Dental Implants – Greenfield, MA

The Consultation

Generally, if you have good oral and overall health, you’re a candidate for dental implants if you’re missing one or more teeth; however, you’ll still need a comprehensive consultation. Your dentist in Greenfield performs a visual examination and takes diagnostic images to assess your oral health. Based on the results of the consultation, you may need additional treatments before undergoing your placement surgery, such as tooth extractions, periodontal therapy, or bone grafting. After you’ve healed from any previous treatments, you’re scheduled for your placement procedure.

Dental Implant Surgery

If you have a single tooth that needs to be replaced, you may only need a local anesthetic, but if you’re having several teeth treated or your case is complex, you might require sedation or general anesthesia. Rest assured, you won’t feel any pain or discomfort during the placement of your posts. Once you’re numb, your gum tissue is opened to expose your jawbone. Small holes are strategically made into precise locations to insert each post into the bone. Your gum tissue is sutured closed, and you’ll spend the next several weeks healing.

Osseointegration & Abutment Attachment

Over the following three to six months after your surgery, your implant posts will begin to fuse with your jawbone through a process called osseointegration. This will allow them to act as new tooth roots, stimulating your jawbone and providing it with necessary blood flow to keep it from deteriorating over time. It’s normal to feel some slight discomfort, but typically, it can be managed with over-the-counter pain relievers. You may also notice some bruising and inflammation. These can be addressed by applying a cold compress on the outside of the face in 10-minute intervals.

Once osseointegration is complete, our team will attach small metal connector pieces, called abutments, to the top of each of your implants. Over a couple of weeks, your gums will heal around the abutments, and you’ll be ready for your final prosthetic.

Securing the Final Restorations

The final step of your treatment will be awaiting your restoration. Once it arrives to our office from our dental laboratory, we’ll call you back in to attach it to the abutments and complete your smile. Our team will also show you how to properly care for your new teeth. In many cases, this is just keeping up with routine brushing and flossing like you would with your natural teeth!

Day-to-Day Benefits 

In addition to offering many long-term benefits, your new dental implants offer many daily benefits, including:

• The ability to chew a variety of your favorite nutritious, delicious foods.
• Easy care and maintenance; just brush and floss them as you would your natural teeth.
• Smile, speak, and chew with confidence knowing that your dental implants look natural, and will never fall out or slide out of place.

Health Benefits

Dental implants also offer many important health benefits, such as:

• Maintaining the health and strength of your jawbone.
• Providing support to nearby natural teeth.
• Allowing you to eat a healthier diet and reducing your risk of malnutrition.
• Not causing tooth sensitivity or gum sores like dental bridges and dentures can.
• Better overall oral health and lowered risk of developing many oral health-related problems.

Long-Term Benefits

Your dental implants offer many long-term benefits that are simply not possible with other types of restorations. These include:

• An impressive 95% success rate, even 10 years after implantation.
• No need to be replaced every 5 to 10 years like dental bridges and dentures.
• Potential financial and time savings when compared to other methods of restoration.

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

No two situations are identical, so there's no flat rate for dental implants. Your implant dentist in Greenfield will create a personalized treatment plan. Besides your initial consultation and diagnostic services, your estimate will also include any preparatory treatments. It's not uncommon to require preliminary procedures, like tooth extractions, bone grafting, or gum disease treatment. You'll also require sedation or anesthesia to keep you comfortable during your implant placement surgery.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

Depending on the number of teeth you're replacing, your estimate will also include each component of your dental implant, which includes:

• Implant Post: A titanium post is surgically placed into your jawbone to serve as a root.
• Abutment: Every post requires an abutment to connect your restoration.
• Restoration: You will require a restoration, like a dental crown, bridge, or denture.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

Dental implants may cost more upfront than traditional treatments, but they are the most affordable overall. They don't have to be replaced every few years. Dental implants are proven to last for decades, so you'll never need to budget for replacements. They also stop many common issues caused by tooth loss, improving your oral health. You'll be less likely to need dental work later. Not to mention the priceless benefits you'll gain from investing in the next best thing to real teeth.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Your dental insurance will not cover the entire cost of your treatment, but it can reduce the amount you’ll pay out-of-pocket. Your benefits may include your initial consultation and diagnostic services for dental implants in Greenfield. After meeting your annual deductible, your insurance can pay some of the costs for medically necessary treatments until reaching your yearly limit. We will work on your behalf with your dental insurance to maximize your coverage to lower the amount you’ll pay.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

Every step of your treatment has separate fees, which means you don’t have to come up with a lump sum. You’ll have more time to pay. Our office also offers various financial solutions, including:

• Traditional Payments: BGH Dental accepts cash, credit cards, and personal checks for your convenience.
• Financing: You can make monthly payments for any out-of-pocket expenses with a third-party financing company, like CareCredit.
• In-House Savings Plan: You can benefit from reduced costs by joining our in-house savings plan.

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Whether you have a single dental implant, an implant bridge, or an implant denture, you need to make oral hygiene a priority. That starts with brushing for two full minutes each morning and extends to flossing your teeth each night before bed. You also should use the right products, like an ADA-approved mouthwash and fluoridated toothpaste.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet doesn’t just benefit your oral health; it benefits your overall health too! So, if you haven’t already, now is the perfect time to cut back on sugary and starchy foods and increase your intake of smile-friendly ones, like fresh fruits and vegetables. That way, you’re less likely to experience decay, infections, and other complications throughout the years.

Break Bad Habits

Sometimes, habits seem harmless, like biting your nails or chewing on ice cubes. However, the immense pressure placed on your teeth and dental implants can lead to everything from noticeable chips to serious cracks. So, it’s important that you avoid habits like these.

Important note: Don’t use your teeth as tools either! Even things that seem “small,” like using your teeth to remove plastic wrapping can shorten the lifespan of your dental implants.

Protect Your Dental Implants

Another important to-do is to wear a nightguard if you grind or clench your teeth at night. That way, both your teeth and your dental implants are protected from premature wear and tear. You should also wear a mouthguard during sports, including non-contact ones like running, so an accidental fall doesn’t lead to a loose dental implant or knocked-out tooth.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

Last, but certainly not least, you need to come to our Greenfield dental office every six months for a checkup and cleaning. These routine visits are important for several reasons, including that they help prevent gum disease, they ensure oral cancer is detected and treated in the early stages, and they remove built-up plaque and tartar before they negatively impact your oral health.

Bone Grafting

For patients without enough jawbone to receive implants, bone can be grafted onto the jaw. This adds tissue to the area with deficit, creating enough volume for the placement of implants. This extra bone can come from other parts of your body, a bone bank, or even synthetic materials. First, we will place a thin collagen membrane to prevent the bone graft from shrinking from growing gum tissue. In some cases, bone grafting can be performed on the same day as dental implants, but that will all depend on your smile.

For more substantial bone loss, we can place a block of bone that is supported with screws. This block can come from your chin or even behind the back of your teeth. For this procedure, we recommend that patients wait a few months to heal for the successful growth of their new bone. After, we can place dental implants to achieve desired results.

Sinus Lifts

When patients need replacements in the back parts of their arches, it’s common for their sinuses to collapse into the space where their teeth once were. This eliminates any room they once had for dental implants, leaving just a thin wall of bone left. Thankfully, we can provide a sinus lift, which gently creates space for the placement of new bone. After a few months of healing, patients can successfully receive a bone graft. Then, they can enjoy the beauty and stability of dental implants.