Dental Implants — Juno Beach, FL

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

To begin the journey toward restoring your smile, the first step involves scheduling a consultation with us. During this appointment, we will carefully assess your smile and the surrounding facial structures. This will help us determine if dental implants are the best solution for you and how they should be positioned in your mouth.

For some patients, certain preliminary procedures may be necessary. These may include bone grafting, gum disease treatment, or tooth extractions. Once these steps are completed, we can proceed with the remainder of your treatment. During the initial appointment, we will gladly walk you through the entire process, providing clear expectations regarding the timeline and associated costs.

Dental Implant Surgery

Following the consultation, the next step is your dental implant placement procedure. Once your mouth is numbed with a local anesthetic, a small incision is made in the gum tissue to access the jawbone. Carefully, the implants will be positioned at exact locations and angles. Finally, your gums will be sealed, and protective caps will be fitted over the dental implant posts to protect them during the healing period.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment Placement

In the next 3 to 6 months, the fusion process, known as "osseointegration," will occur between the implant(s) and the jawbone. This crucial step establishes a solid foundation for your implant, ensuring that your replacement teeth remain securely in position. Once this integration process is complete, we can proceed to attach a metal abutment to the end of your implant.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations

After a few weeks of having the abutment in place, your restoration will be prepared. When you return to our office, we will fit you with your new crown, bridge, or denture, depending on the number of teeth being replaced. We'll ensure that your bite feels comfortable before sending you off to enjoy the full benefits of your restored smile!

Day-to-Day Benefits

Your daily life with dental implants will have you eating with ease, speaking clearly, and enjoying a better quality of life.

• Eating is no longer a problem – Denture-wearers often find it difficult to eat their favorite foods because of potential slippage and an uneven bite. However, with dental implants in Juno Beach, you’ll enjoy a stronger bite force and chewing power, allowing you to consume a nutritious diet much easier than before. Instead of fearing that your prosthetic will slip or fall out, you can truly enjoy all your favorite food options without worrying.
• Better oral health – There is no need to soak your implants or take them out to clean. Instead, your dental implants act just like regular teeth, so you can brush, floss, and rinse much easier, allowing you to enjoy better oral health in the long run and reduce your risk for gum disease and tooth decay, both of which can be harmful to your prosthetics.
• Improved quality of life – No one wants to be stuck at home feeling embarrassed by their smile. This is why dental implants are a better solution than dentures or dental bridges. It is believed that 20% of denture-wearers are afraid to smile, 10% tend to avoid social situations, and 63% keep their prosthetics a secret from friends and family. With dental implants, you can be free to smile, speak, eat, and enjoy life without feeling self-conscious about your teeth.

Health Benefits

If the daily benefits you’ll receive with dental implants are not enough, wait until you discover how they can positively impact your oral and overall health!

• More teeth = Longer lifespan – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is estimated that 26% of adults aged 65 and older have 8 or fewer teeth. Because tooth loss is closely tied to lifespan, you can take charge of your overall health by replacing your missing teeth with dental implants. These permanent prosthetics can help reduce your risk for many of the most common health problems, such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. By restoring your smile in its entirety, you can minimize the time spent treating these problems and instead, enjoy a longer, happier life.
• Less risk for irritation – Unlike dentures that can cause oral sores to develop inside your mouth, dental implants are comfortable and feel natural. Their ability to replace a single tooth structure and fuse with the bone and surrounding tissue makes it less likely for any irritation to occur should your facial shape change over time.
• Improved jawbone density – Tooth loss is one of the main culprits for jawbone deterioration. By having dental implants put into place, you can continue to stimulate the bone, creating a stronger, more solid foundation for your smile and reduce your risk for facial collapse over time.

