Dental Implants – Pecan Grove, TX
The Lasting Answer to Tooth Loss
At Highline Dental, we’re excited to help people everywhere create the smiles of their dreams. Whether your tooth loss has come from poor dental hygiene, genetics, or an accident, we have modern tools and equipment to bring life back to your smile.
We take pride in the quality of our dental implants in Pecan Grove, and we are certain that you will be thrilled with the results that we can provide you. We can ensure that your new dental implants match the look and feel of your smile so that you can easily take care of them the same way you take care of your other teeth. Read on to learn more about dental implants and call our office to schedule a consultation.
Why Choose Highline Dental for Dental Implants?
- In-House Dental Implant Placement & Restoration
- We Accept & Maximize PPO Dental Insurance Plans
- Skilled Dentist with 10+ Years of Experience
What are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are composed of 3 main parts: the implant, abutment, and crown. The implant is the threaded portion that is placed inside the bone. The abutment attaches directly to the implant and is the part that the implant crown attaches to. Finally, the crown is cemented or screwed onto the abutment.
The 4-Step Dental Implant Process
Dental implants are the best tooth replacement option out there! Since they replace the roots of the missing teeth, they allow for a wide range of additional benefits that you can’t find with dentures or dental bridges. To achieve this, getting dental implants requires a multi-step process that takes place over the course of several months. Everyone’s treatment looks a little bit different, but here are the four main steps that everyone can expect.
Initial Dental Implant Consultation
At your initial appointment, you’ll get to spend plenty of time with Dr. Kim speaking about each of your tooth replacement treatment options and discussing what the dental implant process would look like for you. Based on a thorough examination of your mouth as well as your medical and oral health history, our team will be able to let you know whether you’re a good candidate for the procedure.
Dental Implant Surgery
The next part of your treatment will be the surgical placement of the dental implants. Due to Dr. Kim’s extensive training, we’re able to complete this part of the procedure in-house. After numbing the mouth with a local anesthetic, an incision is made in the gum tissue so the dental implants can be placed at strategic angles and locations. Then, the gums are closed and protective caps are placed over the ends of the implants to keep them safe throughout the healing process.
Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment
Following the surgical placement of your dental implants, they’ll fuse with your jawbone over the next three to six months. This process is crucial to the long-term success of your restoration and is called osseointegration. After osseointegration is complete, our team will have you return to the office so we can attach a small metal connector piece called an abutment to your dental implant. Impressions are also taken so your customized restoration can be made for you at the dental lab.
Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations
Finally, the last step of your treatment will be to attach your restoration to your dental implant to restore your smile! If everything looks and feels great, you will be free to show off your new, complete smile to the world!
Benefits of Dental Implants
Dental implants haven’t been around as long as traditional dentures and bridges, but they’re already considered the modern gold standard for replacing missing teeth. By acting as artificial tooth roots, dental implants are able to offer all kinds of unique advantages that can significantly improve your quality of life. Read on for a closer look at some of the key benefits of using dental implants to fill in the empty space in your smile.
Day-to-Day Benefits
Once your missing teeth have been replaced with dental implants, you’ll be able to take advantage of the following benefits every day:
- The Ability to Eat Virtually Any Kind of Food: Unlike traditional dentures, dental implants don’t come with any major diet restrictions. Thanks to their stability and chewing power, they make it possible for you to enjoy virtually any kind of food.
- Simple Maintenance: Taking care of dental implants isn’t all that different from taking care of natural teeth. You don’t have to buy any specialized products or learn complicated new oral hygiene practices; you can simply brush and floss like you always have.
- Boosted Confidence: Dental implants look and feel natural, and they don’t slip out of place the way traditional dentures sometimes do. This can ultimately make it a lot easier to feel truly confident about your newly rebuilt smile.
Health Benefits
Not only can dental implants improve your everyday life, but they can also be highly beneficial for your health in the long term:
- Better Nutrition: Without a full set of teeth, you may be forced to avoid a wide variety of healthy foods. Dental implants allow for a more varied diet and thus make it significantly easier to maintain good nutrition.
- Prevention of Bone Loss: Losing your natural teeth can cause your jawbone to deteriorate due to a lack of stimulation. Dental implants are the only form of tooth replacement that can prevent this from happening because they can fulfill the same functions as natural tooth roots.
- Prevention of Dental Drift: Teeth have a tendency to shift toward any empty space in the mouth. Having dental implants placed can help ensure that the teeth you still have remain in their proper alignment.
Long-Term Benefits
The true value of dental implants will become more and more obvious over time thanks to these long-term benefits:
- High Rate of Success: Statistics show that 95% of dental implants remain successful even two decades after initially being placed in the jaw.
- A More Youthful Look: Dental implants can ultimately help you look younger in a couple of different ways. Not only do they fill in any potentially embarrassing gaps in your smile, but they can actively help prevent the facial collapse that often happens when teeth are missing.
- Longevity: If you take proper care of your dental implants, they can easily last for decades. In some cases, you may even be able to keep the same dental implant posts for the rest of your life.
Who Can Dental Implants Help?
To be a good candidate for dental implants, you should have enough bone and healthy gum to support the fixture. A 3D X-ray will be taken at your initial consultation to evaluate both the depth and width of the bone. If you don’t have enough support for an implant, you’re not out of luck; grafting or other procedures can be performed to provide more space for the implant. From here, Dr. Kim may recommend any of the following pathways to restoring your smile.
Missing One Tooth
For a single missing tooth, we can place one dental implant below the gumline and into the jawbone. After it has fused with the bone, Dr. Kim will attach the abutment to the dental implant followed by a custom-crafted, free-standing dental crown. This eliminates the need to alter your healthy existing teeth.
Missing Multiple Teeth
Instead of investing in a traditional bridge, which requires Dr. Kim and our Highline Dental team to alter your healthy dental structure, we can replace consecutive teeth by anchoring them to two or more dental implants. With higher success rates and a longer lifespan, implant bridges are easier to clean and much more cost-effective in the long-run.
Missing All Teeth
To restore one or both rows of missing teeth, Dr. Kim is able to attach a full denture to anywhere between four and eight dental implants strategically placed throughout one arch. After fusing with the bone, we can restore your smile by attaching a full denture that won’t slip or shift whenever you talk or eat.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants
As one of the most modern and cutting-edge answers to tooth loss available to patients, it’s no surprise that dental implants have the highest price tag of all restorative treatment options. However, they also last the longest and offer life-changing results. Because of this, we always highly recommend them to our patients who are good candidates. During your initial consultation, our team will provide you with a cost estimate of your personalized dental implant treatment plan, helping you better understand the financial investment of moving forward with your journey towards a full, healthy, and functional smile.