Dental Implants – Worcester, MA

Day-to-Day Benefits

Our teeth’s primary uses are to bite and chew food and to help us speak clearly; without our teeth, these types of daily tasks would be quite difficult to manage! Here are a few ways how dental implants vastly improve one’s day-to-day routine:

• Since dental implants replace the entire root system of missing teeth, patients regain virtually all their lost oral functionality, which allows them to bite and chew even the toughest of foods with ease.
• Unlike other traditional tooth restoration options (such as dentures), dental implants don’t impose any new challenges when it comes to speech or pronunciation.
• Dental implants don’t require any highly specialized care or specific cleaning products; rather, you simply need to brush, floss, and care for them like you would your natural teeth.
• Dental implants are carefully designed to complement a patient’s natural facial aesthetics. Since they’re identical to natural teeth, they cause a patient to experience an impressive boost to their self-confidence.

Health Benefits

Teeth are important for more than just chatting with your friends and biting into your favorite foods; they’re also integral for maintaining overall health. Here are just a few of the noteworthy health benefits that dental implants can offer:

• Did you know that even just one missing tooth has the potential to threaten the rest of your teeth? Dental drift, or the shifting of teeth, is common after tooth loss. However, dental implants serve as placeholders to ensure that every member of your smile stays in the proper position.
• Your teeth’s roots are responsible for providing your jawbone with a healthy amount of stimulation that encourages it to grow and remain resolute. When teeth are lost, this stimulation is also lost; however, dental implants can replicate it, since they replace the roots of your lost teeth and fuse with your jawbone. This counters the bone resorption that can occur following tooth loss.
• Research shows a link between tooth loss and an increased risk of several illnesses, including heart disease. Since implants essentially replace your natural teeth in every way, it’s reasonable to assume that they help to mitigate some of these risks.

Long-Term Benefits

Dental implants can be thought of as a long-term investment in your smile; you’re picking a solution that’s going to serve you well for the foreseeable future. Here are some of the long-term benefits of dental implants:

• One reason that dental implants are so sought-after is their expected lifespan; they can last for up to several decades under ideal circumstances! Even after 10 years, their impressive success rate of 95% holds true. This longevity gives most patients unmatched peace of mind.
• Since dental implants can last for quite some time, they’re considered an incredibly cost-effective solution. Despite their higher initial cost than some other options, they shouldn’t ever need to be replaced or refurbished.
• A beautiful, symmetrical smile is often associated with youth, meaning that dental implants can actually make a patient look much younger in the face! Since they also prevent the jawbone from deteriorating, they avert facial collapse, which also tends to make patients look older.

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

For some patients, the dental implant process starts with gum disease treatment, tooth extractions, and other preliminary treatments. Naturally, each of these comes with its own price, which needs to be factored into the overall cost. Then, there is the fee for the surgery. Since our team handles this portion of the treatment process, we can be transparent with you about the price as well as the financial solutions available. That way, you don’t have to stress about any unwanted surprises when it comes to the cost.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

Although “dental implants” is often used as an umbrella term, this tooth-replacement solution doesn’t look the same from patient to patient. In addition to different manufacturers, there are different sizes, materials, and techniques that need to be considered. Plus, the type of restoration needed to restore the visible portion of your smile (i.e., crown, bridge, denture) will play a role as well.

Note: our team at Elite Oral Surgery Associates takes pride in using state-of-the-art, world-class materials. If you ever have a question about the parts of your dental implant or want to learn why we use the manufacturers we do, don’t hesitate to ask!

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

Since the upfront cost of dental implants is higher compared to other tooth-replacement solutions, many patients assume that they aren’t a smart investment. In reality, their 30+ year lifespan means they have the potential to be the most cost-effective option in the long run. Furthermore, dental implants stand apart from the rest because they are inserted directly into your jawbone, which helps prevent bone loss, preserve your youthful face shape, and provide you with a stronger bite.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

While some dental insurance providers cover dental implants, that’s not the case across the board. That’s why we encourage our patients to talk to their insurance company directly or review the fine print on their plans. Our team also has extensive experience filing claims and maximizing our patients’ benefits, so we’re happy to help as well.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

If you are uninsured, don’t automatically assume that rebuilding your smile with dental implants is too expensive. Our team at Elite Oral Surgery Associates also welcomes flexible financing through CareCredit, which is a trusted third-party financier that’s helped millions of patients. With their low-to-no-interest payment options, you can break down the cost of your dental implants into manageable chunks that fit easily into your monthly budget.

What To Do Directly After Dental Implant Surgery

Perhaps the single most important thing to keep in mind while recovering from dental implant surgery is that you must protect the blood clots that form over the surgical sites. These clots are instrumental in the healing process, and if one is damaged or dislodged, it might result in a painful issue known as a dry socket. However, safeguarding these regenerative blood clots is a straightforward task—consider the following guidelines:

• Avoid drinking from a straw, since the suction can dislodge the blood clots.
• Don’t smoke or use tobacco products since they impair the body’s healing capabilities.
• Avoid spitting, using tissues instead, or swallowing your excess saliva.
• Don’t touch the surgical sites with your tongue or fingers.

