Dental Implants – Broken Arrow, OK

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

The first step on your journey toward a complete and fully functioning smile is a consultation with our dentist. During this appointment, he will conduct an oral examination, review your dental health and medical history, ask about your goals to determine whether this treatment is right for you, and make sure you understand how dental implants work in Broken Arrow. Based on the findings, he may need to perform some preliminary procedures (gum disease therapy, tooth extractions, bone grafting) to prepare your mouth.

Dental Implant Surgery

Dr. Sprague can complete the entire dental implant process in-house to ensure a top-notch result for your smile. In preparation for implant placement, he numbs the area to ensure you’re completely comfortable during the procedure. Then, he will make small incisions in the gums, insert the implants at precise angles and locations in the jawbone, and suture your gums shut. Afterward, he will place a protective cap over the posts to keep your mouth safe.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment Placement

After approximately 3-6 months, the dental implant will integrate with your jawbone via a natural process called osseointegration. Once that step is complete, you’ll return to the office for a second, smaller surgery to place the abutments on top of the posts. While you heal, your final restorations will be made using impressions taken of your mouth.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations

A trusted dental laboratory will craft each dental implant restoration so that it fits perfectly inside your mouth. When it’s ready, we’ll call you back to the office and attach your crown, bridge, or denture to your abutments. Your implant dentist in Broken Arrow will make any final adjustments to ensure your new smile is exactly what you wanted. You’ll be ready to enjoy your newly rebuilt grin that same day!

Day-to-Day Benefits

Before anything else, you’ll likely notice implants’ day-to-day benefits. After all, these artificial teeth help with various everyday tasks. In particular, they’ll offer the following:

• A Beautiful Smile –  Naturally, implants restore your smile with new teeth. Their porcelain material, especially, ensures they blend seamlessly with your other pearly whites. The result is that they’ll boost your body image and sense of self-confidence.
• Better Eating & Speaking – Implants fuse with your jawbone, making them as steady and secure as natural teeth. As such, they restore more of your bite force than dentures or bridges can. From there, you can eat food and speak normally.
• Easy Maintenance – Implants are easier to clean than dentures or bridges. You can care for them like natural teeth – brush them twice daily, floss them once daily, and rinse them with mouthwash as needed.

Health Benefits

Of course, implants do more than make specific tasks easier. They also improve your body’s health. After a while, you can expect them to result in the following:

• A Stronger Jaw – When you fail to treat tooth loss, your jaw will erode from lack of stimulation. Fortunately, implants can “fill in” for natural teeth, stimulating your jawbone to preserve its bone density.
• A Healthier Diet – By improving your chewing ability, implants let you eat a wider variety of foods. They thus give you access to a more varied, nutritious diet that bolsters your body!
• Cleaner Teeth – Since implants are easy to clean, they often help you develop better oral health and a lower risk of overall health issues.

Long-term Benefits

The long-term benefits of implants in Broken Arrow make them worthwhile. The most common ones, for instance, are:

• Low Risk of Failure – When done by a qualified dentist, implant placement is almost always successful. Its average success rate, in fact, stands at 95% even ten years after the surgery!
• Long Lifespan – In many cases, implants can last you a lifetime. Their average lifespan is 15-20 years, while the highest is 30 years or more with proper care.
• Good Investment – Often enough, implants save you time and money over the years. Their lifespan (see above) means they need less frequent repair or replacement than other restorations. As a result, you don’t have to pay as much in terms of follow-up visits.

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

No two treatment plans are identical, which is why there’s no flat fee for dental implants. Your implant dentist in Broken Arrow will examine your mouth to create a personalized strategy to replace your missing teeth. Although every case is unique, you can expect your estimate to include:

• Preliminary Treatments: It's not uncommon to need a little prep work, like tooth extractions, gum disease therapy, or bone grafting.
• Placement Surgery: Sedation or anesthesia will be used to keep you comfortable as your implant posts are placed into your jaw.
• Restoration: You'll need either a crown, bridge, or denture, depending on how many teeth you’re treating.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

