Dental Implants – Barnegat, NJ

Day-to-Day Benefits

• Smile with confidence: With dental implants that look and feel like your natural pearly whites, you won’t have to worry about them moving around at awkward moments. Most people won’t even be able to distinguish them from the rest of your smile, allowing you to feel more confident showing them off.
• Eat worry-free: Visiting your dentist every six months
• Those with traditional restorations like dental bridges and dentures often have to avoid certain foods that are tougher to chew, otherwise, their prosthetics can move or even become mildly compromised. However, dental implants can help you regain 80% or more of your biting power, meaning you won’t have to hold back from enjoying your favorite meals.
• Drink your favorite beverages: People with traditional prosthetics sometimes avoid sipping stain-inducing drinks like coffee and wine. Dental implants, on the other hand, are resistant to discoloration or becoming warped from hot temperatures, meaning you can freely drink whatever you’d like.

Health Benefits

• Preserve jawbone & youthful appearance: Dental implants are designed to rebuild missing teeth from the roots. This will allow the jawbone to be stimulated, promoting stronger bone tissue and preventing issues like facial sagging and an aged appearance.
• No tooth sensitivity or gum irritation: Dental bridges typically require altering natural tooth enamel, which can weaken your teeth and make them sensitive. Dentures can sometimes irritate the gumline if worn for too long or if they lose their fit. By anchoring dental implants in your jawbone, you can avoid these kinds of problems.
• Retain a healthy mouth & body: It’s much easier to care for dental implants compared to other restorations, so you can expect a lower chance of gum disease and tooth decay. Furthermore, experts in Periodontology found that people missing five or more pearly whites at 65 had a higher chance of experiencing issues like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis.

Long-Term Benefits

• Long-lasting results: With a success rate of over 95%, even 10 years after being placed, dental implants can easily go as far as several decades to a lifetime with regular maintenance and dental checkups.
• Save more time & money on your smile: While dental implants have a higher upfront cost, you won’t have to worry about getting replacements as often as traditional restorations. You also won’t need special cleaning products to maintain them, so they can help you save more money in the long run.

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

The very first step is always to undergo an initial consultation with our team. Dr. Gizachew will evaluate your oral health and surrounding facial structures before determining if you’ll be eligible for dental implants. Our team will also review the entire process with you as well as discuss your financing options to make the process manageable for you. If you require preliminary treatments, such as gum disease therapy, bone grafting, or extractions, we’ll need to perform them before moving forward with your procedure.

Dental Implant Surgery

On the day of your dental implant surgery, we’ll be sure to completely numb your mouth with a local anesthetic so that you won’t have to feel any discomfort during your appointment. We may also provide you with sedation dentistry to keep you relaxed throughout your visit. Once you’re comfortable, we’ll begin by making a tiny incision in your gums to reach your jawbone. Your implants will be placed at their preplanned positions and angles before we suture your gums closed around them. We’ll place a protective cap over them so that they remain safe while you recover.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment

Over the next several months, you’ll undergo a process called osseointegration where the dental implant fuses with your jawbone. This is what allows for the stable foundation necessary for lifelike and long-lasting restorations. If successful, you can be sure to enjoy a brand-new and natural-feeling smile whenever you talk and eat.

This process can take three to six months, so you’ll need to maintain a clean mouth until then. Once osseointegration is finished, you’ll return to us to receive your abutments—the metal connectors that link your restorations to your implants. Then you’ll go home to allow your gums to heal from this visit.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration(s)

After your mouth is healed from receiving your abutments, you’ll come back to our office to have your new dental crown, bridge, or denture placed. Our team will verify that your bite is correct and comfortable so that there aren’t any issues that could arise later on. If all is well and you’re satisfied with the results, you’ll be free to enjoy the benefits of your rebuilt smile!

Who is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?

So long as you’re a healthy adult, you probably qualify for dental implants. These prosthetics would then restore your smile. That said, they do benefit some patients more than others. Ideal implant candidates tend to have these three qualities:

• Good Overall Health – Implant placement is a surgery, so your body must be healthy to bear it. Treatment will lead to complications otherwise.
• Great Oral Health – Issues like cavities and gum disease cause implant failure. If you have them, get them addressed before implant surgery.
• Proper Jawbone Density – If your jawbone isn’t dense enough, it’ll lack the strength to support implants. From there, your treatment won’t be successful.

