Dental Implants — Somerville, NJ

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

The first step towards restoring your smile is to attend a consultation with us. During this visit, we will examine your smile and surrounding facial structures. This will allow us to determine whether dental implants are an ideal tooth replacement solution for you, as well as where and how the implants should be placed. Some patients need preliminary procedures before their implants can be placed, like bone grafting, gum disease treatment, and tooth extractions. Once these treatments are complete, we can move on to planning the rest of your implant treatment. We can walk you through the whole process, including the timeline and the cost.

Dental Implant Surgery

At Somerset Dental Arts, we work with a local specialist for the dental implant placement surgery. This way, we can ensure that our patients are receiving the highest quality care possible. First, your mouth will be numbed with a local anesthetic. Then, a small incision is made into the gum tissue to access your jawbone. The implants are then placed at precise locations and angles. Lastly, your gums will be closed, and protective caps will be placed over the dental implant posts to keep them safe during the healing process.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment

Over the next few months, the osseointegration process will take place. This is when the titanium implants fuse to the jawbone. This is what gives the implants so much stability like your natural teeth have. Then, you will need another small procedure to have the abutments placed on the posts. Impressions are taken of your smile so the final restoration(s) can be crafted.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration(s)

Lastly, you will return to our dental practice to have your restoration placed. This is your crown, bridge, or denture depending on the number of teeth you are missing and where they are located in the mouth. We will check to ensure that everything looks and feels great. Then, you will be sent on your way to enjoy all of the benefits of your new smile.

Day-to-Day Benefits

Once your gums and jawbone have completely healed, your dental implants shouldn’t feel much different than your natural teeth. You may even forget which tooth is actually a dental implant! Here are some of the benefits that you can experience every single day:

• Easy Maintenance: You care for your dental implants just like you care for your natural teeth. Just brush, floss, and rinse with mouthwash every day.
• Stronger Bite: Dental implants can restore your bite force up to 90%! This is much more than what you can expect from dental bridges and dentures.
• Confidence Boost: If you are currently missing teeth, it can be easy to lack confidence. Dental implants can completely turn this around.

Health Benefits

Dental implants can have a positive impact on the health of your entire body. Here are some of the ways that they do that:

• Dental Health: Missing teeth increases your risk of numerous dental problems. They include gum disease, misalignment, and additional tooth loss. Dental implants are able to prevent these issues.
• General Health: Dental health and general health are very closely related. When your smile is thriving, you are at lower risk of numerous life-threatening conditions, including diabetes and heart disease.
• Prevents Bone Loss: When your jawbone isn’t being stimulated by regular chewing, the body starts to reabsorb it. Dental implants replace the roots of the missing teeth, therefore stimulating the jawbone and preventing it from deteriorating.

Long-Term Benefits

Dental implants are more costly than traditional dentures and dental bridges. However, there are plenty of good reasons for this. Here are some of the benefits that you can experience for a long time:

• Long-Lasting: Dental implants are very durable. With proper care and maintenance, you can anticipate a restoration that will last multiple decades or even the rest of your life!
• Successful: Dental implants have over a 95% 10-year success rate! Dental implant failure is very uncommon.
• Cost-Effective: Dental implants have a higher upfront cost, but they are made to last a long time. This way, you don’t need to fork out money for repairs and replacements. You also don’t have to stock up on other products to keep your implants in good shape. Best of all, dental implants help to prevent oral health issues from developing, saving you time and money.

How Long Do Dental Implants Last?

Dental implants are known for being one of the most permanent, long-lasting solutions for missing teeth. With proper care and maintenance, they can easily last patients well over 30 years! Of course, their exact lifespan depends heavily on the patient’s oral hygiene, health, and lifestyle. To ensure your new smile lasts as long as possible, you must be diligent about brushing and flossing, visit your dentist every six months for a checkup and cleaning, and avoid poor habits that can damage your implants (i.e., chewing on ice, smoking, using teeth as tools).

Does Getting Dental Implants Hurt?

Since the dental implant process involves surgery, many patients are concerned that it will be painful. However, it’ll be much more comfortable than you think. Our team at Somerset Dental Arts will take every step necessary to ensure you’re completely relaxed and numbed before starting the procedure. Your mouth will be numbed with a local anesthetic and you’ll most likely be sedated as well, lowering your body’s ability to register pain. Although the surgery itself shouldn’t hurt, your mouth may feel sore for a few days following the procedure. To minimize discomfort, take your pain medication as directed and use cold compresses.

What Can Cause Dental Implants to Fail?

Although dental implants have an impressive success rate of 95%, it’s still entirely possible for them to fail. The two most common causes are peri-implantitis and failed osseointegration (the fusion of the implant to the jawbone). Peri-implantitis is a form of gum disease that results from poor dental hygiene, damaging the bone and gums supporting the implants. Some other causes that can increase your risk of implant failure are chronic teeth grinding, tobacco use, poor oral hygiene, certain medications, and health conditions. At your consultation, our dentist will discuss ways you can lower your chances of implant failure.

How Long Does It Take to Recover from Dental Implant Surgery?

No two smiles are the same, meaning the recovery timeline will vary from person to person. However, most patients can expect to return to their usual routine the day following their surgery. Avoid any strenuous exercise for the first week or so as it could delay healing. After the first couple of days, the bleeding and swelling should gradually stop. Make sure you take your prescribed medication as directed and diligently follow your dentist’s aftercare instructions.

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Dental implants need to be brushed and flossed along with the rest of your smile. Implant posts aren’t susceptible to cavities, but if the tissues holding them in place suffer from gum disease, they may start to come loose. As such, you’ll want to pay close attention to your gums while brushing to make sure you don’t overlook any key areas. Flossing is important as well, as it’s the most reliable way to protect your gums in the areas that a toothbrush can’t clean on its own.

Eat a Healthy Diet

You can enjoy all of your favorite foods with dental implants. While planning your meals, try to limit how many hard, sticky, or sugary foods you’re consuming daily; if you eat them too often, you could end up causing serious problems for your implants. It’s a good idea to eat more foods with calcium and vitamin C, which are vital for keeping your jawbone and your gum tissues healthy.

Break Bad Habits

There are several bad habits that you might perform every day without thinking that can eventually cause dental implants to break or fail. Common examples of habits that can put your implants in danger include:

• Chewing on ice, peppermints, and anything else that’s especially hard.
• Biting your fingernails or the end of your pen when nervous.
• Using your teeth as tools to open packages and other containers.

All of these habits should be broken quickly so that they don’t have a chance to damage your implants. You can replace bad habits with safer ones to protect your smile, such as keeping sugarless gum to chew on or always taking the time to find scissors when you need to open a package.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

Checking on your implants will become part of your standard dental checkups once your mouth has healed and you’ve received your final restoration. Our team can check to see if there are any issues in your mouth that could lead to implant failure if left alone for too long. We can also remove any plaque or tartar that could eventually lead to gum disease. With regular preventive checkups and maintenance, you can ensure that your dental implants will stay in your mouth for many years to come.