Dental Implants – Brookline, MA

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

The first step of receiving dental implants in Brookline is scheduling a consultation with one of our highly skilled dental professionals. During this visit, we will examine your oral cavity and facial structure using advanced dental technology to ensure the proper placement is achieved when planning for your dental implant surgery. Once we’ve established that you are qualified to receive dental implants, you may be required to undergo a bone graft to ensure a stronger, more stable foundation for your implants and customized restoration. Should this type of preliminary treatment be necessary, our team will go over the process and the additional time that will be added to your complete treatment timeline.

Dental Implant Surgery

To prepare the smile for dental implants, we may need to remove one or more damaged teeth or perform a gum or bone tissue graft to ensure the successful placement of the implant. We’ll use state-of-the-art imaging equipment to pinpoint the ideal location for your dental implant post and map out your treatment.

The dental implant placement itself is a relatively conservative procedure. While under sedation or anesthesia, your gum tissue is opened to expose your jawbone. Then, the implant is secured into the bone and the gums are sutured closed by our implant dentist in Brookline. A protective cap will cover the top of the implant post to shield it and maintain the shape of the gums.

Dental Implant Osseointegration/Abutment

Over the next four to six months, the post will fuse with the surrounding bone tissue in a process known as osseointegration. This must be fully complete to ensure your implants do not fail. Once you’ve healed, a metal abutment is attached to it. This is a connector piece that allows the custom-made crown, bridge, partial, or denture to be put into place once it is ready.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations

When returning to our dental office to have your final restoration put into place, you’ll be pleased to know that it will be created from all-ceramic material. Using impressions of your smile as a blueprint, lab technicians will fabricate a restoration that will blend in beautifully with the remainder of your healthy teeth, giving you a full, complete look.

Once placed, your new tooth/teeth will be practically indistinguishable from the rest of your smile!

Day-to-Day Benefits

• A bright, confident smile – The dental crown, bridge, or denture that is placed on top of your implants is personalized to mimic the size and shape of your original pearly whites. Coupled with the fact that your new teeth will stay firmly in place, your smile will look and feel incredibly natural.
• The ability to eat whatever you want – Dentures alone only restore a fraction of the chewing power you used to have. By bringing back the roots of your missing teeth, dental implants allow you to chew all of your favorite foods, including tough steaks and nutritious fruits and vegetables, with ease.
• Clear speech – With dental implants, you won’t have to worry about your teeth slipping around like traditional dentures do. As a result, you’ll be able to speak clearly and confidently without slurring your words or producing clicking or whistling sounds.
• Simple oral hygiene – Dental implants don’t require a complicated oral hygiene routine. All you have to do is brush and floss them like real teeth and visit your implant dentist in Boston regularly for checkups and cleanings.

Health Benefits

• Jawbone stimulation – Whenever you bite or chew, that force travels through the roots of your teeth to stimulate your jawbone. After tooth loss, the jawbone begins to deteriorate from the lack of this stimulation. Dental implants recreate the root structure of your lost teeth and keep your jawbone strong and healthy.
• Preservation of natural teeth and gums – Placing a dental bridge requires the teeth on either end of the gap to be permanently altered, leaving them more susceptible to breakage, decay, and sensitivity. Conventional dentures often slide around and irritate the gums, especially if they don’t fit properly. Dental implants prevent both of these problems by remaining in place at all times and being able to support themselves without help from other teeth.
• Improved systemic health – Studies suggest that tooth loss increases your risk for various medical conditions, including diabetes, heart attack, and stroke. Since dental implants act as your natural teeth, it’s reasonable to assume that they don’t elevate these risks.

Long-Term Benefits

• High success rate – As long as you take good care of them, dental implants boast a remarkable success rate of more than 95 percent. Plus, they can last for decades or maybe even for the rest of your life!
• Saved money – While dental implants have a higher initial cost than bridges or dentures, they actually save you money over time. Traditional solutions will have to be replaced every 10 years or so, compounding on their lower up-front cost. You’d also have to purchase special adhesives or cleaning products, which can really add up over the years. In the long run, dental implants in Brookline are by far the most cost-effective way of replacing missing teeth.
• Younger appearance – By stimulating the jawbone, dental implants prevent the sunken, aged facial appearance that often happens after tooth loss. You’ll be able to maintain a youthful glow for years and years to come!

