeth are replaced with implant dentures, seeing an implant dentist in Central San Antonio is necessary. Why? Because although these permanent prosthetics cannot decay, it is possible to still develop gum disease, oral cancer, and other serious conditions. Avoiding dental implant failure is the goal once your titanium posts are in place. Seeing a trusted professional every six months for dental checkups and cleanings will not only serve to address problems early on should they be present, but your dentist can help keep your smile looking and feeling its best.

Do you still have questions about dental implants? We have the answers! Because they are a newer technology, we understand if you may be uncertain about what they are or what their process entails. That’s why we’ve included the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about dental implants in San Antonio for your convenience. Dr. Racha W. Kadamani believes in patient education, which is why she wants you to know what information is important to you before visiting our practice.

How Long Do Dental Implants Last?

Many patients switch to dental implants because of their unique benefits. One of these many advantages is their ability to last a life time with proper care. You can get the most out of your implants by brushing and flossing, visiting our office regularly, and avoiding any poor lifestyle habits like smoking or heavily consuming alcohol. One of the benefits of dental implants is that their maintenance isn’t much different from your natural teeth. If you’re looking for a permanent solution, dental implants will give you a replacement that you can count on for decades to come.

Does it Hurt to Receive Dental Implants?

After hearing about the process of receiving dental implants, many patients assume that it’s painful. However, the discomfort that you feel can be compared to a simple tooth extraction. We will ensure you’re numb, comfortable, and relaxed before beginning the procedure. We even offer sedation dentistry in the form of nitrous oxide (also known as laughing gas) to keep you calm and happy. While drilling holes into your jaw doesn’t sound comfortable, your jawbone doesn’t have any pain-sensing nerves, which makes the surgery much less painful than you may think.

How Many Dental Implants Do I Need?

The number of dental implants that you need will depend directly on how much of your natural dental structure that you’re missing. In some cases, multiple implants are needed to support one tooth, which is another variable that you should account for. Dr. Kadamani will carefully examine your mouth to see how many dental implants you need based on the condition of your oral health, your needs, and the number of teeth that you’re missing.

Can Dental Implants Help with My Dentures?

Do you have dentures that slip and slide around? We can use some strategically placed dental implants to anchor and support your dentures. Now, you can receive a full smile replacement with the biting power and strength of dental implants. This allows you to eat more of your favorite foods and it gives you the confidence of knowing that you can eat, speak, and laugh in public with dentures that aren’t going to shift around in your mouth.