A dental implant differs from other treatments because it replaces both the root and the crown. You'll have to pay for each part of your dental implant, which includes:

• Implant post
• Abutment
• Restoration

The materials you choose will affect the cost. Discounted materials can save money initially, but they can be of low quality and may not last as long. It's better to focus on quality over price.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

Dental implants are the most cost-effective option overall because they never need to be replaced, unlike other solutions that only last for a few years. Dental implants also keep your jaw strong and healthy to avoid common issues caused by missing teeth. As a result, you're less likely to need costly treatments later, lowering your overall oral health expenses. As the next best thing to your real teeth, the benefits of dental implants are priceless.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Your dental insurance may partially cover the cost of certain aspects of your treatment, like your consultation or any preparatory procedures. After meeting your annual deductible, your insurance can offset the amount you'll pay out-of-pocket for dental implants in Broken Arrow. We will work on your behalf with your dental insurance to maximize any applicable coverage.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

Besides using your dental insurance, our office offers many financial solutions, including:

• Traditional Payments: Our office accepts all traditional payment methods, including cash, checks, and credit cards.
• Monthly Payments: You can pay any remaining balance using a monthly payment plan through a third-party financing company, like CareCredit. Based on your credit approval, you can benefit from little or no interest in financing.
• Promotions: We offer regular specials for select services.

If you have questions about your payment options, or you're ready to schedule your dental implant consultation, contact our office today.

Bone Grafting

A healthy jawbone is the lynchpin of the dental implant process. Without an adequate supply of bone tissue, osseointegration will not take place, and your implants will come loose and fall out. During the initial consultation, we’ll check bone density levels in your jaw and determine whether bone grafting is needed. If any bone loss has occurred, a bone graft can be used to restore the lost tissue so that successful implantation can still take place.

Sinus Lifts

If the upper jaw deteriorates, the sinus cavities may be too close to where the dental implants need to be placed. Ultimately, the implant could poke into the cavity. This is where a sinus lift comes into play. A sinus lift is a type of bone grafting that addresses this specific situation. First, the gums are opened, exposing the thin membrane that holds the sinuses. This is pushed back and out of the way before grafting material is added to hold it there. After several months of healing, dental implants can be placed.

Ridge Expansion

This procedure is performed when the jaw isn’t wide enough to properly support upper implants. For this treatment, the ridge bone is divided and wedged apart. This creates a space between the divided sections of bone that can then be filled with bone grafting. Once the area has completely healed, you will be ready to get a dental implant placed into the area.

Socket Preservation

Tooth roots are incredibly important, as they stimulate the jawbone to keep it healthy. When a tooth is lost, the bone tissue in that area is at risk of breaking down and your neighboring teeth will start to shift out of place as a result. To protect your jaw’s bone tissue and avoid the need for additional bone grafting in the future, socket preservation can be performed. This involves placing donated bone material on the socket, covering it with a collagen membrane, and closing it with sutures. This way, it will make it much easier to place a dental implant in the future.

How Long Do Dental Implants Last?

The lifespan of dental implants typically depends on the health and lifestyle choices of the patient. To ensure that you make the most out of your dental implants, be sure to brush, floss, and rinse with mouthwash on a daily basis. Attend your regular cleanings and checkups regularly, and avoid chewing on anything particularly hard or sticky. With proper maintenance, dental implants can last upwards of 30 years. This is several times longer that traditional bridges and dentures.

Does Getting Dental Implants Hurt?

The jawbone doesn’t have many nerve endings, and your mouth will be numbed with local anesthetic before the procedure begins. You will also most likely be sedated, lowering your body’s ability to register pain. While the surgery shouldn’t hurt, your mouth may be sore for a few days afterward. Take recommended over the counter and prescribed pain medications as directed by your dentist. Cold compresses can also help. If discomfort worsens instead of improving after two or three days, give us a call.

Will I Have to Take Off Work for Dental Implant Surgery?

Most patients only need to take one or two days off to get dental implants. If your job is physically demanding, you should probably take at least three or four days off, as heavy exercise can divert blood from the implant site and delay healing. However, each case is different, so your dentist will be able to give you a more specific recommendation during your consultation.