Common Side Effects When Recovering from Dental Implant Placement

Sometimes, it’s tricky to differentiate between normal symptoms and concerning ones after you’ve undergone oral surgery. Some mild soreness is to be expected, but should resolve within a few days. Here are several common side effects you can expect following your procedure:

• Minor discomfort, which can be relieved with over-the-counter or prescribed medications.
• Swelling in the gums which can last for more than a week. Cold compresses placed on the outside of the mouth can provide relief.
• Intermittent bleeding, which can be managed by applying gentle pressure with gauze on the surgical site.

Your Diet After Dental Implant Surgery

After your procedure, you’ll be advised to stick to eating softer foods and liquid items for the first few days, to avoid interfering with the blood clot(s). Here are some things you should include in your meals:

• Lukewarm soups and broths
• Mashed potatoes
• Cooked pasta
• Scrambled eggs
• Yogurt
• Pudding
• Smoothies
• Ice cream

Post-Op Health & Oral Hygiene

By maintaining excellent oral hygiene following dental implant placement, you’re setting yourself up for a functional and beautiful smile that lasts for decades. Remember, if osseointegration isn’t facilitated and your implant posts cannot fuse with your jawbone, your implants will suffer. Here are some practical hygiene tips you should follow moving forward:

• When brushing your teeth after your surgery, be especially careful around the surgical sites.
• Rinse with salt water a few times every day, especially after your meals. Instead of spitting out the water, let it pour from your mouth into the sink.
• Avoid using mouthwashes that contain alcohol, as they will cause discomfort.

What to Do After Your New Teeth Are Attached

Once you’ve recovered and your implants have fused with your jaw, you can receive your final restoration that sits atop the implant post(s). You might feel mild sensitivity in your gums, but this can easily be managed with pain medications. If you notice any bleeding or swelling once your restoration has been attached, don’t hesitate to let us know right away so we can resolve the issue. Otherwise, you’ll be all set to enter the world with your brand-new restored smile!

Bone Grafting

As you bite and chew, pressure travels down through the roots of your teeth into your jawbones, encouraging them to remain healthy and facilitating proper blood flow. However, when you lose your teeth, you also lose this stimulation that they provide for your jaws. Over time, this can lead to bone resorption, which can cause the jaw to shrink and deteriorate. Bone grafts are meant to reverse this so that dental implants can be used later. Bone grafts involve grafting outsourced bone tissue, often from somewhere else in the body or a donor, to areas of the jaw that have become weakened, and greatly fortifying them. This process can vastly strengthen the jawbone’s density! While recovery might take several months, it’s essential for the longevity of the dental implants.

Sinus Lift

If you need dental implants in the upper jaw, we’ll have to check that the bone is deep enough to accommodate your new posts. If not, there’s a chance they could cause complications by being too close to your sinus membrane. Luckily, this can be addressed with a special type of bone graft known as a sinus lift. This involves opening the gums and gently pushing back the sinus membrane, before adding the grafting material to hold it in place, thus creating more room for the implant posts and ensuring they’ll have plenty of healthy bone to fuse with. Like standard bone grafts, this process takes several months to heal before the implants can be placed.

Ridge Expansion

Dental implant posts are placed in a part of the jawbone called the alveolar ridge – and if this ridge isn’t wide enough to support the dental implants, it can be expanded! Ridge expansion, sometimes also called ridge augmentation, involves dividing the ridge bone and then creating a space between these sections so that bone grafting material can be introduced. Special instruments are involved in this procedure, but it can ultimately allow for simultaneous dental implants to be placed.  

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Though your dental implant posts, as well as the attached restoration(s), are immune to issues like cavities and decay, your remaining natural teeth, gum tissue, and other oral structures are still susceptible to problems. You should prioritize your oral health more than ever before after receiving your dental implants; brush and floss daily, and supplement with an antibacterial mouthwash.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Even though dental implants can restore up to 80% of your original bite force, it’s still sensible to adhere to a healthy diet and make wise choices when it comes to what you’re biting into. Frequently biting into hard foods can pose issues over time. Excessive amounts of sugar can cause issues like gum disease, which can directly affect the implants and potentially cause them to fail. You should add plenty of healthy options to your diet, such as vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy products.

Break Bad Habits

Getting dental implants means you also need to make a long-term commitment to your oral health, and you can do this by eliminating certain bad habits such as:

• Smoking – Tobacco products can interfere with your body’s ability to heal, and also make your teeth vulnerable to infection.
• Using your teeth as tools – Using your teeth to open packaging, unscrew bottle caps, or hold objects is a sure way to damage your implants, as well as spread bacteria to your mouth.
• Chewing on hard objects – Biting into hard objects like ice cubes, pens and pencils, or even your fingernails can likewise wear down or damage your dental implants.

