Dental Implants – Baltimore, MD

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

Your initial consultation with your implant dentist in Baltimore will include examining your oral cavity to determine if you require preliminary treatment. Bone grafting, periodontal therapy, and even tooth extraction are all possible procedures you might need if you have signs of gum disease, severe tooth decay, or jawbone deterioration. Should you need to undergo one or all of these treatments, it will add to the timeline of your care but will also ensure a more successful dental implant placement.

Dental Implant Surgery

Because we are capable of performing your dental implant surgery in-house, you will not need to worry about seeking a referral for an outside specialist. After receiving local anesthesia, our team will make small incisions in your gums before placing each implant into its designated area. Closing the gum tissue, we will place a protective healing cap over each implant to ensure proper recovery at home.

Dental Implant Osseointegration/Abutment

Once you return home, you’ll spend 3-6 months following the instructions provided by your dentist. These include eating soft foods, being mindful of how you clean your teeth and gums, and avoiding unhealthy habits that can hinder osseointegration. This is the process of your dental implants fusing with your bone tissues. Once you are fully healed, you will return to our office to receive your metal abutments, which are appliances that connect your implants to your restoration.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations

The last phase of treatment is receiving your finalized restoration. Dental implants in Baltimore are highly versatile, making it possible for you to replace one or all your teeth. Whether you require an implant crown, bridge, or denture, we will ensure that your restoration looks and feels natural. Lab technicians will customize your new teeth based on the color, size, and shape specified by our team during your initial consultation. After reviewing the restoration, we will secure it into place on top of your dental implants, allowing you to start enjoying your new and improved smile for years to come.

Day-to-Day Benefits

• Eat the Foods You Love: Instead of worrying about your denture slipping when biting down, you can eat all the foods you love because of the permanence of your dental implants. You’ll also enjoy a stronger bite force and greater chewing power, making it possible to consume dense textures.
• Natural Look and Feel: Dental implants in Baltimore replace both the root and the crown of your tooth, creating a natural look and feel once firmly in place. This can create a more youthful appearance, especially as these prosthetics will fill out your cheeks and prevent them from appearing hollow.
• Better Oral Health: Maintaining dental implants is easy because you don’t need specialized cleaning supplies. They act and feel just like regular teeth, making them easy to brush and floss.
• Better Quality of Life: Being able to eat, speak, and smile with ease will give you the confidence you need to live a fuller and more enjoyable life. While many denture-wearers complain of feeling self-conscious about their prosthetics, you can embrace full functionality and an improved appearance that will benefit you personally and professionally.

Health Benefits

• Teeth Remain in Place: Instead of worrying about your natural teeth shifting out of alignment, your dental implants will hold them in place, preventing the potential need for orthodontic treatment later on.
• Jawbone Stimulation Increases: By surgically placing your dental implants into your jawbone, it will continue to stimulate this particular area, preventing shrinkage over time as well as facial collapse.
• No Altering of Your Natural Teeth: Unlike dental bridges that require altering your natural, healthy teeth, dental implants only replace the missing tooth by filling its vacated socket. There is no need to touch your existing teeth.
• Minimal Risk of Systemic Issues: Individuals over the age of 65 with 5 or more missing teeth are at risk for a shorter lifespan because of the systemic issues that can develop (i.e., heart disease, diabetes, etc.). By choosing dental implants, you can reduce your risk for these same problems and potentially, extend your lifespan as a result.

Long-Term Benefits

• High Success Rate: These permanent prosthetics have a 95% success rate upon initial placement and a 90-95% success rate after 10 years!
• Longer-Lasting Smile: When committed to maintaining your new smile, it is possible for your dental implants to remain firmly in place for 30 years or even a lifetime.
• Money-Savings: When meeting with your implant dentist in Baltimore to discuss costs, the upfront expense is much higher with dental implants. However, over time, you’ll spend less because you won’t need frequent adjustments and replacements, and you won’t require adhesives or special cleaning solutions to maintain your new smile.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?

