Dental Implants – Wilmington, IL

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

The dental implant process begins with a scheduled consultation. You will meet with our in-house periodontist to discuss the vision for your new smile. We will determine how many teeth need to be replaced so that we can decide which type of restoration you will need. We’ll also review your oral and overall health history to make sure you are in proper shape to undergo the minor oral surgery that is required. Finally, your jawbone density will be evaluated to see if you need bone grafting before moving forward.

Dental Implant Surgery

Since the dental implant surgery is performed in-house, you will not need to worry about visiting an outside specialist for implant placement. Instead, our periodontist will administer local anesthesia so that you remain comfortable and pain-free throughout surgery. After making one or more incisions in your gums, we will begin to place each implant post into its designated spot. You can expect that they will be positioned correctly to allow for maximum support. When finished, we’ll close the gum tissue and place healing caps over each implant post.

Dental Implant Osseointegration/Abutment

The time spent at home after your surgery is essential. Although you may only need to take a few days off of work to recover, your mouth will require careful cleaning and use each day for several months. Your implant posts will need at least 4-6 months to fuse with the surrounding bone tissues to create a solid base for your new smile. Once this is complete, and you are fully healed, you will return to see us for your metal abutments, which will be placed atop each post. These ensure that your restoration attaches firmly to your implant.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations

The last step of the implant process is receiving your customized dental restoration. Whether it is an implant crown, implant bridge, or implant denture, we will make sure that it looks natural and feels comfortable once secured in place. Each patient’s results will differ; however, our team will give your teeth a final polish so that you can walk away and feel more confident in your smile’s ability to function properly.

Day-to-Day Benefits

• Eat all types of foods easily: While traditional tooth replacement options can feel loose and only restore 30% or so of your biting power, dental implants are held firmly in place via osseointegration. They will help you achieve 80% or more of your chewing force, allowing you to easily eat all your favorite foods once again.
• Easy daily maintenance: Dental implants can be cared for just like natural teeth. While dentures and dental bridges need special cleaning materials and tools, simply brushing and flossing your dental implant regularly will keep it looking and feeling its best.
• Improved quality of life: Denture-wearers often complain about feeling insecure about their smiles due to slippage. Since dental implants are firmly anchored in the jawbone, you can eat, speak, laugh, and go about your day-to-day life with the utmost confidence.

Health Benefits

• Improved oral health: Dental implants encourage better oral health. Since they are easier to keep clean, they can help reduce your risk of problems like tooth decay and gum disease.
• Preserve natural tooth structure: Dental bridges require alternating remaining healthy teeth and partial dentures can wear down enamel. Dental implants are completely self-supporting and leave the surrounding teeth untouched.
• Jawbone stimulation: Dental implants are the only tooth replacement option to replace the roots of a missing tooth, and as such are the only one to stimulate the jawbone after tooth loss. This prevents deterioration, which is what accounts for the sunken, aged look that so often accompanies losing permanent teeth. Keeping the jawbone strong will also solidify the foundation around your remaining teeth, helping you prevent future tooth loss.

Long-Term Benefits

• Extremely high success rates: When placed by a highly trained and experienced professional, dental implants have a success rate of 95%. Studies show that more than 90% of dental implants remain successful 10 years after placement.
• Dental implants last for decades: While dentures and dental bridges need to be replaced after 10 years or so, dental implants are designed to last for decades. In fact, with the proper care, most patients can easily expect their dental implants to last a lifetime!
• Save thousands of dollars in the long run: Dentures and dental implants have a substantially lower initial cost than dental implants. However, you’ll need to pay for replacements every several years as well as extra cleaning tools and oral health treatments. On the other hand, not only will dental implants lower the overall cost of caring for your smile, but they have the potential to last a lifetime, which can save you thousands of dollars in replacements alone!

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

Part of understanding the cost of dental implants includes factoring in any pre-surgery treatments such as tooth extraction, gum disease therapy, or bone grafting. These are often required when jawbone density is minimal or other oral health problems exist.

Also, dental implant surgery is part of the cost estimate, as the placement of these titanium posts does require a minor oral procedure. Fortunately, because we complete the entire process in-house, you can avoid paying a separate bill to an outside specialist.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

When considering other components of your cost estimate, you’ll need to think about the different parts of your dental implant, as how many you need and how it’s manufactured are also included in the cost.

To begin, the more implant posts you need, the more you can expect to pay. The same can be said for the type of restoration you will need, as a dental crown is cheaper to produce than an implant denture. And because these prosthetics are custom-made, the titanium or zirconia that is used to create them must also be part of the full cost of treatment. Finally, multiple manufacturers create dental implants, some of whom offer cheaper materials. The important thing to remember is that cheaper isn’t always better, which is why we’ll go over our choice for implants during your initial consultation.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

As you think about your options for tooth replacement, you may be tempted to opt for a less invasive, more affordable solution. But before you decide, consider how these permanent prosthetics can actually help you save in the long run.