Even if you lack the traits above, don’t worry – you can become a good implant candidate later. You’ll just need preliminary dental work first. To that end, you might undergo tooth extraction, gum disease therapy, or bone grafts. We’ll help you schedule such work to get your smile back on track.

Missing One Tooth

If you’re missing one tooth, we can replace it with a single implant and crown. This pair will blend seamlessly with its surroundings, matching your adjacent teeth. It’ll also last a while – the average implant has a longer lifespan than a dental bridge. Even better, placing the implant won’t alter the structure of your other teeth. The process won’t remove any enamel.

Missing Multiple Teeth

When you’ve lost several adjacent teeth, you might consider an implant bridge. This appliance uses two implants fused to a pontic. Once placed, it’ll restore your smile without affecting other teeth. The option will also cost less than replacing each tooth.

(A partial implant denture is better if you’ve lost teeth throughout the mouth. It uses several implants to anchor itself in place.)

Missing All Teeth

Should you lose all your teeth, it’s best to get a full implant denture. It uses four to six implants to restore an entire arch (top or bottom). Furthermore, its unique placement means it won’t slip or shift. No need to worry when you chew food, speak, or smile broadly. This denture even lasts longer than the standard kind. In other words, it’ll save you money on future replacement or repair visits.

Learn More About Implant Dentures

Learn More About All-On-4 Dental Implants

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

It’s not uncommon for patients to need at least one preliminary procedure before dental implants can be placed. These treatments, which may include bone grafting in the jaw, gum disease therapy, or tooth extractions, increase your total costs, but they also create a healthy foundation for your new teeth to help them stand the test of time.

Dental implant surgery itself also incurs its own cost. Luckily, Dr. G is a highly skilled implant dentist in Barnegat, so he can perform this procedure himself. This saves you from needing to pay extra fees to an outside specialist.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

The most influential factor in your dental implant costs is the physical implant itself, which consists of three basic parts: the implant post, the restoration (crown, bridge, or denture), and the abutment that connects the two. Each of these parts can come from various brands and be made of various materials, each of which is designed to meet a patient's particular needs. The number of implant posts you need also impacts the cost, and it also affects which restoration you receive. Dr. G will review these factors, and how they influence your overall treatment costs, in detail.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

Even if they seem more expensive than other tooth replacements at first, the truth is that dental implant in Barnegat can pay for themselves several times over. How? Regular dentures and bridges only last about a decade at most, while implants can easily last for 35+ years. This can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars in replacement costs. Plus, you won’t need to purchase special maintenance products or adhesives with implants. Lastly, research suggests that dental implants reduce your risk of gum disease and other oral health problems, lowering the likelihood that you’ll need to pay to treat them.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Many dental insurance providers won’t cover dental implants themselves, or their surgical insertion. However, your insurance may partially cover other parts of your treatment, such as sedation, preliminary procedures, or your final restoration. If you need help understanding what your policy does and doesn’t cover, our team at NU Dental of Barnegat would be more than happy to assist you in navigating the details. We even provide in-network savings for the majority of leading PPO dental plans!

Making Dental Implants Affordable

Insurance is far from the only option for making dental implants affordable. Our practice also works closely with CareCredit, allowing qualified patients to break up their treatment costs into low- to no-interest monthly payment plans that comfortably fit into most budgets. Additionally, we offer an in-house dental savings plan that comes at three different tiers. All three tiers offer significant savings on dental implants as well as most of our other services.

What to Do Directly After Dental Implant Surgery

The most important thing to keep in mind after your implant surgery is to take care of the blood clot that needs to form around the surgical site. Touching or disturbing the area can interfere with your recovery, which can risk treatment failure if you aren’t careful. Other than getting plenty of rest, make sure you don’t:

• Touch the implant with your tongue or fingers
• Drink from a straw
• Use tobacco products

Common Side Effects When Recovering from Dental Implant Placement

It’s normal to experience some discomfort and soreness after oral surgery. There may also be some swelling and intermittent bleeding, especially since the blood clot will need time to form properly. Fortunately, this should be short-lived and fade away on its own. If problems persist or get worse, notify our team right away for help. Otherwise, you try managing your side effects by:

• Applying pressure to any area that’s bleeding with clean gauze or a washcloth
• Taking prescribed/over-the-counter painkillers to alleviate discomfort
• Using a cold compress on the outside of your cheek to minimize swelling

