Dental Implants Keokuk
Rebuild Your Bite, Renew Your Oral Health
Permanent tooth replacement is now an option thanks to dental implants. As the only root-to-crown restorative solution that can rebuild your complete smile, you can expect a stable, functional, and long-lasting set of teeth that will allow you to eat the foods you love and enjoy a beautiful smile for the rest of your life. If you want to learn more about the benefits of dental implants in Keokuk, call to schedule an appointment today.
Why Choose Keokuk Family Dentistry for Dental Implants?
- Dentist with Prosthodontics & Oral Surgery Advanced Training
- Natural-Looking Dental Restorations to Complete Smiles
- Cone Beam Scanner Produces 3D Model for Accurate Treatment Planning
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants remain the only permanent tooth replacement that effectively rebuilds your smile from the roots up while also ensuring a better quality of life. Made primarily of titanium, these small posts fuse with the jawbone once placed and support the custom-made crown, bridge, or denture that is attached on top.
The 4-Step Dental Implant Process
- Initial Consultation: You will meet with Dr. Steve to discuss your interest in dental implants. Based on the examination he performs, he will determine if you need additional treatment or can move forward with dental implant surgery.
- Dental Implant Surgery: Dental implant surgery will include receiving local anesthesia before each post is placed within the jawbone. Careful positioning will ensure maximum support once the implants fuse with the bone. This portion of the treatment will be handled by a certified specialist to ensure you receive the highest level of care.
- Osseointegration/Abutments: While you recover, your implants will fuse with your jaw to create a strong foundation for your new teeth. Before the restoration is placed, you will receive metal abutments, which are connectors that sit atop your implant posts.
- Delivery of Final Restoration: The final step of the dental implant process is receiving your custom dental crown, bridge, or denture based on the number of teeth you are missing.
Who Dental Implants Can Help
Dental implants are extremely versatile. So, whether you’re missing one tooth or an entire arch of teeth, you shouldn’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with our team at Keokuk Family Dentistry! In the meantime, you can read on to learn a little more on the topic, including what we look for in a good dental implant candidate as well as the different types that we offer at our Keokuk dental office.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?
A person with any number of missing teeth has the potential to be a great candidate for dental implants in Keokuk. All they need to bring to the table is a strong jawbone and a mouth that is healthy enough to undergo surgery! Plus, even if you aren’t a candidate initially because one of your teeth is damaged beyond the point of repair or there is an active infection in your gums, we may be able to provide the necessary preliminary care so you can get dental implants in the future.
Missing One Tooth
If you are missing only one of your teeth, then we can replace it with a single dental implant! The first step is to insert the implant post into the open space. Then, once your jawbone and implant have fused together, we can top it with a custom-made crown. Unlike other solutions, the nearby teeth won’t have to be reshaped or shaved down to accommodate the new one!
Missing Multiple Teeth
If you are missing up to four teeth in a row, then we may recommend an implant bridge. In this case, the dental implants on each side of the gap are connected with the prosthetic teeth. Not only does this provide unmatched stability, but it also helps prevent bone loss and can last for decades with proper care (i.e., brushing twice a day, flossing consistently, scheduling a dental visit every six months).
Missing All Teeth
If you don’t have any of your natural teeth left, you might assume that you need traditional dentures. However, there is another option: implant dentures! With just four to six implants, we can restore an entire row of teeth. There are several perks that come with this state-of-the-art tooth-replacement solution, including that it’s considerably stronger and more secure than a traditional removable prosthetic.
Are you interested in learning more about the different types of dental implants that we offer, including which one we recommend for you? If so, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to schedule a consultation!
Benefits of Dental Implants
When determining whether to invest in dental implants, it’s important to consider the benefits these prosthetics provide – those that cannot be achieved with traditional dentures or dental bridges. During your consultation, we will discuss the perks of this state-of-the-art tooth-replacement solution in-depth. However, if you want to learn a little more about why it’s worth the investment of your valuable time and money, then read on!
Day-to-Day Benefits
Dental implants in Keokuk are widely loved because:
- They Provide Unmatched Stability – Since dentures rest against the gums, they can slip or slide unexpectedly. That’s not the case with dental implants! They are inserted directly into the jawbone, which prevents them from moving when you speak, laugh, or chew.