Who Is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?

Many adults are good candidates for dental implants. You should be in good oral and overall health, healthy enough to recover from an invasive procedure, to undergo the surgery for dental implants. People who have diseases that affect the immune system or patients with periodontitis may be ineligible for the procedure.

Dental implants are very versatile and can be used to replace any number of missing teeth:

Missing 1 Tooth

One implant post can be used to support a single dental crown to replace one tooth, or we may even be able to support two fused together crowns to replace two consecutive teeth.

Missing Multiple Teeth

To replace two or more teeth in a row, a dental implant bridge may be the best option. The replacement teeth are fused together, but rather than attaching to surrounding teeth, they are anchored to two dental implant posts on either side. Similarly, implant partial dentures look much like traditional removable options, but rather than attaching to surrounding teeth, they are supported by two or four dental implants.

Missing All Teeth

For patients missing all their natural teeth, we can replace an entire arch of pearly whites with implant dentures. Instead of getting one dental implant post for every missing tooth, an entire custom-made denture can be held in place with four to six dental implants. This cuts down on the cost and recovery time of your treatment.

Learn More About Implant Dentures

How Many Dental Implants Are Needed?

There are two primary factors with it comes to the cost of the dental implant itself: the final restoration and the implant post. Each of these will depend on how many teeth you are missing and need to recreate, which in turn will influence the final cost of your treatment. For example, it will be much less expensive to replace one missing tooth with a single dental implant post, abutment, and crown than replacing a whole arch of missing teeth with a larger restoration and four to six implant posts.

Dental Insurance & Dental Implants

Some dental insurance plans do not cover dental implants because they are classified as a cosmetic procedure. On the other hand, many other plans offer excellent coverage. It is entirely dependent on the particular details of your plan, so you should consult your insurance provider to be certain. Also, in some cases, standard medical insurance will sometimes cover part of the implant placement cost. In any case, our financial coordinator will always work with your provider to help maximize your benefits.

Financing Options for Dental Implants

We offer a number of financing options with a multitude of providers. Two of them, Lending Club and CareCredit, have helped millions of people get affordable dental and health care for years. They offer financing plans that span anywhere from 12-36 months. Of course, like with any financing, this is all dependent on your credit being approved.

Bone Grafting

Believe it or not, but you can lose a significant amount of bone within just the first 12 months of losing a tooth. If you’ve been living with one or more missing teeth for some time, you’ve likely lost a great deal of bone. An oral surgeon can reverse the damage by restoring the areas of weakened bone to make it suitable to support dental implants in Brookline. This is known as bone grafting.

This surgical procedure adds bone to the alveolar ridge, or gum ridge, to enhance the size and shape of your jaw. Bone is taken from another area of your body or from a donor and grafted on to weakened areas of your jaw. Over the next several weeks, the graft will integrate with your bone to provide your implant posts with the support they need to thrive.

Soft Tissue Graft

Your gums are equally important as your teeth when creating a healthy, beautiful smile. Unfortunately, there are times your gingival tissue can be compromised. Not only can it lead to an unattractive gum line, but it can also impact your dental health. To resolve the issue, you might need soft tissue grafting in Brookline. The treatment can be used to cover exposed tooth roots, restore an attractive smile, or reverse the effects of infection. No matter the cause, we use the latest advancements in dentistry to improve your smile.

A gum graft is a surgical treatment that takes tissue from the palate of your mouth or a donor and transfers it to the treatment site. The tissue is stitched into place to allow it to integrate with your gums. New advancements in dentistry make this treatment less invasive and more comfortable. Often, all that’s needed is a local anesthetic; however, some people may need sedation. As a result, it’s best to arrange for transportation to and from your appointment because it can take several hours for the effects to wear off.

