Dental Implants – Vero Beach, FL

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

The first step is the initial consultation where we examine your mouth and jaw to confirm whether you are currently healthy enough for dental implants or if certain preparations need to be made first. Of course, if you have any underlying issues such as gum disease, tooth decay, or insufficient jawbone density, then we’ll have to address them with services like periodontal treatment, bone grafting, or even tooth extractions if necessary. Once we’ve helped you return to great oral health, we can develop a detailed plan on how to rebuild your grin, including the type of restoration you’ll need and the overall cost of your care.

Dental Implant Surgery

At Ocean Oaks Dental Group we take a different approach to dental implant surgery. We leverage cutting edge technology with our implant surgical planning software and high-resolution CT scans to determine the optimal placement of the implant. In addition, we use medical grade 3D printers to fabricate surgical guides for precision placement of implants based on the ultimate restoration plan. At the start of your appointment, you’ll be given a local anesthetic to numb your mouth completely so that you are pain-free throughout the process. You may even be provided with sedation dentistry to help you stay entirely relaxed for a pleasant experience. Once you’re comfortable, your team will make an incision in your gums so that we can place the implants strategically in your jawbone. Dr. Josh will then suture the gums closed and place a protective layer over your metal posts so that they’re safe during recovery.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment

The following three to six months will be crucial for osseointegration—the bonding process between the dental implants and your jawbone. This is what will provide the stable and natural-feeling foundation for your permanent restoration, that way you won’t ever have to worry about your new teeth shifting out of place whenever you eat or talk. After your implants are properly healed, you’ll return to us to receive your abutments—small metal connectors that will link your restorations to your metal posts.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration(s)

Once your gums have completely recovered, you’ll come back to our office so we can place your final restorations according to the precision design process utilized before your surgery. Whether you get a dental crown, bridge, or denture, we’ll verify that your bite is correct and that you like the results of your treatment. If all is well and you’re satisfied, you’ll be set to head out and enjoy your full grin again! The Ocean Oaks Dental difference is based on the precision planning approach that we use at the beginning of the process to ensure successful results.  We leverage extensive technology to make certain that our implants deliver the optimal results!

Day-to-Day Benefits 

Dental implants may improve your daily quality of life in a few important ways:

• Improved speech. A full set of teeth can allow you to clearly enunciate sounds and converse with confidence.
• A beautiful appearance. The implants and restorations that we make are designed to complement your facial features and look as natural as possible. No one may be able to tell that you have prosthetic teeth!
• Reliable function. Because implants anchor your artificial teeth in your jawbone, you will not have to worry about any embarrassing slips.
• Easy maintenance. Taking great care of your dental implants is not complex or difficult. In many ways, it is just like caring for natural teeth.
• After you adapt to them, dental implants and the restorations they support should feel like a natural extension of your body.

Health Benefits

Here are some examples of how dental implants can support your oral health and overall wellness:

• Prevent dental drift. Implants can act as placeholders that prevent your remaining natural teeth from drifting out of place.
• Jawbone preservation. Because dental implants stimulate the jawbone, they can prevent the deterioration that normally occurs after the natural teeth are extracted.
• Improved nutrition. Dental implants can enable you to eat virtually any food, including raw fruits and veggies, a wide variety of proteins, and more. A well-balanced diet can help you feel good on a daily basis and reduce your risk of numerous diseases.
• No gum sores. Unlike traditional dentures, implants and their restorations are unlikely to cause gum irritation and sores.
• Improved emotional and mental wellness. Dental implants may support your confidence in social situations, so you can enjoy meaningful and healthy interactions with other people.

Long-Term Benefits

Dental implants are truly a long-term tooth replacement solution.

• With proper care, your dental implants may last for the rest of your life. The restorations on top of them may also endure for quite a while.
• Monetary value. Even though dental implants cost more upfront than other types of tooth replacement, they are an excellent value! In fact, their cost per day over the course of a few decades may be less than a daily trip to your favorite espresso shop!
• A longer lifespan. Did you know that extensive tooth loss is correlated with a reduced life expectancy? Dental implants can reverse the worst effects of missing teeth and support your overall wellness deep into your senior years.

