Dental Implants – Guilderland, NY

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

First, you’ll meet with Dr. Oshins for a consultation. He’ll spend some time asking you about your goals for your new smile, and you’ll have the chance to ask questions about how dental implants work in Guilderland. Then he’ll examine your teeth and gums and take X-rays of your mouth and jaw. If he finds any signs of tooth decay, gum disease, or other oral health concerns, then you might need to complete additional procedures before dental implant surgery. Additionally, your jawbone should have enough density to support dental implants, so if it doesn’t, you’ll need a bone graft first.

Dental Implant Surgery

When Dr. Oshins gives the okay, he’ll refer you to a local specialist in order to have the implants surgically placed into your jaw. You can rest easy knowing that your smile is in the hands of someone who has completed advanced training in the field of dental implants.

The surgery itself is relatively straightforward. The specialist numbs your mouth, makes small incisions in your gums, positions the implant posts in your jawbone, closes the gums, and places a healing cap over the site.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment

Your jawbone will need about three to six months to grow around the implants. This process is called osseointegration, and it’s the main reason why dental implants are as successful and lifelike as they are.

After osseointegration is done, you’ll most likely need to return to the specialist’s office for another smaller procedure. Your implant dentist in Guilderland will expose the tops of your implants and attach metal abutments to them, which allow your restorations to be secured in place.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration(s)

At long last, it’s time to receive your brand-new pearly whites. It should take a couple of weeks for your gums to heal from your abutment surgery, at which point you’ll come back to our office. Dr. Oshins will place your crown, bridge, or denture on top of your abutments. These restorations will have been personalized based on impressions of your mouth, so they’ll look and feel just as natural as the teeth you used to have.

Tooth Replacement That Feels as Natural as It Looks

Traditional tooth replacement options only replace the crown of your tooth, or the portion that’s visible above the gumline. Although this is better than neglecting tooth replacement altogether, you’re not benefiting from dental implants’ ability to restore the root of your tooth as well as the crown. As a result, your smile is only half restored. Because implants fuse with your jawbone, they eventually grow to become a part of you, meaning they’ll feel as natural as the pearly whites you were born with.

Enjoy All Your Favorite Foods Again

For those with a conventional denture, your diet may be limited. This prosthetic usually only restores about 20% of your original biting function. Implant dentures, on the other hand, can restore 70% or more of your natural chewing ability. The increased stability of an implant denture allows you to enjoy all of your favorite foods as well as nutrient-rich ones like chewy meats and crunchy vegetables.

Maintain a Youthful Appearance

When you’re missing even one tooth, the jawbone no longer receives stimulation in that area from your tooth roots. As a result, the bone begins to deteriorate and lose its ability to support your facial muscles. These muscles then start to droop and wrinkle, prematurely aging you. Luckily, dental implants stimulate jawbone growth and support the muscles of your face, allowing to keep looking young for years to come.

Easily Care for Your New Smile

Once your implants are in place, you should be able to brush them in much the same way as you did for your natural smile. Flossing may be slightly more complicated, as you have to take great care to clean under and around your implant crown, bridge, or denture. However, Dr. Oshins can explain everything you need to know about taking good care of your new teeth.

Maintain a Healthy Smile for Decades to Come

Traditional bridges and dentures alone typically need to be replaced at least every five to ten years. In most cases, dental implants can last upwards of 20 or 30 years, or even a lifetime. Provided you take proper care of your implant and its restoration, you can enjoy a healthy smile for up to a lifetime!

Missing One Tooth

An implant root is positioned between two healthy teeth and topped with a custom-made crown. Unlike with a dental bridge, the nearby tooth structure won’t have to be altered or reshaped at all, making this a more conservative solution.

Missing Multiple Teeth

A bridge or partial denture can be secured within the mouth using just one or two implants, restoring several teeth at once. This is not only more cost-effective compared to using one implant per tooth, but it also makes these prosthetics much more stable and durable than removable ones.

Missing All Teeth

With just four to eight implants, a full denture can be anchored directly to the jawbone to give a patient an extremely secure row of teeth they can trust to always stay in place. In fact, with the All-on-4 procedure, a patient can receive a full implant denture in just one appointment.

Learn More About All-on-4 Dental Implants

Learn More About Implant Dentures

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

Replacing lost teeth with dental implants in Guilderland requires multiple steps, which can take several months to complete. This can give you more time to pay because the entire amount won’t be due at once. While every plan differs, most patients can expect their estimates to include:

• Preliminary Treatments: It’s not uncommon to need a little prep-work before your placement surgery, like tooth extractions, periodontal therapy, or bone grafting.
• Placement Surgery: Sedation or anesthetic will keep you comfortable during your placement procedure, which is performed by a local oral surgeon.
• Dental Implants: Although there are many discounted materials, it’s better to focus on quality because they last longer.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

A dental implant is the only treatment to recreate the tooth from the root up. If you’ve lost multiple teeth in a row, you won’t need to replace each tooth individually. Instead, bridges and dentures can be supported by a specific number of posts. You can expect to pay for each part, including:

• Implant Post: A titanium implant post will mimic a root while anchoring your restoration to your jawbone.
• Abutment: Each post requires an abutment to connect your restoration.
• Restoration: Depending on the number of teeth you’ve lost, you may need a crown, bridge, or denture.

