Dental Implants Rogers

What are Dental Implants?

Dental implants themselves are small titanium posts that are surgically inserted directly into a patient’s jawbone. They’re fully biocompatible, so they can actually fuse with the bone tissue and form an incredibly strong bond. This allows them to function as replacement tooth roots, which can then be outfitted with a custom dental restoration. They also offer numerous other quality-of-life advantages that other restorations cannot match, including preventing bone resorption and restoring biting power.

The 4 Step Dental Implant Process

• Initial Dental Implant Consultation – This appointment determines whether you’re a good candidate for dental implants. Patients must have sufficient jawbone density and be in decent oral health to receive dental implants. However, these problems can be resolved with preparatory procedures such as bone grafts, periodontal therapy, or whatever else might be necessary.
• Dental Implant Surgery – We can complete the entire dental implant surgery here in our Rogers office, meaning that you won’t need to coordinate with other teams or offices. The surgery itself is straightforward, pain-free due to local anesthetic, and can be completed in just one appointment.
• Dental Implant Osseointegration/Abutment – The implants will need to fuse with your jawbone over the next few months to ensure future success. Once this happens, we’ll call you back to attach your abutments to the tops of your dental implants. These will act as anchors to attach your restorations to your dental implants.
• Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration(s) – Virtually any type of dental restoration can be used with dental implants, so based on your needs, we’ll provide you with a new set of teeth that look, feel, and function like your original ones!

Benefits of Dental Implants

Dental implants don’t just replace missing teeth; they also provide patients with all kinds of awesome life-changing benefits. Some of these advantages include:

• Since they replace the roots of missing teeth, they provide the jawbone with natural stimulation, which in turn prevents bone resorption from occurring.
• They can last for several decades under ideal conditions and have an impressive success rate of over 95%!
• They restore up to 80% of a patient’s missing bite power, meaning that virtually all types of food can be enjoyed.
• They don’t impact daily oral hygiene at all or require special cleaning methods, and patients simply need to brush and floss as normal to care for them, in addition to keeping up with routine dental visits.

Maintaining & Caring for Your Dental Implants

Since dental implants require an investment of your time and money, it’s only natural to want them to last. Fortunately, they can last for 30+ years with proper care and maintenance! More specifically, patients should:

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Have you heard of peri-implantitis? It’s a form of gum disease, and it’s one of the leading causes of dental implant failure. So, if you want yours to last, you need to take great care of your smile! That starts with brushing your teeth for two minutes every morning and evening and extends to flossing at least once a day. It’s also a good idea to rinse with an ADA-approved mouthwash for 30-60 seconds daily.

Eat a Healthy Diet

To put it simply, some foods wreak havoc on your oral health. Hard pretzels are a great example because – in addition to lacking essential vitamins and nutrients – they increase your risk of dental damage. So, if you want your dental implants to last, you need to be mindful of what you eat. Instead of eating sugary and starchy snacks, eat mostly healthy, well-balanced meals that will benefit your oral and overall health.

Break Bad Habits

Of course, taking care of your smile is about what you DON’T do as well. For example, you shouldn’t smoke, chew on ice, bite your nails, or put your keys in your mouth when your hands are full. You also shouldn’t use your teeth to remove plastic wrapping or bottle caps; using the appropriate tool will help prevent chips, cracks, and other serious dental damage.

Protect Your Dental Implants

Do you enjoy riding your bike, jogging, or lifting weights to stay active? Maybe you prefer something more social, like a group workout class. Whatever the case may be, it’s important to wear a mouthguard to protect your smile from harm. We also recommend having a nightguard made if you clench/grind your teeth at night so your dental implants don’t break under the constant pressure.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

Remember, even though your dental implants cannot decay, your gums can still develop an infection. Plus, we complete an oral cancer screening at your biannual visits and examine the condition of your restoration to ensure it’s in pristine condition. So, if it has been more than six months since your last checkup, use this as a reminder to get your next appointment on the calendar!

Dental Implant FAQs