Not only do you get to avoid spending your hard-earned dollars on dental adhesives to hold your smile in place, but you also forgo the frequency of adjustments and replacements that take up ample time and money. And don’t forget, tooth loss is often linked to other serious health problems, many of which can still occur even with dentures and dental bridges. With dental implants, you can avoid facial sagging and collapse as well as reduce your risk for osteoporosis and maybe even diabetes – both of which can incur significant costs over the years.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

You will be pleased to learn that as time passes, more dental insurance companies are beginning to offer coverage for dental implants. However, because each plan is different, you or a member of our team will need to review your policy first. This will help us to determine how much, if any, your insurer is willing to pay for treatment. Even if surgery is not included, you may be able to save when it comes to your crown, bridge, or denture as well as any pre-surgical treatments you require.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

At Grand Dental – Wilmington, we are pleased to offer our patients other affordable ways to keep dental implant placement and restoration within reach. Whether it is through our in-house membership plan that allows you to pay a single fee to receive access to substantial discounts on available treatments or with flexible financing through CareCredit, no patient needs to settle for less than when it comes to rebuilding and restoring their smile.

What to Do Directly After Dental Implant Surgery

Although dental implants allow you to enjoy greater flexibility and bite force in the long run, they require patience and care immediately following your surgery. This means that you must get adequate rest, take any prescribed medications or over-the-counter pain relievers, stay away from tobacco products and smoking for the first 1-2 days, and use a cold compress should you feel any swelling or pain.

Common Side Effects

There are common side effects that you can expect to experience after your dental implant surgery. From swelling and bleeding to minor bruising, it’s all part of the healing process. Fortunately, they do not last long and will begin to dissipate within a few days or weeks. The time it takes for these side effects to go away is dependent on how many implants you have put into place.

Should you notice that the swelling is increasing or that the bleeding is worsening, do not wait to seek help from our dental team.

Diet

Soft foods are highly recommended after your procedure. This gives your implants time to heal and fuse with the bone tissues because there is no pressure placed on them when biting or chewing. Instead, you can enjoy nutrient-rich foods that are softer, such as yogurt, oatmeal, pudding, soup, mashed potatoes, pasta, and even pureed vegetables.

As you notice your mouth is becoming less uncomfortable, you may be able to incorporate denser foods into your daily diet.

Health & Oral Hygiene

Keeping your teeth and gums healthy during this time is crucial, as you don’t want bad bacteria entering vulnerable areas. This is why the day after surgery, you are encouraged to brush and floss. You’ll need to be careful around your surgical sites to avoid irritation. Instead of using an antibacterial mouthwash, rinse with warm salt water to flush out bacteria and encourage faster healing.

What to Do After Your New Teeth Are Attached

After receiving your customized restoration and having it secured into place, you’ll begin to notice the many great benefits of your new smile. While you might experience some minor sensitivity initially, it will not last. Before you know it, you’ll be eating all your favorite foods, smiling more confidently, and living life to the fullest once again.

How Long Do Dental Implants Last?

If you take good care of your dental implants, you can most likely expect your new teeth to last for upwards of 30 years. Many patients have even gone on to keep their implants for the rest of their lives! Of course, the lifespan of your implants will depend on your dedication to keeping them in great condition. Your implant dentist in Wilmington will ensure that you’re well-informed of the steps you can take to make your new smile stand the test of time, such as daily oral hygiene, a healthy diet, and regular dental checkups.

How Successful Are Dental Implants?

As long as you find a highly qualified professional to place your implants – such as our in-house periodontist, Dr. John Micaletti – then you can almost always count on a successful treatment. In fact, surgical dental implant placement has a success rate as high as 95%. Even after 10 years, the success rate drops less than 5% from that, if at all.

It should come as no surprise that the long-term success of your implants varies based on how well you take care of your oral and overall health. Our doctors will gladly provide you with tips to help!

Am I Too Young to Get Dental Implants?

Generally speaking, dental implants are not recommended for patients who have not yet reached their mid to late twenties. The jawbone might not be finished developing until that age range, so placing implants before then could result in severe complications. For that reason, we recommend that, if you’re in your late teens or early twenties and are interested in tooth replacement, you consider seeking alternative options. This may involve wearing a partial denture or bridge, or simply leaving the gap empty, until your mouth and jaw are fully developed and ready to support dental implants.

Will I Have to Take Off Work for Dental Implant Surgery?

Yes, we highly recommend taking off from work the day of your dental implant surgery. However, the number of days you’ll want to stay home after that can vary. For example, if you’re only receiving a single implant and work a fairly sedentary job, you might feel well enough to return to work the very next day. On the other hand, if you’re getting multiple implants placed at once, or your job requires physical labor, it’s best to spend the next two or three days recovering (rigorous exercise can impede the healing process). We might suggest scheduling your dental implant procedure on a Friday if you’re worried about missing work (if you get the weekends off). That way, you’ll have Saturday and Sunday to recover.