The best way to learn whether you can benefit from dental implants is to schedule a consultation with an implant dentist in Baltimore. During your visit, our team will thoroughly examine your mouth to determine whether you’re eligible for dental implants. As a rule of thumb, good dental implant candidates have three main qualities:

• Good overall health – You must be well enough to undergo a minor surgical procedure.
• Acceptable jawbone density – A jawbone that has deteriorated after tooth loss may not be able to support dental implants.
• Willingness to maintain good oral health – Poor oral hygiene can lead to gum disease, which is the most common cause of dental implant failure.

If you don’t meet all of these standards, you might actually still be able to get dental implants! There are plenty of steps that we can take to increase your chances of successful treatment. For example, our practice offers bone grafting, a procedure that strengthens your jawbone and enhances its ability to accommodate implant posts.

Once you’re ready for dental implant surgery, we’ll go over the specifics of your procedure, including the number of posts you’ll receive. The versatility of dental implants allows them to replace any number of missing teeth:

Missing One Tooth

For a single missing tooth, we’ll insert one dental implant in the socket where the roots of your tooth used to be. After you’ve healed and the post has fused to your jawbone via osseointegration, we’ll secure an abutment to the implant and place a permanent, free-standing dental crown onto it. This solution is much more reliable and longer lasting than a traditional dental bridge. Not to mention, it doesn’t rely on the neighboring teeth for support, leading to improved oral health in the long run.

Missing Multiple Teeth

Instead of using a dental bridge to bring back several missing teeth in a row, we can place a dental implant on either side of your gap, which can secure a custom bridge. Once in place, the bridge will restore the function and aesthetic appearance of your smile without sacrificing any of your remaining tooth structure. To replace multiple missing teeth at various locations in the mouth, we can design a partial denture that is anchored onto a small number of strategically placed implants.

Missing All Teeth

If you’re tired of dealing with a poorly fitting, uncomfortable denture, then you’ll be pleased to know that we can secure a full denture with dental implants. We’ll surgically insert anywhere from four to eight implant posts at specific angles and locations throughout the jaw. These posts will keep a full denture in place, preventing it from slipping or shifting and enhancing your ability to eat a variety of foods. Implant dentures can even last for 30+ years, which is several times the average lifespan of conventional dentures.

Learn More About Implant Dentures

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

Not all patients are a good fit for dental implants initially. Thankfully, we may be able to help you become a good candidate with treatments like bone grafting or gum disease therapy. While these preliminary treatments will naturally add to the final cost of your dental implants, they’re essential for maximizing the success of your new smile. We’ll also need to factor in the cost of your dental implant surgery, which will be influenced by things like where in the mouth the implants are being placed and the use of sedation dentistry. We’re happy to provide dental implant surgery right here in our office, saving our patients the time, money, and hassle of seeing an outside specialist.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

When calculating your estimate during your consultation, we’ll consider various factors about the dental implant(s) you need, like:

• Number of dental implants: Naturally, the fewer dental implants you need, the lower your cost will be. Remember, you won’t always need one implant for every missing tooth!
• Type of restoration: Dental implants can be used with a variety of restorations, such as crowns, bridges, partials, and full dentures, which all come at their own price points.
• Size or material: Specifications of your dental implant, such as it being longer or shorter than average or made of titanium or zirconia will factor into its final cost.
• Brand of dental implant: Different companies produce different types of dental implants. We only use reliable and trusted dental implant brands to ensure you get the best results possible.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money/ How Dental Implants Pay for Themselves

It’s no secret that dental implants cost more upfront than other tooth replacement options like dentures or dental bridges. However, they could easily become the more cost-effective option in the long run! While other options need to be repaired or replaced every five to seven years, dental implants have the potential to last you a lifetime, which could save you thousands of dollars on replacements alone. Dental implants also promote better oral health and lower your overall oral healthcare costs. Plus, patients agree that you simply can’t put a price on the confidence and quality of life dental implants can help you regain.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Unfortunately, most dental insurance companies don’t yet cover dental implants, at least not entirely. Instead, you can likely count on your plan to cover portions or percentages of your treatment, such as sedation during surgery, the final restoration, and any necessary preliminary treatments. Our knowledgeable team will be happy to make sure that your benefits are being maximized. Plus, we will file the necessary claims for you to make the process as easy and smooth as possible.

