Dental Implants — Odessa, TX

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

First, before we can start any treatment, we need to meet with you to make sure you’re eligible for dental implants. During this consultation, we’ll not just talk with you about your goals and needs; we’ll also examine your mouth and jawbone to check whether they are healthy enough for the procedure. If you have gum disease or an insufficient jawbone, we can address these issues to set you up for implant success.

Dental Implant Surgery

While placing dental implants below the gumline may sound intimidating, it’s actually a fairly straightforward process. What’s more, we numb the area and offer sedation options to ensure you’re entirely comfortable the whole time. A small incision will be made in the gums to access the jawbone. Then, the dental implant post will be inserted into carefully pre-planned places. Then, the gums are closed and a protective cap is placed over the post.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment

Next is osseointegration, where the post fuses with your jawbone. Basically, the implant post stimulates the jawbone, promoting new growth. The bone tissue will grow and surround the post, giving the implant its stability and security. This process can take anywhere from four to six months to complete. Then, we will place the abutment, or connection piece, by making a tiny incision at the implant site. After a couple of weeks, we’ll be ready to move on to restoration.

Delivery of Dental Restoration(s)

When the gum tissue has fully healed, we can take impressions of your mouth, which we will send to our dental lab. They will craft your custom, realistic restoration to look as natural as possible. Finally, you’ll return to our office to have your replacement teeth secured to the implant post(s), and your smile will be complete once again! At this point, you can care for your implants just as you would normal teeth for decades to come.

Missing 1 Tooth

For a single missing tooth, we place a single implant post topped with a beautiful dental crown. This way, the neighboring healthy teeth are left unaltered and strong.

Missing Multiple Teeth

For two missing teeth in a row, we can typically anchor both replacement teeth to the same implant. However, for three or four missing teeth, we typically place two dental implant posts at either end of the bridge to support the prosthetic.

Missing All Teeth

For those patients with more extensive tooth loss, we will likely recommend a partial or full implant denture. We’ll place a strategic number of implants in various positions around the jaw to provide optimal support for the denture. We craft all our dentures in-office to ensure the highest quality results and are happy to provide fixed and removable implant dentures.

Learn More About Implant Dentures

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

As you might expect, if you require treatment prior to implant placement, such as gum disease therapy or a bone graft, your overall cost will increase. After we’ve had a chance to examine your smile as it is currently, we’ll tell you whether these preliminary procedures are necessary. When it comes to the placement surgery itself, the cost will vary from patient to patient based on several factors, including how many posts are being inserted, their locations in the mouth, and which kind of sedation you have for the procedure.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

When you buy a car, you have many makes and models to choose from, all of which have their unique prices. When it comes to implants, we also have several choices for the individual parts. Based on your needs, assessed during the consultation, we can select the parts that will not only give you a solid foundation for your new smile but also fit within your budget.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

Although the initial price tag of dental implants is higher than that of other restorative options, let’s look at the long term. Bridges and dentures have to be replaced frequently because of the diminishing jawbone. Over time, these expenses add up, often surpassing the cost of dental implants. In many cases, patients can spend less on dental implants than they would on traditional restorations. During your consultation, we can go through the math with you to help you make the smartest financial decision.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

In most cases, dental insurance does not cover the cost of the dental implants or their surgical placement. Luckily, more insurers are starting to cover this effective treatment option each year. Additionally, your dental and/or medical insurance may offer coverage for other aspects of the treatment process including preparatory procedures like tooth extractions, relaxation using sedation dentistry, and the replacement tooth or teeth.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

Whether you do or don’t have insurance, we also offer financing options to make paying for dental implants as affordable as possible. Through CareCredit, one of the nation’s leading financiers for dental expenses, you can progressively pay for treatment through an easier monthly payment at low interest, rather than having to foot the entire bill upfront. Our team can guide you through the application process and answer questions about this option.

What Should You Do Directly After Dental Implant Surgery?

