Implants

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

Placing dental implants requires a fair amount of planning as well as careful examination. Without first looking at your current oral health and the teeth that need to be replaced, we can’t build a proper treatment plan to rebuild your smile. The consultation also provides you an opportunity to ask any questions you may have. We’ll confirm if another treatment would be more appropriate, especially if you have a pre-existing condition that would make dental implant treatment too risky.

Dental Implant Surgery

Before beginning, we will ensure that you are numb, comfortable, and ready to begin your surgery. We’ll also administer sedation if you requested it ahead of treatment. Next, Dr. Rasmussen will create a tiny incision in your gums to access your jawbone. Then, he will make a small hole in the bone for the placement of your implant. After the implant has been placed, he’ll close the gum tissue up with stitches so the implant can start to heal and integrate. Before you leave, he’ll go over the best aftercare steps to ensure no complications appear during your recovery.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment

Once the dental implants are placed, you’ll leave our office to begin a 4 to 6 monthlong healing period. This is known as osseointegration and it’s designed to give the implant time to fuse with the jawbone. Thanks to the titanium post, the human body can receive it safely, much like implants in other parts of the body (such as the hip).

When the implant has fully fused, an abutment can be attached. This small cap is meant to provide additional stability to the restoration. To place it, Dr. Rasmussen carefully opens the gum tissue to expose the implant, then places the abutment and stitches the gums closed one more time. The gums will then begin to heal around the abutment over the next few weeks.

Delivery of Dental Restoration

After this is complete, you’ll come back into our office, where Dr. Rasmussen will place your permanent crown, bridge, or denture on top of the implant to restore your entire tooth from the roots up. The restoration will be customized to not only look natural from all angles, but keep the bite as even as possible. Your replacement tooth is created by a trusted dental lab outside of the office, so you can expect it to last for decades and even reflect light similarly to natural enamel.

Day-to-Day Benefit

Self-Stabilizing: Implanted teeth sit within strong jawbone just like real ones, enabling a patient to eat whatever they like without having to deal with slippage or breakage.

Aesthetically Pleasing: Every implant post is topped with a 100% custom-made restoration, and because implants don’t require unnatural-looking attachments to stay in place, this gives them a lifelike appearance that blends into anyone’s smile.

Minimal Maintenance: Dental implants can be cleaned using a soft-bristled toothbrush, non-abrasive toothpaste, dental floss, and regular mouthwash. This makes them easier to maintain and keep clean year after year.

Better Quality of Life: You will embrace a better quality of life with dental implants because you can freely talk, eat, and smile with ease. Denture-wearers are often embarrassed by their prosthetics and avoid many social gatherings. But with dental implants, you never have to worry!

Health Benefits

Natural Teeth Remain Untouched: Unlike a dental bridge that requires altering your abutment teeth on either side of the gap, dental implants are placed in the vacated socket, leaving your natural teeth untouched.

Bone Preservation: The jawbone tends to atrophy after tooth loss, but implants can help stimulate the bone and lead to the growth of new tissue right where it’s needed. This ensures the remaining teeth stay strong and the facial muscles always have adequate support (which can prevent the formation of wrinkles).

Improved Overall Health: It is not uncommon for tooth loss to cause more serious health-related issues such as osteoporosis, diabetes, and heart disease. By replacing your teeth with dental implants, you reduce your risk and save money on various medical treatments.

Long-Term Benefits

High Success Rate: It is believed that when dental implants are placed by a skilled Periodontist, they have a success rate of around 95%. If they are properly maintained, they can continue to have a success rate of 90-95% after 10 years!

Reliable: When placed by a specially-trained dentist like Dr. Rasmussen, implants can easily endure for multiple decades, often lasting for the rest of a patient’s life!

Money-Saver: Surprisingly, dental implants can save you a lot of money over the course of your lifetime. Instead of buying denture adhesives and special cleaning supplies as you would with traditional dentures, you can choose permanent prosthetics. Also, you won’t need to worry about frequent adjustments or replacements every 5-10 years like you would with traditional dental bridges or dentures.

Missing One Tooth

A single implant can be placed into the jawbone between two healthy teeth and topped with a porcelain crown without disturbing the nearby dental structure at all. This is much less invasive compared to a bridge, in which the neighboring teeth have to be filed down to support the prosthetic.

Missing Multiple Teeth

For consecutive missing teeth or those located throughout the mouth, implants can also serve as the foundation for a bridge or partial denture. This gives the prosthetics a strength and security removable ones simply can’t match.

Missing All Teeth

Even people missing all of their teeth along a single row can benefit from implant dentistry. Using a small number of implant roots, a full denture can be anchored to the jawbone that looks better, provides a stronger bite, and lasts longer than any traditional one.

Learn More About Implant Dentures

Learn More About All-On-4

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

Some patients may require certain preliminary treatments to ensure successful treatment. Although these procedures (i.e., gum disease therapy, tooth extractions, bone grafting) will add to the overall cost, they’re crucial for maximizing the success of your new smile. Luckily, these are often partially covered by dental insurance.

