Dental Implants — Arlington, TX
Completely Replacing Your Tooth, Root and All
Losing a tooth or several teeth can be absolutely devastating. Your oral health will decline over time, it’ll be harder to speak and eat, your confidence could be affected, and your overall quality of life will decrease. At I-20 Family Dental, Dr. Wardlaw and the rest of our team want to help you smile comfortably in public and eat your favorite foods again, and dental implants in Arlington are often the best way to make that dream a reality.
Why Choose I-20 Family Dental for Dental Implants?
- Dentist Places and Restores Dental Implants In-House
- Replace an Entire Arch Fast with All-On-4
- Flexible Financing Options Available
What Are Dental Implants?
A dental implant is designed to mimic natural teeth as closely as possible. This includes everything from the crown that makes up your smile to the implant that replicates the original tooth root. Because implants are made to integrate with bone and soft tissue, you can expect your tooth replacement to maintain a level of longevity and function that simply can’t compare to bridges or dentures. Whether you’re smiling, speaking, or eating, dental implants are almost indistinguishable from original teeth. That also means you can smile with confidence without anyone noticing you had teeth replaced. These reasons and more are why so many dentists recommend them for patients missing single, multiple, or even all of their teeth.
The 4-Step Dental Implant Process
Dental implants are the best tooth replacement option out there. They replace the roots of the missing teeth, allowing for a wide range of benefits that you can’t achieve with dentures or dental bridges. To achieve this, getting dental implants requires a multi-step process that takes place over the course of separate months. Everyone’s treatment looks a little bit different, but there are four main steps that everyone can expect.
Initial Dental Implant Consultation
The first step of getting dental implants is attending an initial consultation. During this visit, we will examine your mouth to determine if you are a good candidate for the procedure. Some patients require preliminary procedures, like gum disease treatment or bone grafting, before they can get dental implants. If any of these apply to you, we will help you get them scheduled. Once your gums and jawbone are in good shape, we can move onto the next steps of the process.
Dental Implant Surgery
Getting dental implants requires a surgical procedure. We complete this step in-house, so you don’t need to work with an outside provider at a separate location. After numbing the mouth with a local anesthetic, an incision is made into the gum tissue so the dental implants can be precisely placed at strategic locations. The gums are then closed, and protective caps are placed over the ends of the implants to keep them safe throughout the healing process.
Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment
Over the next three to six months, the osseointegration process takes place. This is when the titanium implants fuse with the jawbone. This is what makes them so stable and long-lasting. Once this process is complete, you will need to return for another minor procedure. At this time, small connector pieces, called abutments, are placed on the ends of the dental implants. Impressions are taken and sent to the dental lab so your final restorations can be custom-made.
Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations
Once we receive your final restorations, you can return to our practice so we can attach them to your dental implants via the abutments. If everything looks and feels great, you will be free to show of your new, complete smile to the world!
Benefits of Dental Implants
If you don’t already know, dental implants are very popular as tooth replacements. Dentists nationwide place over 500,000 of them yearly! As for why they’re so well-liked, the reason is their unique placement method. Implants offer many special perks due to slowly fusing with your jaw, a solid contrast to dentures or bridges. They thus work very well at restoring all sorts of smiles. If you’d like to know more about the benefits of dental implants in Arlington, just keep reading or call our office for details.
Day-to-Day Benefits
As you’d expect, the most evident implant benefits are the day-to-day ones. These upsides tend to include the following:
- Easier Meals – Because implants fuse with the jaw, they strengthen much of your bite force. The result is fewer difficulties with meals and a (potential) return to duty.
- Low-Maintenance Treatment – years on average. Their lifespan can even reach 30 years or more with proper care. That said, maintaining the caps isn’t too hard a job. It would help to simply brush your teeth twice daily and floss between them once daily. Add in some frequent rinses with mouthwash and you’re good to go!
Health Benefits
In truth, implants also offer physical upsides and advantages. Still, there are some benefits related to your health. The most common of these are:
Long-term Benefits
More than anything else, what sets implants apart are their long-term benefits. These ensure your treatment is effective for many years. In particular, the most common of such factors include:
Who Dental Implants Can Help
As long as you have enough density in your jawbone and the rest of your mouth is healthy, dental implants can be used any time there’s empty space in your smile, whether it’s from a single missing tooth or an entire arch.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?
Most healthy adults whose tooth loss is recent are indeed good candidates for dental implants. If your jawbone has insufficient structure to support the dental implants, you may need a procedure like bone augmentation or sinus lift first. Schedule an appointment with your implant dentist to learn whether or not they are a good option for your smile.
Missing One Tooth
If you lose a tooth due to injury or a necessary extraction, you can replace it with a single implant capped by a crown. After the implant has been inserted into the jaw via surgery, you’ll need to wait a few months while osseointegration takes place. Once the post has properly joined with the bone and can serve as a strong root, an abutment will be placed, and finally a ceramic, natural-looking crown will be attached.
Missing Multiple Teeth
A dental bridge can replace two or more missing teeth in a row. Normally it would be supported by adjacent teeth, but this can weaken their natural structure and may increase the risk of decay. A bridge supported by two implants will avoid this problem.
Missing All Teeth
If all of the teeth in the upper or lower jaw are gone, dentures are required. With implant dentures, you won’t need to worry about your false teeth slipping or becoming ill-fitting. With the All-on-4 procedure, you can completely replace an entire arch with just 4 implants.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants
When it comes to tooth replacement, you truly get what you pay for. Dental implants represent the gold standard of care, restoring your smile’s appearance, strength, and stability from the root up. Each implant is crafted to function like a natural tooth, giving you results that can last a lifetime. If you’re curious about what your investment in dental implants goes toward and how our Arlington dental office makes them more accessible, read more below.
Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery
When you opt for implants at I-20 Family Dental, you’re choosing an all-in-house solution that saves you time and money. Dr. Wardlaw performs every stage of the process at our Arlington dental office, from surgery to restoration. This saves you from the inconvenience of traveling and reduces your overall treatment costs because you’re not forced to pay for a specialist. With our advanced technology and experience, we make dental implants in Arlington both efficient and affordable.
The Parts of Your Dental Implant
Each dental implant is made up of three primary parts that contribute to the overall cost:
Like cars or shoes, implant components vary by brand and material, with higher-quality options often offering longer warranties and more lifelike aesthetics.
How Dental Implants Pay for Themselves
Despite what dental insurance companies may decide, dental implants are an investment in your health, comfort, and confidence, and not a luxury purchase. While their upfront cost may seem higher than other options, they quickly pay for themselves over time.
Implants also don’t require special cleaning tools, adhesives, or replacement every few years like dentures and bridges. They help preserve your jawbone, maintain your facial structure, and support better overall health. With proper care, implants can last a lifetime, making them one of the most cost-effective dental treatments available.
Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?
Most insurance plans don’t fully cover dental implants because they’re often classified as elective procedures. However, certain policies may help pay for portions of your care, such as exams, X-rays, extractions, or the final restoration. So, even if your implant isn’t completely covered, our Arlington team will review your benefits and search for ways to minimize your out-of-pocket costs.
Making Dental Implants Affordable
Even if your insurance doesn’t cover treatment, we’re committed to helping make dental implants accessible. This is why I-20 Family Dental partners with CareCredit, a trusted financing company that allows you to get the care you need now and pay off your balance over time. Many patients even qualify for plans with little or no interest.
If you’re ready to secure your oral health, contact our Arlington implant dentist today to schedule your consultation. You could soon discover just how attainable your dream smile can be.
Maintaining & Caring for Your Dental Implants
While dental implants boast a success rate of over 95%, even 10 years after being placed, it doesn’t mean they won’t be vulnerable to complications. To make the most of your newly rebuilt pearly whites, you’ll need to take certain measures to properly care for them. Not doing so can increase the risk of damage, infection, or even failure. Here are several ways you can care for your dental implants to preserve them for longer.
Make Oral Hygiene a Priority
Though your dental implants can’t form cavities, the rest of your mouth can still be susceptible to bacteria and decay. If any of your remaining natural teeth and gum tissue becomes unhealthy, this can increase the chance of treatment failure. One of the easiest ways to prevent this is to maintain good oral hygiene habits, such as brushing, flossing, and rinsing with mouthwash every day. This can help you avoid complications like decay and periodontal disease.
Eat a Healthy Diet
Once you successfully receive your dental implants, you can expect to enjoy a wider range of dietary choices. This is because the restorations will help you regain 80% or more of your natural biting power. That said, consuming foods that are particularly hard, sticky, or even sugary can lead to problems, as this can risk damaging your implants or promoting bacterial growth that could result in infection. That’s why you’ll want to stick to a healthier diet that involves more vitamin C and calcium to maintain healthy gums and a strong jawbone.
Break Bad Habits
Certain oral habits can be a bad idea for the health of your dental implants. To keep them as long as possible, you’ll want to avoid smoking or using tobacco products. Refrain from using your teeth as tools to open packages or chewing/biting down on harder objects. This can help you prevent any breakage or potential dental implant failure.
Protect Your Dental Implants
Your dental implants will be designed to be incredibly durable, but they won’t be completely indestructible. To keep them safe from accidental injuries or physical harm, you’ll want to consider wearing a mouthguard during contact sports activities. Additionally, if you tend to grind or clench your teeth during sleep, you can opt for nightguards for bruxism to reduce wearing down your pearly whites.
Schedule Regular Dental Checkups
Visiting your dentist every six months for dental checkups and cleanings is crucial for both your natural teeth and dental implants. Our team can help monitor your oral health, thoroughly polish your smile, remove any plaque and tartar, and address any developing problems we might find, especially those that could risk implant failure.
Dental Implant FAQs
Does Getting Dental Implants Hurt?
Rest assured that Dr. Wardlaw will use enough local anesthetic and (if requested) sedation to ensure that you shouldn’t feel much discomfort at all during the implant placement procedure. For a few days following your procedure, though, you can expect to deal with some minor soreness and swelling. It is a kind of oral surgery, after all. However, as long as you follow your post-op instructions and take any prescribed pain medication as directed, you should be able to easily manage your discomfort.
What Can Cause Implant Failure?
Dental implant failure is actually quite rare. When it does happen, it’s usually due to an infection that develops in the gums around the base of the implant post. In some cases, it’s possible to remedy this situation with antibiotics and preserve the implant if the problem is caught early enough. If you notice any swelling or pain around your implants, you should contact us immediately.
Can Smokers Get Dental Implants?
To give your new smile the best chance of lasting for years to come, you should seriously attempt to quit smoking at least two weeks prior to your implant placement. Tobacco use can hinder the mouth’s healing process, which is critical to the long-term success of your implants. While you can still receive implants if you smoke, you should ask Dr. Wardlaw to explain all the potential risks and complications that can arise if you continue the habit. You can also ask him for resources to help you quit, and he’ll be more than happy to help.
Will I Have to See a Specialist to Get Dental Implants?
Not at all! Unlike many general dentists, who often have to refer patients to an outside specialist like an oral surgeon, Dr. Wardlaw has received the specialized training required to both place and restore dental implants in his own office. Because he is a Fellow in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, you can rest easy knowing that the dentist you trust is with you every step of the way on your implant journey.