3D Cone-Beam Imaging/ 3D CT Scanning

Using a cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scanner, we can construct a highly detailed three-dimensional model of your mouth and jaw. This advanced imaging technique is far more detailed than traditional X-rays, offering a comprehensive view of soft tissues, nerve pathways, craniofacial bones, and other critical structures that can affect dental implant placement.

Now, here's the cool part – using a CBCT scanner in the dental implant process has numerous benefits. In the planning stage, it allows us to identify potential obstacles, ensuring the implants are placed exactly where they need to go. Since CBCT scans are painless and radiation-free, they guarantee a safe and secure imaging experience without any lasting effects on your body.

Guided Dental Implant Surgery

Certain dental implant cases require extra precision. If you've lost all your teeth in a single arch, the absence of landmarks will make implant placement tricky. That's where a 3D-printed surgical guide comes in handy. Crafted from a CBCT scan of your mouth, this guide provides a precise map for implant insertion.

Using the surgical guide not only enhances precision but can also make your treatment more comfortable, potentially minimizing swelling and bruising. Another benefit is that treatments with a surgical guide often involve smaller incisions, leading to quicker recovery for your gums.

Digital Impression System

Dental implants complete your smile by supporting a custom-made restoration. This could be a dental crown, bridge, partial denture, or full denture. In the past, mapping the area for the restoration involved the use of sticky dental putty, often uncomfortable for patients. But here's the good news – we've upgraded to a digital impression system!

This advanced device scans your teeth without any physical contact, creating a detailed model of your bite. Using this digital blueprint, we ensure that your new custom restoration blends in perfectly with your natural teeth, providing a more comfortable and modern experience.

What to Do Directly After Dental Implant Surgery

When you take the right steps after your surgery, you can shorten your healing process and make it as comfortable as possible. Your top priority should be to leave the blood clot untouched so the natural healing process happens smoothly. Here are some rules you should be following:

• Don’t spit. Instead, use tissues or swallow your saliva.
• Avoid using a straw to drink beverages.
• Don’t smoke immediately following your procedure.
• Keep your fingers and tongue away from the surgical site.

Common Side-Effects When Recovering from Dental Implant Placement

You will likely experience some side effects after your dental implant placement surgery. Here are some of the most common ones:

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

All of these side effects should be temporary and gradually subside as time goes by. If this isn’t the case, give us a call so we can help.

Your Diet After Dental Implant Surgery

Be careful about the foods you are consuming after your implant placement procedure. Here are some foods you may want to stock up on:

• Mashed Potatoes
• Yogurt
• Ice Cream
• Pudding
• Soup
• Scrambled Eggs
• Pasta

As the soreness in your mouth reduces, you can start to 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 ensure that your implant integrates with your jawbone quickly. Here are some oral hygiene tips that can help:

• Brush your teeth the day after your surgery but 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.
• Avoid mouth rinses that contain high levels of alcohol.

What to Do After Your New Teeth Are Attached

The difficult part is over! When you get your new crown, bridge, or denture, you may experience some minor sensitivity at first, but this can be easily managed with pain medication. There should be no bleeding, swelling, or extensive recovery. Then you can enjoy your new smile!

Bone Grafting

Following tooth loss, the jawbone loses the stimulation that was once provided by tooth roots. Therefore, the bone begins to lose its size and density. Over time, the deterioration can reach the point where the jaw can no longer support dental implants. If this has happened to your jaw, bone grafting in Baltimore may be able to help. Using donor bone, artificial bone, or bone from another place in your body, we can fortify your jaw. After your jaw bonds with the grafted material, you may be able to receive dental implants. (Some patients are able to receive dental implants at the same time as a bone graft.)