Protect Your Dental Implants

If you play sports or you’re often physically active, you’re at a much higher risk of experiencing a dental injury—which also means your implants are at an increased risk! That’s why it’s wise to invest in a mouthguard to protect your smile; these devices are easy to wear and very affordable and accessible. They can also be used to protect your implants from the effects of bruxism, or teeth grinding.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

Routine preventive dental care is by far the best way you can ensure that your dental implants remain functional and problem-free. Issues like tooth decay and gum disease aren’t always detectable at home, and even if you have impeccable brushing and flossing habits, these and similar problems can spawn and potentially affect your implants. Be sure you’re visiting your general dentist at least twice a year for preventive care to ensure your implants are in top shape!

How Long Do Dental Implants Last?

Dental implants are designed with the future in mind; they’re made to last for several decades under ideal circumstances, capable of lasting even 30 years with proper care. This greatly exceeds the lifespans of other restorative treatment options. That said, it falls on you to ensure that your implants serve you well for the foreseeable future. To prolong their longevity, you’ll want to adhere to a solid oral hygiene routine and continue visiting your dentist for routine preventive care. It’s also sensible to avoid poor oral habits that might compromise your implants: nail-biting, chewing on ice cubes, smoking cigarettes, and using your teeth as tools are all ill-advised habits.

Does Getting Dental Implants Hurt?

Since the process of receiving dental implants involves surgery, it’s reasonable for patients to have initial concerns about pain and discomfort. That said, the very first thing your oral surgeon will do is numb your mouth, to ensure that no pain whatsoever is felt during the process. Fortunately, the jawbone itself doesn’t have many nerve endings to begin with to register pain. While the surgery portion itself will be painless, it’s normal to experience soreness for a few days afterward as your mouth heals up. You can counteract this discomfort by taking prescribed or OTC pain medication as directed, using cold compresses or ice packs, and getting plenty of rest. If you experience worsening pain following the procedure, contact your dentist at once.

Am I Too Young or Too Old to Get Dental Implants?

You’ll be delighted to hear that there is no upper age limit for dental implants! As long as you’re in good oral health and have adequate jawbone density (or you’re willing to undergo any necessary preliminary procedures), you can receive this life-changing procedure. However, the same cannot be said for younger patients; dental implants typically aren’t recommended for patients under the age of 18, since the jawbone is often still growing and maturing throughout the teenage years.

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

Perhaps the biggest reason why dental implants are considered the “gold standard” of tooth replacement is that they restore lost teeth in terms of functionality and appearance. The implant posts themselves, made from titanium alloy, are embedded into the jawbone and are not visible. The restoration that’s secured on top of these posts, whether it’s a crown, bridge, or denture, will be crafted from precise impressions of your mouth, ensuring that it handsomely resembles your natural teeth. This means that no one aside from your dentist and those trusted few people that you tell will even know you have dental implants; they’ll just see a dazzling, beautiful set of symmetrical teeth!

What Causes Dental Implants to Fail?

Dental implants generally have an impressive success rate of over 95%, which holds true even after decades. However, it is still possible for them to fail; “early failure” can occur within the first year of implant placement, and “late failure” can occur anytime after. Though uncommon, there are still several reasons for implant failure, but it usually boils down to one of two reasons: peri-implantitis or failed osseointegration. Peri-implantitis is a form of gum disease that develops from poor oral hygiene and damages the tissues supporting the implant, causing it to loosen. On the other hand, osseointegration failure results from the implant posts not properly fusing with the jaw in the first place, sometimes due to low jawbone density. Other causes of implant failure include bruxism, tobacco usage, dental trauma, or certain health conditions.

Do I Need a Bone Graft Before Getting Dental Implants?

One of the primary qualifiers for dental implant surgery is that patients must have sufficient jawbone density, so that the implants have enough bone tissue to fuse with. Otherwise, the implants aren’t set up for success. The jawbone often atrophies after teeth have been lost because it’s no longer receiving stimulation from the teeth’s roots, which provide it with the necessary blood flow to grow. When you come in for your dental implant consultation, we’ll take detailed scans of your jaw area to determine whether you’ll need bone grafting before getting your implants. If you’ve suffered severe atrophy due to missing teeth for quite some time, you’ll likely need this preparatory procedure.

Can I Get Dental Implants If I’m Diabetic?

Research estimates that around 12% of the US population is diabetic – and if you or someone you know has this condition, you probably know just how life-changing it can be at times. That said, if your diabetes is under control, your odds of dental implant success are generally comparable to those of nondiabetic patients. However, uncontrolled diabetes or chronic high blood sugar levels can slow down your body’s healing capabilities, making it harder for your dental implants to integrate with your jawbone. If you’re diabetic and interested in dental implants, talk with your primary care physician or endocrinologist to ensure that your condition and blood sugar levels are being properly managed – that way, when you do receive your implants, you can be confident that they’ll serve you well!

Can Dental Implants Replace Molars?

You’ll be happy to hear that you can replace any of the teeth in your mouth with dental implants, including the front teeth as well as the back molars. When a patient is missing only one of their molars, usually a single implant post can be strategically placed in order to support a custom restoration. However, if multiple molars are missing, it’s just as easy to place as many implant posts as needed. Remember, it’s worthwhile to replace your missing teeth, especially molars since they play such a vital role in chewing food!