Long-Term Benefits

Dental implants don’t just improve your oral health and make daily life more enjoyable. They also prove beneficial as a long-term solution. Here’s how:

• High success rate – When placed by a skilled implant dentist in Juno Beach, you can expect the success rate of your implants to be around 98%. After 10 years, the rate only drops to 90-95%. This is a clear indicator that dental implants are designed to last as long as possible and are a trusted, long-term option for tooth replacement.
• Save money – Yes, dental implants are a costly investment in the beginning, but if you consider the alternative (i.e., dentures or dental bridges), you’ll discover that by paying more upfront, you’ll save later on. With dental implants, you will not need to purchase dental adhesives to keep them held in place, you won’t need specialized cleaning solutions, and you won’t be required to have your prosthetics replaced every 5-7 years.
• Longevity – As long as you commit to maintaining good oral hygiene and taking proper care of your dental implants, it is possible for them to last 30 years or more!

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

The dental implant process takes place over the course of several months and across several different stages of treatment. Each step in your journey to a new smile comes with its own price tag. For example, preliminary treatments (i.e., tooth extractions, periodontal therapy, bone grafts, sinus lift), your dental implant placement surgery, and the final restoration each have separate prices. When you add all the costs together, the total can amount to quite a bit.

Keep in mind, though, that you don’t have to pay for the entirety of your new smile upfront. You only have to pay for each part of the treatment as you undergo it. You’ll have time between each phase to adjust your budget to make room for your new smile. This is especially helpful since you will not need to worry about paying a separate fee to an outside implant dentist in Juno Beach for your dental implant surgery.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

What you may not realize is that much of your cost consists of the various parts of your dental implant. Some of the financial components that are considered include:

• How many implants you will need – Replacing a single tooth requires only one titanium post, whereas a full denture requires between 4-8. The more implants you need, the higher the cost.
• The materials used – When choosing the type of dental implant you need, you can expect it to be made out of titanium or zirconia, as these two tend to fuse with bone best.
• The type of restoration – Implant crowns, bridges, and dentures are all possible solutions when restoring your smile. It costs much less to produce a single crown; however, should you need an implant denture, it will be more cost-effective than if you were to opt for traditional dentures.
• The brand – At Juno Beach Smiles, we choose the brand and manufacturer for our dental implants. During your initial consultation, you can expect our team to go over this information with you and explain why higher quality implants will prove much more beneficial than if you were to choose a cheaper, less reliable brand.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

The vast majority of patients who receive dental implants in Juno Beach have no regrets about their decision. That’s because dental implants offer truly comprehensive tooth replacement. Not only do they provide a stable bite and amazing aesthetics, but they also support bone health. Plus, since dental implants have the potential to last a lifetime, they may actually be a better long-term financial value than other treatments. For example, traditional dentures are relatively affordable, but they need to be replaced every 5 – 10 years. They also require buying denture adhesive and special cleaning supplies to keep them free of bacteria. Over the decades, they could end up costing you much more money than you originally thought they would.

Not to mention, dentures and dental bridges will be unable to prevent many of the systemic issues that often come with tooth loss (i.e., osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes). As a result, you could be left paying much more for treatment of these problems. However, with dental implants, you can reduce your risk for developing these health-related conditions and instead, enjoy greater oral and overall health.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

While some dental insurance companies offer some level of coverage for dental implants, many still view them as a “want,” not a “medical necessity.” As a result, there may only be certain aspects of your treatment that your insurer will agree to cover. Our team at Juno Beach Smiles is happy to work with most insurance policies. We’ll help you figure out if your plan covers dental implants, your restoration, or any of your preliminary work. We’ll also file claims for you and suggest strategies to help you maximize your benefits. It may also be beneficial to see if your medical insurance policy might cover dental implant placement surgery if the procedure is deemed necessary for your overall wellbeing.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

To help keep your out-of-pocket expenses low and your treatment more affordable, we are pleased to work closely with CareCredit and Lending Club. We can help you apply for an affordable payment plan that offers low or zero interest, making it possible for your to better manage your budget while receiving a new and improved smile. You may also find it beneficial to use your Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) to pay your remaining costs.