What to Do Directly After Dental Implant Surgery

Immediately after your procedure, you should go home and get plenty of rest so that you can allow the blood clot to form around your implant site. This will be essential for healing as you won’t want bacteria or an infection to arise, increasing the risk of failure. To help your chances of proper recovery, make sure to follow these instructions:

• Do not use a straw to drink anything
• Do not spit; use a tissue or swallow your saliva instead
• Do not touch your implant with your tongue or fingers
• Do not smoke right after your treatment process

Common Side Effects When Recovering from Dental Implant Placement

Normal side effects after your dental implant process include:

• Minor, intermittent bleeding that can go on for a few days and can easily be managed using gauze and minimal pressure to the area.
• Mild swelling for the first 72 hours, which can be reduced with a cold compress.
• Soreness and discomfort following your visit, which you can take an over-the-counter or prescribed pain reliever to minimize significantly.

Your Diet After Dental Implant Surgery

To avoid disturbing your blood clot and surgical site, you’ll need to maintain a diet consisting of soft foods that don’t require much chewing, such as:

• Mashed potatoes
• Pasta
• Yogurt
• Applesauce
• Pudding
• Soup (warm or cold, NOT hot)
• Ice cream

Post-Op Health & Oral Hygiene

You should be okay to brush your teeth like normal 24 hours after your dental implant procedure as long as you’re careful around your surgical site so as not to ruin the blood clot that’s supposed to form. Rinse your mouth regularly, especially after meals, but don’t spit the water or mouthwash out. Tilt your head back and forth to avoid swishing and let the liquid pour from your mouth to the sink. Avoid using mouthwash with alcohol, as this can cause discomfort.

What to Do After Your New Teeth Are Attached

Once you’ve received your new dental crown, bridge, or denture, you’ll simply have to take care of them like normal teeth. You may experience slight sensitivity when getting them freshly attached, but you can simply take pain relievers to minimize discomfort. Bleeding, swelling, or extensive recovery should not occur. If you notice any strange or disconcerting symptoms, notify our team for help.

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

While your dental implants won’t develop cavities like your normal teeth, you still need to keep them and the surrounding tissues clean. Since the number one reason for implant failure is peri-implantitis—an infection in the gums around the metal posts—it’s crucial that you prevent bacteria and plaque from accumulating around your teeth. Be sure to brush, floss, and rinse with mouthwash daily to maintain a healthy smile.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Did you know that dental implants can restore 80% or more of your natural chewing power? This means that you’ll be free to eat the majority of your favorite foods, including apples, nuts, and steaks. Even so, you should stick to meals that benefit your oral health long term. Overindulging in sugary treats can increase the risk of bacteria accumulation around your implants, which can result in peri-implantitis if left unchecked. Be careful with foods that are tough in texture, as they can chip or damage your new teeth. Go for meals that are rich in calcium and vitamin C to promote healthier gums and a stronger jawbone.

Break Bad Habits

Certain oral habits can be detrimental to your gums and dental implants. Therefore, to make the most of your restorations, you’ll want to cut out things like smoking/using tobacco, using your teeth as tools, and chewing on hard objects (like ice) from your daily life. The last thing you’d want is to damage your implants or increase the risk of them failing later on. If you need help quitting these habits, our team can provide the resources and support you require to make the most of your new smile.

Protect Your Dental Implants

Do you tend to grind your teeth while sleeping? Are you active in sports? In either case, you can potentially damage or loosen your dental implants from these activities. The good news is that our team can offer custom-made nightguards for bruxism to help prevent you from wearing down your new pearly whites. We can also recommend the best mouthguard products so that you can protect your smile from physical impact.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

Even if your dental implants are successful and you practice good oral hygiene every day, regular visits with your dentist are essential for maintaining a healthy smile. Every six months, our team can monitor your oral health, address any developing issues before they worsen, and check if your restorations are in good condition. With these appointments, you can save time, money, and headaches from potential complications.