You’ll know exactly what you’ll need to pay before getting started, so you aren’t surprised by any additional fees.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

Dental implants can pay for themselves because they will never need to be replaced with the right aftercare, like maintaining your oral hygiene. Traditional prosthetics must be replaced every few years. Although you’ll pay more upfront, you can save money down the road because dental implants can last 30 years or longer. They also preserve your jawbone to stop dental drift. You’ll avoid many common problems caused by missing teeth, so you won’t need to pay for a treatment later.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Your dental insurance won’t cover the entire procedure, but you can use your annual benefits to offset the cost of certain steps in your treatment, like the consultation, tooth extractions, or restorations. After reaching your deductible, your yearly allowance can lower your out-of-pocket costs until hitting your annual limit.

Making Dental Implants Affordable  

Your implant dentist in Guilderland accepts various payment methods to replace your missing teeth without draining your wallet, including:

• Traditional Payments: We accept cash, checks, and credit cards.
• CareCredit: Make monthly payments using third-party financing.

Making Oral Hygiene a Priority

To avoid the possibility of dental implant failure, you’ll need to make sure you maintain an optimal oral hygiene routine. This means brushing twice a day for two minutes, flossing between meals, and rinsing regularly. Make sure you do not use abrasive toothpaste, as it can scratch your restorations. Instead, find one that is non-abrasive but is designed to combat decay and gum disease (your natural teeth can still develop cavities). By maintaining this type of morning and nighttime regime, you can expect your dental implants in Guilderland to last for decades.

Eating a Healthy Diet

Everything you eat either positively or negatively impacts your oral and overall health. This is why it’s important that you consume healthy foods like leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, calcium-enriched foods, and lean proteins. Not only will these offer stimulation to your jawbone, but they’ll promote good gum health as well. Too many sugars and starches can lead to decay of your regular teeth and potential gum disease, which can break down your jawbone and affect your dental implants.

Breaking Bad Habits

It can be hard breaking bad habits, but if you don’t, your dental implants will be at risk for serious damage. Chips, breaks, cracks, fractures, and even loose teeth (both real and artificial) can occur if you continue to eat ice, bite your fingernails, use your teeth as tools, or chew on inanimate objects. If you smoke, there is a greater chance that your implants will not fuse, causing them to ultimately fail. Your implant dentist in Guilderland can be an advocate in helping you quit by providing helpful tips, including chewing sugar-free gum and finding cessation resources or groups to quit smoking.

Protecting Your Dental Implants

You will find it is in your best interest to talk to your dentist about customized mouthguards. These are especially beneficial if you enjoy playing sports, engaging in physical activity, or suffer from bruxism. Designed to absorb the shock of a sudden hit or continuous teeth grinding, these unique oral appliances can safeguard your real and artificial teeth, offering maximum protection. Instead of worrying about your dental implants being knocked out during a game or breaking down because of your teeth grinding, a customized mouthguard can better protect your pearly whites for greater longevity.

Scheduling Regular Dental Checkups

One of the most pivotal ways to maintain your dental implants includes seeing your dentist every six months for checkups and cleanings. Dr. Oshins may recommend more frequent visits during the first year, but you can expect these appointments to allow our team to ensure your teeth are fully intact, in place, and free of any damage or disease. We’ll also check to make sure your gums do not appear to have any inflammation and your natural teeth are void of any cavities or decay.

How Long Do Dental Implants Last?

The lifespan of dental implants depends on the health and lifestyle choices of the patient. To ensure that implants last, be sure to brush, floss and rinse with a mouthwash on a daily basis. Stay away from anything particularly hard or sticky, and see your dentist for routine cleanings and checkups. With proper maintenance, dental implants can last upwards of 30 years! This is several times longer than the average traditional bridges and dentures.

Are Dental Implants Safe?

For most patients who are in good health, dental implants are very successful when placed by a qualified professional. If you have low jawbone density or gum disease, the dentist can fix these problems to make dental implant surgery safer and more successful. If you have diabetes, cancer, or another serious medical condition that could make surgery or healing risky, we can discuss this during your consultation to make sure that dental implants are still an ideal tooth replacement option for you. Our number one priority is the health of our patients.

Will People Be Able to Tell That I Have Dental Implants?

Impressions will be taken of your mouth that are then used to design your personalized restorations. Once they are placed, no one should be able to differentiate them from your natural teeth. This is because implants are placed in the jaw like tooth roots. This means additional stability and optimal function!

Do Dental Implants Feel Natural?

Once they are placed in the jawbone, dental implants should feel exactly like the roots of your natural teeth. The implants themselves have no nerve endings, so any sensations that you feel in the area, like heat, cold, and pressure, come from the gums surrounding your tooth replacement. You may even forget that they aren’t your natural teeth!