Can I Get Dental Implants If I’m Diabetic?

If your diabetes is under control, your odds of dental implant success are generally comparable to those of nondiabetic patients. Uncontrolled diabetes and chronic high blood sugar can slow down the healing process, making it more difficult for your implant to integrate with your jawbone. If you’re interested in getting dental implants but are diabetic, talk to your endocrinologist or primary care physician about getting your blood sugar levels under control beforehand.

What to Do Directly After Dental Implant Surgery

Taking all the right steps after your surgery can shorten the healing process and make it as comfortable as possible. Your top priority should be to leave the blood clot untouched so that the healing happens smoothly. Be sure to follow these simple rules:

• Do not spit. Use tissues or swallow saliva instead.
• Do not use drinking straws. 
• Do not smoke for at least the first day. 
• Do your best to keep fingers and tongue away from the surgical site.

Common Side-Effects When Recovering from Dental Implant Placement

Some mild side effects are normal for the first few days after dental implant surgery. Here are some of the most common:

• Bleeding: Intermittent bleeding is normal immediately after surgery. This can be lessened with the use of gauze and light pressure. This should subside after a few days.
• Swelling: Swelling may be present for the first few days after your procedure. It can last up to a week. Use a cold compress to reduce this.
• Soreness: It is normal for the surgical site to feel sore for a few days, but this can be managed by taking pain relievers as directed by your dentist.

All of these effects should be temporary and gradually subside as time goes by. If that is ever not the case, let us know so we can help.

Your Diet After Dental Implant Surgery

Be careful about what you are eating after your implant placement surgery. Here are some foods you may want to stock up on:

• Mashed potatoes 
• Yogurt
• Ice cream
• Pudding
• Soup
• Scrambled eggs
• Pasta

As your discomfort subsides, you can transition back to your regular diet. It is still a good idea to avoid chewing directly on the implant site until it completely heals. This way, you can give your restoration the best possible chance of being successful.

Post-Op Health & Oral Hygiene

It is crucial that you keep your mouth clean after your dental implant surgery. This will help to make sure that your implant integrates with your jawbone quickly. Here are a few oral hygiene tips to help:

• Brush your teeth the day after your surgery. Be careful when you are near the surgical site.
• Rinse your mouth with salt water.
• Use your prescription mouth rinse if you are given one.
• Stay away from mouth rinses containing high levels of alcohol.

What to Do After Your New Teeth Are Attached

The difficult part is finally over! When it is time for you to get your new crown, bridge, or dentures, you may experience some minor sensitivity. This can be managed easily with pain medication. There should be no bleeding, swelling, or extensive recovery. Now, all there is left to do is smile!

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Dental implants can’t get cavities themselves, but you should still practice excellent oral hygiene. In addition to keeping your surrounding teeth in good shape, sticking to an excellent oral hygiene routine can prevent other dental problems, like gum disease, that can cause your implants to fail. Remember to brush, floss, and rinse with mouthwash every day.

Eat a Healthy Diet

One of the many benefits of getting dental implants is the fact that you don’t need to worry about any eating restrictions. You can easily enjoy nutritious meals without struggling to chew. Just remember that enjoying too many foods that are hard, sticky, or sugary can be problematic for your oral health, so it pays to be cautious.

Break Bad Habits

Refrain from smoking or using other tobacco products immediately after your dental implant placement. This can slow down healing and increase your risk of developing an infection. Don’t use your teeth as tools either. You could end up accidentally damaging your dental implants or surrounding teeth. Instead, try to find some scissors, pliers, a bottle opener, or another tool that can help you complete your task safely.

Protect Your Dental Implants

Your dental implants may be strong, but they aren’t completely indestructible. You should always wear a mouthguard to protect your dental implants and natural teeth when participating in sports. If you grind your teeth at night, ask about a nightguard to protect your implants from additional wear and tear.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

You should always attend regular cleanings and checkups twice a year. This way, we can monitor your dental implants and spot any issues as easily as possible. By catching potential problems now, you can keep them from becoming more serious and leading to greater complications.