3D Cone Beam Imaging/3D CT Scanning

A cone beam scanner, also called a CBCT scanner or 3D CT machine, is basically a super-powered X-Ray. Whereas a regular X-Ray captures basic, two-dimensional images, a CBCT machine uses a cone-shaped beam of radiation to produce highly detailed, three-dimensional images of a patient’s oral structures.

Why Is the CBCT Machine Important for Dental Implants?

Placing dental implants in Juno Beach requires a high degree of precision. Inserting an implant at the wrong place, angle, or depth could contribute to complications, a slower healing time, and perhaps even dental implant failure. We can minimize such errors with the help of our CBCT machine. It allows us to view a patient’s jaw, nerves, connective tissues, and remaining natural teeth.

The CBCT machine is also helpful after the implants have been placed. We can take scans to monitor osseointegration (how well the implant is bonding with the bone). Additionally, we may use it to diagnose any problems that might come up after a patient’s surgery. Such problems are rare, but having our CBCT machine makes them easier to analyze than they would be otherwise.

What to Expect During the Scanning Process

Some dentists must refer patients to another practice for CBCT scans. Fortunately, since we have a machine right here in our office, you can enjoy convenient and stress-free imaging. Once your implant dentist in Juno Beach determines that you need a scan, we might ask you to remove any jewelry or other accessories that have the potential to interfere with your results. Then, we will position you in the machine and let it do its work.

The scanning process is completely painless, and it usually takes less than one minute (the exact length of tie depends on which areas of your mouth we are scanning). Once the scan is finished, we will have immediate access to the images.

A CBCT machine uses more radiation than a normal digital X-Ray, so we only use it when absolutely necessary. However, it still uses much less radiation than a normal CT scanner that you would see in a hospital. It is quite safe for the vast majority of patients.

Would you like to learn more about our CBCT scanner or the other instruments that contribute to successful dental implant treatment? Get in touch with Juno Beach Smiles today — we will be happy to answer your questions!

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Dental implants cannot get cavities, but the tissue around them remains vulnerable to infection. Thorough oral hygiene can do much to prevent overgrowth of harmful bacteria. You should:

• Thoroughly and gently brush your teeth twice a day.
• Use an antibacterial mouth rinse.
• Floss daily or use an oral irrigator (WaterPik) to clean the tight spaces around your implants.
• Drink plenty of water to rinse away harmful bacteria and food particles.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Dental implants can enable you to eat virtually any food, including all of your favorite treats. However, it is important to keep in mind that, just like natural teeth, some foods are better for implants than others. For example, it is a good idea to enjoy sugary, sticky, and hard foods only in moderation. Highly acidic foods should also be limited. Try to eat a balanced diet that is rich in nutrients that support oral health, like calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin C.

Break Bad Habits

Some bad habits could seriously endanger the long-term success of your dental implants:

• This increases the risk of oral infection. If you smoke, you should make every effort to quit.
• Using your teeth as tools. Dental implants are not designed to be used to open packages, trim fingernails, or carry out other tasks that should be taken care of by other instruments.
• Chewing on hard objects. Biting down on ice, pen caps, or other hard objects might break your dental implant restorations.

Protect Your Dental Implants

If you tend to grind your teeth at night, it would be wise to invest in a custom nightguard. It can place a barrier between your upper and lower teeth and prevent them from harming one another while you sleep.

If you play sports, you should wear a mouthguard to reduce the risk of injury. Custom mouthguards from a dentist tend to be more effective and more comfortable than over-the-counter options.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

Even if you no longer have any natural teeth, regular dental checkups should still be part of your normal routine. During these appointments, we can assess the health of your dental implants and the surrounding tissue. If we spot any developing problems, we may be able to provide treatment before the situation becomes serious. We can also remove your implant restorations and thoroughly clean around your abutments.