Dental Implants – Marysville, OH
Complete Tooth Replacement for a Confident Smile
There’s no such thing as a one size fits all solution to dentistry, but when it comes to tooth replacement, there is only one treatment option that restores the entire dental structure, including both the roots and the biting surface of teeth. The Darby Creek Dental team offers patients in Plain City and surrounding areas dental implant supported tooth replacement for superior whole tooth restoration. Tooth roots provide support and stability for teeth, anchoring them to the jaw. Additionally, the root structure stimulates jawbone and gum tissue density that supports facial shape and volume. Contact our Marysville team to find out if dental implant tooth replacement is right for you.
Why Choose Darby Creek Dental for Dental Implants?
- Completely Customized Restorations
- Partnered with Union County’s Best Specialists
- Digital Impression System for the Perfect Fit
What Is a
Dental Implant?
Unlike a traditional denture or bridge, which rests on top of the gums’ surface, dental implants resemble the structure of a natural tooth from the root up. When the implant post is surgically placed in the jaw bone, it acts just like a tooth root and promotes new jaw bone growth. The abutment piece is a connector that holds the restoration on top in place. Finally, the restoration completes the look of the missing teeth and allows you to bite, chew, and smile just as you did before tooth loss.
Learn More About Implant DenturesThe 4-Step Dental Implants Process
Dental implants offer a wide array of benefits that you can’t find with other tooth replacements. This is because they replace the entirety of the missing teeth, including the root and the crown. To achieve this, dental implants require a unique multi-step process that is completed over the course of several months. Everyone’s treatment looks a little bit different, but here are the four main steps that all patients can expect.
Initial Dental Implant Consultation
The first step when getting dental implants is to attend a consultation. During this time, we will examine your smile to make sure that you are a good candidate for dental implants. Some patients require preliminary procedures before they can get their implants placed, like bone grafting or gum disease treatment. If any of these apply to you, we can help you get them scheduled. Once your jaw and gums and in good shape, we can move on to the planning portion of the dental implant process. We will discuss the timeline, cost, and your financial options.
Dental Implant Surgery
During the dental implant placement portion of treatment, we work in partnership with a local oral surgeon who surgically places titanium implant posts. After numbing the area with a local anesthetic, a small incision is made into the gum tissue. The dental implant is placed in the jawbone at a precise angle and location. Then, the gums are closed, and protective gaps are placed over the implants to protect them over the next few months.
Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment
Following the placement of dental implants, patients need to wait three to six months to receive their final restoration. During this time, the implant post fuses with the supportive alveolar bone in a process known as osseointegration. Once this process is completed, the abutment is secured to the dental implant to provide adequate support for a dental restoration.
Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations
At this point, patients return to our office where we’ll affix their restoration. Dental implants are versatile enough to replace any number of missing teeth from a single tooth dental crown to a full arch denture. Depending on the type and position of the restoration, we may be able to offer removable or fixed attachments based on the patient’s preference.
Benefits of Dental Implants
At Darby Creek Dental, our patients are more often than not choosing dental implants as their go-to solution for replacing missing teeth. And why not? Their unique properties offer many benefits that other options like dentures and bridges can’t compare to! If you’re still deciding whether this treatment is right for you, read more below. You’ll see how dental implants can not only restore your smile but also enhance your health and confidence.
Day-to-Day Benefits
There are several benefits you’ll notice right away once your dental implants are placed, such as:
- Enhanced Chewing Ability: Dental implants allow you to enjoy all your favorite foods without restrictions, making eating a pleasure again.
- Natural Appearance: Implants are designed to look and feel like your natural teeth, so you can smile confidently without worrying about them looking out of place.
- Stable and Secure: Unlike dentures, implants are securely anchored in your jawbone, ensuring they won’t slip or move.
- Easy Maintenance: You can brush and floss your implants just like natural teeth, simplifying your oral hygiene routine.
Health Benefits
Dental implants don’t just help you go about regular activities throughout the day, they can also help your oral and physical health! Here’s how:
- Jawbone Health: Implants stimulate the jawbone, preventing the bone loss that typically follows tooth loss.
- Support for Surrounding Teeth: By filling gaps, implants help prevent adjacent teeth from shifting and becoming misaligned which can cause other dental issues.
- Nutritional Benefits: With implants, you can eat a varied and nutritious diet, which supports overall health, especially your digestion.
Long-Term Benefits
Dental implants have a 95% success rate even 10 years after placement, providing a reliable long-term solution. Here’s what you can expect over time:
- Durability: Implants are designed to last a lifetime with proper care, unlike dentures and dental bridges, which may need frequent adjustments or replacement.
- Cost-Effective: Although the initial cost may be higher, implants can save you time and money in the long run by reducing the need for professional maintenance.
- Preservation of Facial Structure: By preventing bone loss, implants help maintain your natural facial structure and appearance over time, helping you keep your youthful appearance.
- Improved Quality of Life: With so many incredible benefits, dental implants can significantly improve your quality of life! Whether it’s through enhancing your smile or your mental health, this treatment can change your life for the better.
Are Dental Implants
Right For Me?