Sinus Lifts

When bone deterioration occurs in the upper jaw, your sinus might move too close to your oral cavity. (This might also happen if you have naturally large sinuses or your sinuses have enlarged with age.) Inserting a dental implant might actually puncture the sinus. The solution to this problem is a special type of bone graft known as a sinus lift in Baltimore. During the procedure, we gently lift the sinus, then pack in bone material beneath it. A few months after the surgery, you are likely to be eligible for dental implants.

Ridge Preservation

If you know you would like to get dental implants even before you get your teeth removed, we highly recommend that you undergo ridge preservation. This procedure, also known as socket preservation, is a bone graft that usually takes place at the same time as a tooth extraction. It prevents significant deterioration of the jawbone and may significantly shorten the timeline for your dental implant procedure in Baltimore.

Ridge Expansion

Your alveolar ridge is an extension of the jawbone that contains your tooth sockets. When the ridge is too narrow, it may be impossible to for it to support dental implants. To address this problem, we may perform a ridge expansion surgery. During the procedure, we divide the ridge and wedge its segments apart. Then, we fill the space with a bone graft. In some cases, it is possible to insert dental implants at the same time as a ridge expansion.

Bone Regeneration

Bone regeneration is similar to bone grafting in that bone material is added to the jaw. However, bone regeneration is slightly different because it harnesses your body’s own ability to create new bone tissue. We encourage your body to do so with a matrix or membrane that introduces certain types of protein. Following the surgery, the graft will grow and incorporate with your existing bone tissue.

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Dental implants can’t get cavities, but poor oral hygiene can lead to gum disease, one of the biggest threats to your implants. When the gum tissue the supports your implants get infected, it can deteriorate to the point where your implant fails. To keep this from happening, you’ll need to maintain good oral hygiene. Fortunately, day-to-day dental implant care in Baltimore is much easier than it is with dentures. All you need to do is brush twice a day, floss once a day, and rinse with a therapeutic mouthwash regularly – just like you would with natural teeth.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Since dental implants function like real tooth roots, they allow you to eat practically anything you want. However, certain foods can jeopardize the success of your implants. For example, sugary sweets can contribute to gum disease, and extremely hard foods might damage your implants or restorations. Try to maintain a generally nutritious diet. Specifically, eat foods with vitamin C and calcium to promote healthy gums and a strong jawbone, respectively.

Break Bad Habits

One of the worst things you can do for your dental implants is using tobacco. Smoking contributes to a host of health problems, including a slowed healing rate and an increased risk of gum disease. This can result in dental implant failure many years down the line, but in the early stages, it might prevent the implant from integrating with your jawbone in the first place.

You should also quit harmful habits that could damage your implants, such as biting your nails, crunching on ice, or using your teeth to open bottles or packaging. Our team would be happy to point you toward the resources you need to overcome these habits.

Protect Your Dental Implants

If you often wake up with a headache or jaw soreness, you might be clenching and grinding your teeth while you sleep. Over time, this habit can wear down natural teeth as well your implant restorations and even exert pressure on the implant posts themselves. To protect your smile, our dentists can provide you with a custom-fitted nightguard that cushions your teeth, preventing the upper and lower arches from making harmful contact as you sleep.

Similarly, you should wear an athletic mouthguard if you play a sport where you could suffer from a blow to the mouth, jaw, or face. These trays lessen the impact of oral injuries, which may save your implant from having to be removed and replaced.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

Even if all of your natural teeth are gone, routine dental checkups are still important. We recommend that most patients visit our office every six months. This way, we can closely monitor the condition of your implants, as well as your gums and any remaining teeth. If we spot anything that warrants concern, we can address it as soon as possible and prevent it from getting worse later on.