every visit ends with a smile

Dental implants are a permanent tooth restoration. The procedure consists of two different stages. Stage 1 consists of placement of a tooth at the root level, typically done by a dental implant specialist or surgeon. Stage 2 is the placement of the tooth replacement (i.e. Crown) at our office in Montrose, CA.

Dental implants are made of titanium and inserted into the jaw through the gums. Once healed, implants can be topped off with any of several different types of artificial teeth. These include:

• Crown – A single artificial tooth. Prices start from $799 and up. This only includes the crown. The abutment, which connects the dental implant with the crown is a separate fee.
• Bridge – A row of a few artificial teeth. Essentially a bridge is a series of crowns connected together. We provide a 10% discount when patients have multiple teeth implant restoration.
• Denture – A complete arch of artificial teeth for the upper or lower mouth.

The entire procedure of dental implant restoration requires several steps and takes several months to complete. Once completed, dental implants function like natural teeth and can last a lifetime.

The implants are inserted by an oral surgeon at his or her dental office. Implants need healthy jaw bone, and in some cases a patient may not have enough jaw bone and will require a bone graft before the implants can be placed. Sometimes this can be avoided by choosing a type of implant that requires less bone, such as dentures that are retained by implants. With this type of implant, less individual implants are used.

Once the implants are placed and the gums are sutured, healing time takes a few months. During this time, the implants fuse to the bone, becoming permanent and acting as “roots” for the crowns, bridge or denture that will be placed.

Attachment of the crowns, bridge or dentures is done at our office after the mouth has completely healed. At an earlier time you will have chosen the shade of your artificial teeth. It is important to note that artificial teeth cannot be whitened with whitening treatment, so when you choose the shade of your crowns, bridge or denture, this is your opportunity to choose a smile as white as you want it to be. Crowns may be attached to the implants by being screwed in, or cemented in place in the case of certain types of implants.

Your Personal Implant Restoration Plan

Getting dental implants is a journey to the life-changing realization of a healthy and beautiful smile. It is important that you understand all the steps involved from the beginning, and that is why we will plot out the course of your implant journey with you before we begin. We want you to understand each step and be able to look forward to each step with confidence.

After Dental Implant Restoration

Dental implants are a permanent dental restoration procedure. You take care of your new teeth by brushing and flossing the way you would with natural teeth. After a brief period of adjustment, you should be able to speak, eat and swallow effortlessly. If discomfort or any other problems arise, call us. There is a small chance that implants can fail, which means that the body rejects them, but the success rate of dental implants is about 98 percent. Some people are at greater risk of failure, such as smokers and people with certain health conditions like diabetes. We will discuss these factors with you at your consultation appointment.