To qualify for dental implants, you simply need to be in good oral health and have the requisite jaw bone density. However, even if you need additional procedures, such as a bone graft or gum disease therapy, we can arrange for that treatment and prepare you for dental implants.
Missing One Tooth
While a dental bridge depends on the surrounding teeth for stability, a single dental implant is anchored to the jaw bone. It replicates the natural tooth structure and is restored with just one dental crown, enabling you to keep your other teeth whole and healthy for longer.
Missing Multiple Teeth
Whether your lost teeth are neatly in the row or are spread out in the arch, we have options that can complete your smile. Instead of being bonded to existing teeth, a dental bridge can be attached to two dental implants, as can a partial denture, putting less wear on these healthy teeth.
Missing All of Your Teeth
Have you lost every tooth in your smile or within an arch? Dental implants can still be the right solution for you. In fact, with just four to six carefully placed implants, we can hold your full dentures firmly in position for many years to come.
Implant-Retained
Dentures
For fully edentulous (without teeth) patients, implant supported dentures offer a sturdier alternative to traditional, removable dentures. Our team offers a number of styles and types of implant supported dentures, including removable and fixed dentures composed of a row of teeth set into a gum colored base or a series of three to four tooth bridges supported by implants for a more natural look and feel. Benefits of implant-retained dentures, especially when compared with traditional removable dentures, include:
- Restores chewing ability up to 70%, compared with 10 to 25% for traditional dentures. This allows patients to eat a wide variety of more nutritious foods
- Improves overall oral health by stimulating the jawbone and supporting gum tissue volume, as well as facial shape
- More natural looking and feeling than removable dentures for superior comfort and self-confidence
- Less likely to cause sores, bruises, or other damage to the gums
- Provides long lasting results, retaining their shape for ten or more years
Partners with the
Best in Union County
At Darby Creek Dental, we believe in giving our patients the very best care available in dentistry. That’s why we collaborate with the area’s foremost experts in oral surgery and implant placement. These specialists perform this part of the process in their office, and then you return to ours as soon as the implant posts have integrated with your jaw bone. At that point, we can create your custom restorations.
Understanding the
Cost of Dental Implants
When you compare only the initial cost of treatment, dental implants will come up as the most expensive tooth replacement option. However, every couple of years, unsupported dentures will need to be adjusted or even replaced completely. By ten years at most, a dental bridge would need to be replaced as well. In contrast, dental implants can last for the rest of your life with the proper maintenance, meaning that you could be saving money in the long term.
Dental Implant FAQs
How Long Do Dental Implants Last?
While dental bridges and traditional dentures typically last upwards of a decade, dental implants can last for 30 years. Taking great care of your smile is crucial to prolonging the lifespan of yours, so make sure that you adopt healthy habits, like flossing consistently and coming to our office every six months for a dental checkup and teeth cleaning. If you start to notice abnormal symptoms, like pain when biting down, contact us ASAP so we can address the root of the problem before your dental implant fails.
What Can Cause Dental Implants to Fail?
Speaking of dental implant failure… The two most common causes are peri-implantitis and failed osseointegration. Certain health conditions, like diabetes, as well as tobacco use and chronic teeth grinding can also play a role, which is why the initial consultation is so important. At that appointment, we will learn as much as possible about your dental history, your health, and your lifestyle so we can determine if you’re a good candidate for dental implants. We’ll also share how to take great care of them so they last.
Will People Be Able to Tell That I Have Dental Implants?
You’ll be happy to hear that dental implants look extremely natural. There are a few reasons for this, starting with the fact that they are custom-made to suit your facial structure and blend in with the surrounding teeth. They also are inserted directly into your jaw, which adds to their lifelike appearance. Simply put, no one will be able to tell that you have dental implants – other than the fact that you have a full, healthy, and complete smile again!
Do Dental Implants Decay?
Although dental implants look just like your real teeth, they are artificial. As a result, they do not decay. This doesn’t mean that you don’t have to take care of them, however. To ensure that your natural teeth stay healthy, that your gums stay infection-free, and that your breath is minty-fresh, you need to commit to a solid oral hygiene regimen and come to our Marysville office every six months for a dental checkup and cleaning.
Do I Need a Bone Graft Before Getting Dental Implants?
You might. Ultimately, it depends on what we find during your oral exam. If you don’t have the bone density necessary to support dental implants, then a bone graft may be needed.
Will I Have to Take Off Work for Dental Implant Surgery?
Most patients take a day or two off of work so they can focus on recovering following the procedure. In some cases, dedicating three or four days to healing is necessary as well, like if you have a physically demanding job. If that’s the case for you, then it might be helpful to schedule your appointment around the weekend so you have Saturday and Sunday to recover.
Is There Anything I Shouldn’t Eat with Dental Implants?
Just like your natural teeth, it’s possible for your dental implants to chip or crack. For that reason, we recommend exercising caution with foods like hard pretzels and tortilla chips. It’s also important to keep candy and other foods that are packed with sugar to a minimum. That way, your chance of developing an oral health problem, like tooth decay, is significantly lower.