One of the most dreaded dental procedures is the dental implant surgery. Patients are usually already quite scared to visit their dentist, but it is even worse when they are about to get dental implants….
What are dental implants?
Dental implants are actually a replacement for the root of a missing tooth. They are screwed into the jawbone and will behave almost like a normal living tooth.
I agree it can look scary but what I can tell you is that most patients are usually very surprised at the end of the surgery, because they almost felt nothing.
The dental implant process is quite simple and has a 90% success rate with careful prior planning and assessment of your jaw situation. By the way, if your dentist doesn’t take some time to check your jaws, your teeth to carefully plan the surgery then you’d better run…
Is it painful?
I told you implants are screwed into the jawbone; the mere idea of the process might give you goose bumps. But keep in mind that as for any surgical procedure, you will be sufficiently numbed and you won’t feel any pain.
Dentists are better and better at making this procedure as comfortable and painless as possible with fewer and fewer side effects: that is what I like to call the benefits of modern dentistry which tends to focus on avoiding any pain during the dental procedures.
Why are Implants important to avoid bone loss?
When you lose a tooth, you are left with a gap that is surrounded by the other teeth of the area. Some of you might say: “so what? There is a gap, I can live with it, and it is no big deal….”
Yes, it is just a gap at first sight but the thing is when a tooth and its root is lost, the jawbone area will start to shrink on account of lack of stimulation (chewing stimulates your jawbone, the tooth loss leads to a loss of stimulation) so the other teeth will begin to move and will gradually shift towards the missing space, so they start to be loose and crooked… This bone loss may also affect your bite and your speech in the long run…It all started with a simple tooth loss though….
What is the implant procedure?
The dental implant process is quite simple with different steps: it is usually a 3 step procedure but depending on some situation, you could have a 2 step or 1 step procedure.
The 3 steps are: the implant placement, the abutment placement and the crown placement…The whole process takes about 6 months.
I usually recommend the 3 step procedure to let your tissues, bones heal. This is the safest option in my opinion. Why do you want to speed up the process if it increases the likeliness of issues…? But I agree, you usually want to get them done as quickly as possible for obvious practical reasons, so just be sure to discuss what you want with your dentist and what can be done without taking too much risk.
How much implants cost?
Like many things, you need to take into account many factors that will influence what dental implant costs. The prices will indeed depend on the dentist’s experience, the type of implant and procedure, the number of teeth you need to be replaced.
A single tooth implant typically costs $1,000 to $4,000. If additional procedures are required, the price can easily jump to $5,000 to $10,000.
If your budget is a bit tight, there are a few ways to get cheaper implants that are worth checking. Check the package promotions, the dental school offers or dental tourism with cheaper prices in some other European countries…
Of course, whatever route your choose, remember to consult several dentists to get different quotations. Take your time to compare the offers, the packages, talk to the dentists, the patients if any in the waiting room, weigh the pros and cons, it is worth taking the time to find a skilled dentist for implants that should last a lifetime… It is a bit time consuming but your teeth are worth it.