Dental Implants – Mobile, AL

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

The first part of the dental implant process is your initial consultation. At this point, your dentist will examine your smile and discuss your history with you to determine if you are a good candidate. Some patients need preliminary procedures, like bone grafting and gum disease treatment, before they are able to 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 forward with the rest of the process.

Dental Implant Surgery

At Parker Dental & Orthodontics, we are proud to complete the entire dental implant process in house, including the surgical procedure, so you don’t need to worry about working with a specialist at a separate location. After numbing the area with a local anesthetic, an incision is made in your gum tissue. Then, the dental implant is placed into the jawbone at a precise, strategic location for optimal support. Lastly, the gums are closed, and a protective cap is placed over the end of the implant to keep it safe as the area heals.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment

Next is the recovery period. Over the next three to six months, the osseointegration process takes place. This is when the titanium implant fuses to the jawbone, essentially making it one with your jaw. Once this is complete, we will attach a metal connector piece known as an abutment to the end of the implant. Impressions are taken and sent to the dental lab so your final restoration can be created.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration

When your restoration is complete, you can return to our practice to have it secured to your implant via the abutment. If everything looks and feels great, you will be sent on your way to show off your complete smile!

Day-to-Day Benefits

The very first thing you’re likely to notice with your new dental implants is enhanced eating and speaking. Since they’re rooted down to your jawbone, they’re incredibly stable, and won’t shift as you chew or move your mouth to talk. You’ll be able to communicate with ease, and eat pretty much anything you want!

You might also feel a huge boost to your confidence. Thanks to the high quality of dental implant materials, they look just like natural teeth. You won’t have to worry about onlookers noticing gaps or flaws in your smile.

Maintaining that beautiful grin is easy with dental implants, too! You can simply brush and floss them like you would natural teeth – twice per day for brushing and at least once per day for flossing.

Health Benefits

Dental implants will improve your oral health in many ways. For one thing, replacing a missing tooth with any sort of dental restoration will prevent any remaining pearly whites from shifting and crowding together.

For another, the root-to-crown design of dental implants will help preserve your facial structure and jawbone. Normally, tooth loss can cause the skin around your lips and cheeks to appear sunken. Your jawbone, meanwhile, would start to deteriorate due to lack of stimulation. With dental implants providing both stimulation and support, you’ll maintain a healthier oral structure.

Long-Term Benefits

Looking into the future, you can expect to enjoy the benefits of your dental implants for 30 years or more if you take good care of them! This makes them the longest-lasting dental replacement option by far. Compared to the alternatives, you’ll spend less time and money on coming to our office for repairs and replacements. When you look at it that way, dental implants are a cost-effective long-term investment.

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

You may need preliminary care before you get dental implants. If so, your “extra” procedures - which could range from tooth extraction to gum disease therapy – will add to your final treatment cost. Don’t panic over this scenario, though; such services would help your restorations succeed and aren’t wasteful. Most dental plans also cover preliminary procedures.

Of course, dental implant surgery also incurs its own cost. The placement’s price will also rise or fall depending on implant location, sedation, and similar factors. Just know that your final treatment results will be excellent regardless; we ensure that much by performing the entire surgery in-house.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

You should also note that a dental implant's parts affect its treatment cost. In particular, the most notable of these include:

• Implant Number – Dental implant treatment costs more as it involves more posts.
• Final Restoration Type – In truth, dentures, dental bridges, and dental crowns have distinct costs. That means the final restoration you get will impact your care’s price.
• Implant Size/Material – Long implants usually cost more than short ones, and zirconia posts are pricier than titanium.
• Implant Brand – Various manufacturers make dental implants differently, so your post’s brand will also affect its cost.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

Dental implants are great long-term investments, even with their high upfront price. Getting a few would save you plenty of money over time.

The reason comes down to implants’ long lifespans. Since these posts can potentially work for a lifetime, they rarely need many repairs or replacements. Dental implants should thus save you money otherwise spent on dentures or dental bridge maintenance.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Thankfully enough, dental insurance generally covers dental implants. Most plans will even meet ten to fifty percent of the posts’ price, greatly reducing the amount you must pay. As such, you can often trust your plan to provide discounted care.

On the other hand, exceptions to these rules also exist. You should thus confirm your plan’s details before you commit to treatment. If you’d like, our team can help you do so.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

Even without insurance, it’s possible to make dental implants more affordable. Just rely on our practice’s helpful payment options, including ones like:

• Dental Membership Plans – By paying a monthly or annual fee, you can get a 10% discount on (among other things) dental implants from our office.
• Flexible Financing – We offer flexible payment plans through CareCredit, a reputable 3^rd party financier. They’d let you pay for dental implants in affordable installments.

Instead of “breaking the bank,” visit our office to get affordable dental implants. We’ll make sure your restored smile fits your budget!

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Although your dental implants replace your missing teeth, that doesn’t mean you can get away with not taking proper care of them! You should brush and floss your new smile every single day, no exceptions, since issues like gum disease can still pose a threat, and if you still have any natural teeth remaining, they’re at risk of decay. Fortunately, caring for dental implants is just as easy as caring for your natural pearly whites, and they require no special maintenance or specific cleaners.

Eat a Healthy Diet

There are numerous reasons to stick to a healthy diet, but when it comes to dental implants, sticking to a nutritious, vitamin-rich diet can go quite a long way. Foods that include calcium and vitamin C are very beneficial since they directly benefit your jawbone’s health. You can also swap out sugary and starchy sweets and snacks for things like fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, and dairy products; these all help your gum health, which in turn supports your implants.

Break Bad Habits

There are several habits out there that can harm your dental implants if you aren’t careful. One of the biggest offenders is smoking or using tobacco products, but beyond that, you shouldn’t bite into hard objects frequently or use your teeth as tools. Even innocent habits like biting your nails or using your teeth to open packaging can cause harm to your implants.

Protect Your Dental Implants

If you play contact sports regularly, you probably already know that dental injuries happen quite frequently both on and off the field. However, you may not know that dental implants need to be protected just like natural teeth do—which is why wearing a mouthguard is so important. Similarly, if you grind or clench your teeth at night, a condition known as bruxism, you should inquire about a nightguard. These devices can prevent wear on your implant restorations while also ensuring your jaw isn’t hurt by excessive strain and pressure.  

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

By coming to see us twice a year, our team can inspect your smile and make sure that no issues are lurking beneath the radar that might harm your dental implants. This is one of the most important habits to keep up with following your implant placement! We will also perform a cleaning during these visits to ensure your dental implant restorations remain as clean as they are free of any issues.