It’s important to note that dental implant surgery has a cost of its own. Since we’re able to provide the entire treatment under one roof, you don’t have to worry about visiting a separate facility or paying a different bill. We can handle it all at our practice!

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

When calculating the total cost of dental implants, you should remember that there are multiple factors that affect the overall price. Some of those include:

Number of Implants. Depending on how many teeth you’re missing, you may need anywhere from one to six dental implants. As you can imagine, the more you need, the higher the cost will be.

Type of Restoration. Dental crowns, bridges, and dentures all have different costs. The smaller the restorations are, the less expensive they’ll be. Some implants are made of zirconia instead of titanium, which affects the total price. Different manufacturers produce implants that cater to the diverse needs of patients. The brand you choose can influence the cost of the implant, so make sure you inquire about the source of your implant and any brand-specific benefits.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

While dental implants initially seem to cost more than other kinds of tooth replacement, they’re certainly worth the price. Not only do they look and feel natural while letting you chew all your favorite foods, but they can also prevent resorption in the jaw (the natural consequence of losing teeth).

Unlike other restorations, dental implants can potentially last the rest of your life. This can make them the most cost-effective option since you won’t have to pay for new ones nearly as often. Of course, if you want to make sure you get the most out of your investment, you should make sure your implants are being placed by an expert. Fortunately, Dr. Rasmussen is a board-certified periodontist who is well-experienced in performing this particular procedure.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Many plans won’t pay for implants, but others might; it all depends on who your carrier is. Bear in mind that even if your insurance won’t pay for the implants themselves, it may help cover certain related procedures such as treatment for gum disease. Our practice offers in-network savings, but we’re more than happy to file a claim for an out-of-network provider or offer third-party financing through CareCredit, Alphaeon or Proceed.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

Don’t have dental insurance? That’s okay! We offer additional financing options to help make your dental implant treatment affordable. We can help you sign up for third-party financing with CareCredit, Alphaeon or Proceed, which offers low-interest rates. It can make the cost of any treatment fit within your budget. Additionally, you can currently take advantage of our $99 new patient special!

3D Cone Beam Imaging/3D CT Scanning

A cone beam scanner, also called a CBCT scanner or 3D CT scanner, is basically a super-powered X-Ray. It uses a cone-shaped beam of radiation to capture highly detailed images of your oral structures. It is much more precise than a regular digital X-Ray and provides our team a comprehensive view of your teeth, jawbone, nerves, and connective tissues.

Using this type of 3D imaging, Dr. Rasmussen is able to create a highly detailed model of a patient’s jawbone and surrounding oral structures. This helps him take all the guesswork out of someone’s implant placement procedure. He can identify the perfect locations within the jawbone for the new tooth roots, determine the thickness of the bone, and even figure out the angle the implant should be placed at to provide the strongest foundation possible for the new teeth. By the time the actual procedure starts, a positive result is practically guaranteed.

The scanning process with a CBCT machine is fast, noninvasive and painless. After our team positions you in the machine, all you have to do is stay still while the scan is performed (usually in under one minute). You won’t have to do anything special to prepare for your scan, except perhaps remove jewelry or other objects that might interfere with the accuracy of the final images.

Guided Dental Implant Surgery

Many dentists use freehand techniques to place dental implants. In most cases, freehand placement is successful. However, if a patient requires multiple implants or has other complicating factors, freehand surgery comes with an increased risk of problems.

That is why Dr. Rasmussen , your implant dentist, often uses guided surgery techniques. Using a custom surgical guide from a trustworthy dental laboratory, he can place your prosthetic tooth roots precisely where they belong, inserting them at the correct location, angle, and depth. This reduces the risk of post-op complications and can even shorten patient recovery time.

The guided surgery process takes longer and requires more preparation than freehand implant placement. However, it is often a pivotal part of successful treatment. If you are missing multiple teeth or have other concerns that might make your treatment more complex than an average dental implant procedure, it is especially important that you partner with a doctor who offers guided surgery.

Would you like to learn more about the advanced technology that our team uses to support your journey toward improved oral health? Contact us today to ask questions or request an appointment.

Bone Grafting

Once a tooth goes missing, the jawbone in the area slowly starts to shrink and atrophy. This is because the body senses that there is no tooth to support, so it begins to resorb nutrients directly from the bone. This can make it too thin or brittle to support dental implants. With a bone graft, however, Dr. Rasmussen can use a patient’s own bone, donated bone, or a lab-made grafting material to reverse this process and encourage the growth of new, healthy tissue. A bone graft can usually be completed in a single appointment, and after just a few months of healing, a patient who previously wasn’t able to get dental implants will now be ready to receive their new roots.

3D Imaging

Using 3D imaging, Dr. Rasmussen is able to create a highly-detailed model of a patient’s jawbone and surrounding oral structures. This helps him take all the guesswork out of someone’s implant placement procedure. He can identify the perfect locations within the jawbone for the new roots, determine the thickness of the bone, and even figure out the angle the implant should be placed at to provide the strongest foundation possible for the new teeth. By the time the actual procedure starts, a positive result is practically guaranteed.