- They Restore the Strength of Your Bite – Like many other patients, you may have resorted to eating the same soft, bland foods on repeat following tooth loss. Fortunately, dental implants can restore the strength of your bite, allowing you to eat all types of food again.
- They Can Help You Enunciate Clearly Again – Another downside of tooth loss: it can lead to significant changes to your speaking patterns. The good news is that dental implants can replace one, a few, or an entire arch of teeth, helping you to enunciate clearly again in the process.
Health Benefits
In addition to having a positive impact on your day-to-day life, dental implants can have a positive impact on your health in the following ways:
- They Prevent Common Issues, Like Dental Drift – If you haven’t heard of dental drift before, it’s when the teeth surrounding the gap begin to shift, negatively impacting the alignment of your bite. Dental implants can fill the open spaces in your smile before that happens!
- They Are Easy to Maintain – Simply put, you won’t need to invest in expensive cleaning products to maintain your dental implants. In fact, you can keep them in pristine condition with the same habits that you use to care for your natural teeth, like brushing for two full minutes twice a day.
- They Allow You to Eat a More Varied Diet – We mentioned above that dental implants allow you to enjoy a wide range of foods. Not only does this make life more exciting, but it also makes it easier to get all of the nutrients, minerals, and vitamins that your body needs to thrive.
Long-Term Benefits
There are also several long-term benefits that come with rebuilding your smile with dental implants, including:
- They Have a High Success Rate – The success rate of dental implants is over 95%. During your consultation with our implant dentist in Keokuk, Dr. Steve, he will share what you can do to avoid dental implant failure, like avoiding all tobacco products.
- They Can Last for Decades – With the habits that we mentioned above, like brushing your teeth twice a day, every day, your dental implants can last for 30+ years.
- They Prevent Bone Loss – Since dental implants are inserted into the jawbone, it gets stimulated when you chew. This, in turn, helps prevent bone loss and preserve your youthful face shape.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants
Getting dental implants in Keokuk isn’t like buying a product from the store, where the sticker price is exactly the same for everyone. There are too many factors that can influence the cost to give a general estimate for everyone. Are additional preparatory procedures required before implant surgery? How many implants do you need? What kind will you have to get? All of these factors can affect the price of dental implants. At Keokuk Family Dentistry, we consider all these and more when we examine you at your consultation. Then we can give you a quote for your unique situation. Learn more about the cost of your dental implants by scheduling an appointment today!
Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery
Prior to undergoing implant placement, many patients need to have certain work done, whether it’s gum disease therapy or a bone graft. These preliminary procedures will add to the overall cost. When it comes to the placement procedure itself, the cost can vary depending on the number of implants you are receiving. Fortunately, the number of implants is not necessarily the same as the number of teeth being replaced. In fact, you can replace an entire arch of teeth with as few as four implants!
The Parts of Your Dental Implant
As with many other products, the brand of your implants can determine the cost you pay. For example, although both are cars, a Honda Civic costs a different amount than a Toyota Corolla. Based on your needs and budget, we can find the products that will result in a fully restored, successful smile.
How Dental Implants Can Save You Money
Based only at the initial price of dental implants, they can easily cost more than traditional dentures and bridges. However, unlike these older options, implants do not need to be replaced every five years or so. When you add up these costs over time, dental implants can become the smarter financial choice, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars while also sparing the trouble of having to replace your teeth so often.
Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?
Although there are some insurance policies that include implant benefits, insurance companies in general do not cover this replacement option. However, there could be parts of the process that are covered. For example, if you require gum disease therapy, the cost should be reduced because of insurance benefits. The restoration should also be partially covered by dental insurance, lowering your out-of-pocket expenses. After we’ve had a chance to examine your mouth, we’ll take a closer look at your policy to see where you can take advantage of your benefits.
Making Dental Implants Affordable
What if you don’t have dental insurance? Does this mean you can’t afford dental implants? We offer an alternative to dental insurance called our Membership Plan. In addition to essential preventive care, this plan comes with a 10 percent discount on most other treatments, including dental implants. During your consultation, we can also go over your financing and insurance options so that you can develop a strategy for saving as much money as possible.