Right after your surgery, it’s important to make sure that the blood clot that will form around the implants to help your gums heal stays intact. To do this, be sure to avoid spitting and instead, swallow your saliva or use tissues, don’t drink out of straws, avoid smoking throughout the healing process, and make sure you don’t touch your surgical site, which could introduce bacteria to it. Whenever you clean your mouth, avoid brushing the implants directly. You can gently swish with salt water to clean the area instead.

Common Side-Effects

If you’ve never gone through oral surgery before and are anxious about what to expect, something that we find helps calm patients’ nerves is going over some of the common side-effects. That way, you’re not wondering whether you should be seeking help or if you’re overreacting. Here are some post-op side-effects you can expect to experience:

• Bleeding that can be minimized by placing a clean piece of gauze over the area and applying light pressure. This can continue for multiple days after the surgery.
• Swelling that can occur over the first 72-hours after surgery. You can place a cold compress on the outside of your mouth in 10-minute increments for up to an hour to reduce swelling and help with discomfort.
• General discomfort that can be minimized with over-the-counter or prescribed medication.

Diet

Just like after you have wisdom teeth removed, you’ll need to eat soft foods after your dental implant surgery. Here are some foods to be sure to stock up on before your procedure:

• Mashed potatoes
• Yogurt
• Ice cream
• Pudding
• Soup (don’t make it too hot)
• Pasta
• Scrambled eggs
• Smoothies

Once you feel better and your mouth has healed a little more, you’ll be able to slowly introduce foods with more texture back into your diet. However, still avoid chewing directly on your implant site.

Health & Oral Hygiene

It’s important to take care of your gums and existing teeth after your procedure and keep them as clean as possible. To do this, you can brush your teeth like you normally would, being cautious around your surgical site, rinse your mouth with warm salt water after each meal (or use a prescription mouth rinse if you have that), and avoid alcohol mouthwash that could irritate your oral tissues or dry out your mouth.

What Should You Do After Your New Teeth Are Attached?

After you’ve healed and your abutments have been placed, we’ll call you back in to attach your final restorations so you can enjoy your complete smile again. This part of the procedure should be simple and it shouldn’t result in uncomfortable side-effects, like bleeding or swelling.

How Long Do Dental Implants Last?

Unlike other tooth replacement options, dental implants are built to stand the test of time. As a result, they can last for 30+ years (with proper care, of course). Therefore, make sure to brush at least twice a day, floss daily, and use mouthwash frequently. It is also important to visit your dentist on a bi-yearly basis for a checkup and cleaning, which will play an instrumental role in keeping your dental implant(s) in tip-top shape. Lastly, make sure to avoid unhealthy dental habits, like smoking, chewing on ice, or using your teeth as tools.

Does Getting Dental Implants Hurt?

If you are fearful about the procedure hurting, you can rest easy knowing the first step is to numb your mouth with a local anesthetic. However, tenderness following your surgery is to be expected. To remain comfortable, take prescribed or OTC pain medication as directed, place a cold compress against the outside of your cheek, and get plenty of rest. If the soreness worsens, get in touch with your dental team.

What Can Cause Dental Implants to Fail?

Although rare, it is possible for dental implants to become loose, fall out, or otherwise fail. Typically, these complications can be attributed to peri-implantitis (a form of gum disease caused by poor oral hygiene) or failed osseointegration (the unsuccessful fusion of the implant post to your jawbone). However, there are other culprits to consider, like chronic teeth grinding, certain medications, and medical conditions, like diabetes.

Will People Be Able to Tell That I Have Dental Implants?

Since dental implants are entirely customized to each patient, even your closest loved ones will have a hard time distinguishing your real teeth from your fake ones. Furthermore, since the implant relies on your jawbone for support, you can enjoy maximum durability and no embarrassing slippage. The result? You’ll be able to enjoy your meals, laugh freely, and enunciate clearly!

Is There Anything I Shouldn’t Eat with Dental Implants?

One major benefit of dental implants is that they don’t come with a long list of food restrictions! With that being said, it is important to remember that (like your natural teeth) they aren’t indestructible. To prevent them from accidentally chipping or cracking, exercise caution with especially hard foods and avoid unhealthy dental habits, like using your teeth as tools or chewing on ice.