Bone Regeneration

In addition to the gums themselves, gum disease can also break down the underlying jawbone that supports the hard and soft tissues of the mouth. This is largely why gum disease is the leading cause of adult tooth loss in the U.S! For patients who have experienced this, bone regeneration is used to build the jawbone back up so it can be strong and thick enough to support an implant. A collagen membrane is applied directly to the bone where it needs to grow, and this material stimulates the generation of new tissue exactly where a patient is lacking.

Ridge Preservation

Often, before a patient receives dental implants, any broken or decayed teeth have to be removed. In order to ensure that implants can be placed as quickly as possible after an extraction, the surrounding bone must be looked after. Ridge preservation is a procedure that helps protect and strengthen the nearby jawbone that used to support a tooth so it will be thick enough to hold an implant. Depending on a patient’s specific situation, this treatment can be performed on the same day as an extraction.

What to Do Directly After Dental Implant Surgery

After your implant surgery, you’ll need to take good care of your implant site to ensure the blood clot does not become loose or fall off. To do this, keep the following tips in mind:

• Avoid spitting, especially with excessive force. Swallow your saliva or use tissues to clean yourself up.
• Avoid drinking out of straws.
• Do not consume any tobacco products for at least a day.
• Do not touch the treatment site, either with your fingers or your tongue.

Common Side Effects

Side effects following dental implant surgery are relatively normal. For example, you are likely to experience the following:

• Intermittent bleeding – This can be mitigated by applying light pressure to the area with a gauze pad. Don’t be alarmed as light bleeding is normal over the next few days.
• Facial swelling – Swelling is common for the next 72 hours after surgery and can be reduced by applying a cold compress to your face.
• General discomfort – Take prescription medication as recommended by the instructions labeled on the bottle.

Diet

Over the first few days after surgery, sticking to a soft diet is key to preventing any complications or stress to the implant site. Non-abrasive foods to consider include:

• Yogurt
• Ice cream or pudding
• Cooked cereals (let them get to room temperature first)
• Applesauce
• Scrambled eggs
• Soft-cooked pasta, beans, and vegetables
• Mashed potatoes
• Cold or room temperature soups and stews

As soon as you’re feeling comfortable, you may resume a normal diet after you’ve given your mouth time to heal over the next few days. We do not recommend eating any hard, tough or chewy foods. Avoid chewing directly on the implants for now.

Health & Oral Hygiene

You may brush your teeth as normal the day after your surgery. Just use extreme caution when you do to prevent disturbing the treatment site. Use a saltwater mixture (or medicated oral rinse if provided) to rinse your mouth out two to three times a day, especially after meals. Avoid any mouthwashes that contain alcohol as these can cause dry mouth and put your implant at risk.

What to Do After Your New Teeth Are Attached

Once you’ve healed completely, the hardest part of your tooth replacement process is over! After your restoration is attached, whether it’s a crown, bridge, or denture, you may notice some minor sensitivity over the next few days. You can manage this with pain medication as needed. However, if you notice any bleeding, swelling, or other concerning side effects following the placement of your restoration, call us immediately.

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

It’s true that dental implants hold restorations that are made from inorganic material (porcelain), which means they cannot develop decay like natural enamel can. However, that does not mean you can skip your oral care routine. Bacteria can still attack the gum tissue surrounding the implant, further proving the importance of maintaining brushing and flossing every day.

To ensure the best oral care routine possible, make sure to:

• Brush twice a day for at least two minutes at a time
• Use fluoridated toothpaste to kill cavity-causing bacteria
• Floss once a day to remove food debris stuck in between teeth (and from the area underneath the restoration)
• Use an optional oral rinse for added protection
• Make sure not to brush too hard as this can cause gum recession

Protect Your Dental Implants

Dental implants are made from high-quality, durable, and lifelike porcelain to ensure the best longevity possible for your tooth replacement. However, that does not make them indestructible. Much like natural teeth, implant restorations need to be regularly protected from forced sudden trauma or long-term habits that can break them down. This includes injuries that could occur while playing contact sports or habits like teeth grinding and clenching (also known as bruxism.)

The good news is you can easily avoid permanent damage to your replacement teeth by wearing a mouthguard or nightguard, depending on your needs. Ideally, you’ll want to choose a custom-made nightguard as they are far more effective at protecting teeth, last longer, and feel more comfortable overall compared to store-bought solutions. Our office will gladly partner you with a trusted dentist in the area to design your future oral appliance.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

Even if there are no issues with your dental implant, it is still crucial that you maintain routine follow-up appointments with our office immediately after your implants are placed. These visits are separate from the routine exams and cleanings you are already doing every six months. Not only can Dr. Rasmussen confirm the health of your dental implant, but he can also make sure if there are any signs of trouble that need to be addressed.

Once your implant is placed, we need to make sure that the healing process goes as planned and that your mouth does not reject the implant after it’s attached to the jawbone. Furthermore, we want to confirm that no underlying symptoms (i.e. inflammation, swelling, gum recession etc.) are present, all which are signs of a dental infection caused by the implant. Even though this is unlikely to occur, it’s better to be safe rather than sorry.