Dental Implants Durham
The Closest Alternative to Your Natural Teeth
The American College of Prosthodontists estimates that more than 36 million Americans have no teeth, while 120 million are missing at least one tooth, with these numbers expected to increase with time. If your confidence, health, and overall well-being are suffering due to tooth loss, our team offers a lifelike replacement option that can help - dental implants. This treatment uses leading-edge techniques and technology to offer lifelike results, allowing you to smile with pride once again. Call our office to schedule a consultation with Dr. Ulloa and learn more about dental implants in Durham!
Why Choose Crafting Smiles for Dental Implants?
- We Partner with Local Experts for Placement
- Customized Treatment, Lifelike Results
- Advanced Dental Technology for Precision
What Are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are small titanium posts that are inserted below the gumline and into the jawbone to restore the missing root structure of one or more teeth. They can naturally fuse with the jawbone through a process called osseointegration, allowing them to offer a bridge, crown, or denture a strong, unwavering support system to be attached to. Because dental implants can restore both the roots and crowns of missing teeth, they offer a variety of unique benefits, including a natural look and feel.
The 4-Step Dental Implant Process
- 1. Consultation: The first step of every dental implant process is a consultation. This visit is crucial to the successful planning of your treatment, ensuring ideal outcomes, and making sure that you’re a good candidate for the procedure.
- 2. Surgery: Once you have decided to move forward with Dr. Ulloa’s treatment plan, the next step will be scheduling your dental implant placement with a trusted oral surgeon to whom we will refer you. They will secure the dental implants below the gumline and into the jawbone—a crucial step in the treatment.
- 3. Osseointegration & Abutment Placement: Once the implants have been placed, they will fuse with the jawbone over the next three to six months in a process called osseointegration. Once that has been completed, we will secure small metal connector pieces to the tops of the implants, called abutments.
- 4. Attaching the Final Restorations: As soon as the final restoration arrives from the dental laboratory, our team will ensure it fits perfectly and matches the shade of the surrounding teeth before attaching it to the dental implants and completing your treatment.
Benefits of Dental Implants
Dental implants in Durham have a variety of benefits to offer, including:
- Prevention of jawbone deterioration over time.
- Preservation of facial structure and appearance.
- Enhanced eating and speaking abilities.
- Lifelike appearance and function.
- No slipping or shifting restorations.
- Boosted confidence and well-being.
- Easier to maintain good dental health and hygiene.
- Ability to restore any number of missing teeth.
Who Dental Implants Can Help
The best way to find out whether dental implants are right for you is to schedule a consultation with Dr. Ulloa. Once our team has had an opportunity to assess your dental health and jawbone density, we can determine whether dental implants will be able to integrate with your smile successfully. This treatment is a wonderful solution whether you’re missing one, several, or all of your teeth. Depending on your situation, we may recommend one of the pathways below.
Missing One Tooth
For a single missing tooth, we will secure one dental implant below the gumline to hold a free-standing crown in place. This will fill the gap between two teeth without requiring you to alter your healthy dental structure.
Missing Multiple Teeth
If you’re missing multiple consecutive teeth, we can support a dental bridge with two dental implants located at either end of the space in your arch. They will anchor the restoration firmly in place without relying on your natural teeth. We can also combine this method with the one we use to secure a free-standing crown to replace non-consecutive missing teeth.
Missing All of Your Teeth
To replace an entire arch of missing teeth, we will anchor a denture onto anywhere between four and eight dental implants spread throughout your gumline. This will eliminate any slipping or shifting that you may experience with a traditional denture.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants
The cost of dental implants in Durham can vary depending on a variety of factors that will be unique to your tooth loss situation. These details can include whether or not you require any preliminary treatments, like a bone graft, if you have chronic or lingering oral health concerns, like gum disease, and how many teeth you need to replace. Dr. Ulloa will discuss all of these factors with you during your initial consultation and walk you through a detailed cost estimate, so you know exactly what to expect from the process. Our team will also work with you to file any claims with your dental insurance or help you navigate financing options.
Dental Implant FAQs
We get many questions about dental implants from patients. Below are just some of them with our responses. If you have questions about this replacement option, we encourage you to reach out to us and schedule a consultation with Dr. Ulloa.
Does Getting Dental Implants Hurt?
At every stage of treatment, we want to make sure you’re comfortable. Part of the dental implant process involves minor surgery. As a result, you are likely to experience some amount of discomfort in recovery, but you should be completely numb during the procedure itself. After implant placement, if you feel mild pain, you should be able to control it with over-the-counter medication. Know that it will just be temporary. Within a few days of placement, your mouth should feel mostly normal again.
How Long Does It Take to Get Dental Implants?
No two dental implant cases are exactly alike, which means the timeline can vary from patient to patient. In some cases, treatment can take as few as six months from start to finish, while in others, implants require up to a year to complete. Keep in mind that this timeframe depends on how many implants you’re getting, how quickly you heal and produce new jawbone growth, and other factors. When you come in for your consultation, we can estimate a general timeline based on your unique needs and situation.
Can Dental Implants Get Cavities?
No, dental implants are impervious to tooth decay, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to take care of them. Plaque can build up on them, infecting the nearby gums. The bacteria can then spread to the jawbone, weakening the support it gives to your implants and leading to failure. As a result, it’s essential that you maintain your restored teeth just as you would a natural, healthy smile. Diligent, daily brushing and flossing along with regular checkups with Dr. Ulloa can keep your implants in excellent condition for the long term.
Are There Food Restrictions with Dental Implants?
For a few days following your implant placement, you should eat liquid and soft foods only while you recover, but once your implants are restored, you are not limited in your food choices. In fact, your dental implants should be strong enough to enable you to eat basically anything you want! With that said, you should treat them like natural teeth and avoid chewing on ice, popcorn kernels, and the like to prevent unnecessary damage.