Your Diet After Dental Implant Surgery

To avoid disturbing the implant site, you’ll have to avoid eating food that’s too hard, crunchy, hot, or spicy. The less you have to chew to enjoy your meal, the better it’ll be for a smoother recovery. For this reason, try sticking with the following foods for the next few days after your appointment:

• Yogurt
• Applesauce
• Pudding
• Mashed potatoes
• Scrambled eggs
• Ice cream

Post-Op Health & Oral Hygiene

After a few days or a week, your surgical site should be healed. Once you’re free to clean your smile thoroughly again, you’ll need to practice good oral hygiene to ensure your implants integrate with your jawbone successfully. Here are several important tips for avoiding oral health issues:

• Rinse with salt water frequently to remove debris and bacteria from your mouth, especially after meals
• Brush your teeth twice daily and floss after meals (being careful around the surgical site)
• Avoid mouthwash that contains alcohol, which can be uncomfortable

What to Do After Your New Teeth Are Attached

After you’ve properly recovered and your implants are integrated with the jawbone, you’ll return to our office to receive your permanent crown, bridge, or dentures. Your gums may feel sensitive, but this can easily be managed with pain relievers. Be sure to notify us if you notice any swelling or bleeding after we’ve placed your new teeth. Otherwise, you’ll be free to enjoy your brand-new smile for many years to come!

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

While dental implants themselves are immune to cavities, maintaining excellent dental hygiene remains incredibly important. Oral health issues (i.e., decay and gum disease) pose a risk to the success of your implants. Make sure you brush twice a day, floss daily, and rinse regularly with an ADA-approved mouthwash to protect your dental implants.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Once your dental implants heal, you can indulge in any food you like. However, you should still be cautious with hard, sticky, or sugary foods. You can boost your jawbone and gum health by consuming calcium and vitamin C-rich foods.

Break Bad Habits

Steer clear of bad habits to keep your dental implants safe from breakage or failure. For instance, quit smoking or chewing tobacco to promote faster healing and reduce the risk of infection. Avoid using your teeth as tools or chewing on hard objects to protect your restoration from damage.

Protect Your Dental Implants

Although dental implants are durable, they're not invincible. You can protect them during sports with an athletic mouthguard. If you suffer from bruxism (chronic teeth grinding), you can wear a nightguard to prevent extra wear and tear. Protecting your dental implants ensures their long-lasting durability and functionality.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkupse

Even with dental implants, you must visit our office every six months for a checkup and cleaning. By visiting us regularly, we can closely monitor your implants, identifying and addressing any issues at their earliest stages. Your proactive approach to dental care will contribute to the long-term success and longevity of your dental implants.

How Long Do Dental Implants Last?

Most patients can expect their dental implants to last well over three decades. Of course, their exact lifespan depends on several factors, such as a patient’s health, lifestyle, and oral hygiene. It’s worth noting that implants are known to last several times longer than traditional tooth-replacement options, like dental bridges and dentures.

There are several steps you can take to ensure your new smile lasts as long as possible:

• Practicing good oral hygiene (i.e., brushing twice a day, flossing daily, rinsing every day with an ADA-approved mouthwash)
• Visiting your dentist every six months
• Avoiding poor dental habits (i.e., using teeth as tools, biting your fingernails, smoking)

Does Getting Dental Implants Hurt?

Before the procedure begins, Dr. Gizachew will numb your mouth with a local anesthetic to ensure you’re comfortable. You’ll most likely be under dental sedation as well, meaning your body’s ability to register pain is much lower. Even though the surgery itself shouldn’t hurt, your mouth will feel slightly sore for the first few days following your procedure. Luckily, you can easily manage those symptoms by taking over-the-counter pain medication as needed and using cold compresses.

How Long Does It Take to Recover from Dental Implant Surgery?

In most cases, people can resume their usual activities the day after their oral surgery. However, it’s a good idea to avoid strenuous exercise for the first week or so as it can delay healing. Keep in mind that it could take up to six months for your dental implants to successfully integrate with the surrounding bone tissue. During your recovery, be sure to diligently follow your post-op instructions to promote faster healing and prevent infection.

Can I Get Dental Implants If I Smoke?

Even though it is possible, smokers have a much higher rate of experiencing dental implant failure. That’s mainly because smoking and using tobacco products causes dry mouth, delays healing, and affects the implants’ ability to fuse with the jawbone. Therefore, it’s a good idea to drop the habit at least two weeks before your oral surgery. Although it’s best to stop smoking for good, you should wait at least two or three months after getting dental implants to resume.