Missing Single Tooth

Obviously, a single missing tooth only requires one implant to replace it. It will take a matter of months for the implant post to join with the jawbone; once it has, a dental crown can be made in our dental lab based on an impression of your fully healed mouth.

Missing Multiple Teeth

Dental bridges can replace three or more teeth in a row, and they usually only require two dental implants for support. Normally, bridges are placed on natural teeth, but using dental implants instead lets you keep the enamel on your natural teeth fully intact while still enjoying the benefits of stable new teeth.

Missing All Teeth

People who are frustrated with traditional dentures that don’t seem to stay in place may want to think about switching to implant dentures. Around 4 to 6 implant posts are usually employed to support an entire arch of teeth. By getting dentures that are permanently attached to the posts, you can enjoy a stability that is much more similar to real teeth.

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

In some cases, extra work must be done before implant treatment can begin. For instance, if you need a bone graft, gum disease treatment, or additional extractions, these procedures will add to the overall cost. In addition, the cost will increase as the number of dental implants goes up. As we strategize your tooth replacement, we will do our best to use the least number of implants that are necessary to hold your prosthetic teeth in place.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

Just as there are different brands of cars and home appliances, there are different brands of dental implants that come with their own list of features. Depending on your needs, we will select the parts that will suit your smile and give you the results you need for the long term.

How Dental Implants Pay for Themselves

When you look at the initial cost of tooth replacements, dental implants obviously come at the highest price. However, when you choose traditional dentures or bridges, you have to factor in subsequent costs. Dentures must be relined every couple of years and replaced every 5 to 7 years, and bridges must be replaced about every 10 years. In contrast, dental implants commonly last longer than 20 years or longer. When you look at the big picture and consider all the benefits they offer, dental implants can clearly become the smarter choice.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

In general, dental insurance plans rarely include coverage for dental implants. However, some policies will cover certain preliminary procedures, such as an extraction or even bone graft. Plus, the cost of the restoration may be partially covered. Keep in mind that the total cost will be due at time of service, but we can give you all the documentation you need to file for reimbursement.

3D Cone Beam Imaging/3D CT Scanning

Since oral structures (like the roots of your teeth) are hidden, there are important components of the procedure that would be missed with a visual exam alone. Although digital X-rays provide much more insight, they don’t capture everything. Fortunately, that’s where 3D cone beam imaging/3D CT scanning comes in. With this technology, we can see nerve pathways, the thickness of the jawbone, blood vessels, and more. This information ensures we can plan out your dental implant procedure as precisely as possible, increasing the chances of its long-term success.

Custom 3D Printed Dental Implant Surgical Guides

While we do not place dental implants in Vero Beach ourselves, we do play a role in planning the procedure. With 3D imaging, we can create custom surgical guides based on virtual models of your teeth. Showing exactly where the implants need to be inserted helps the surgeon avoid complications such as damaging unseen nerves around the surgical site. We only work with surgeons that agree to use our custom guides to ensure the best possible results for our patients.

Digital Impression System with Intraoral Scanner

Dental implants are well-known for being extremely lifelike in look and feel. That’s because they are custom-made with your specific dental needs and smile goals in mind! Previously, this involved the use of putty impressions, which often made patients feel like they were having trouble breathing. Thankfully, there is now an alternative: digital impressions with an intraoral scanner. With this device, we can quickly scan your teeth and create a detailed rendering of your bite. From there, we can make sure your crown, bridge, or denture fits perfectly and looks gorgeous.

Computer-Aided Design & Milling (CAD/CAM)

Computer-Aided Design & Milling, commonly referred to as CAD/CAM, is a software that allows implant dentists to perform complex restorations with a higher degree of accuracy (and significantly faster!). This results in several benefits for our patients in Vero Beach, including fewer disruptions to your schedule. If you’d like to learn more about this technology, or any of the previously mentioned ones, get in touch with our team today.

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Dental implants are not susceptible to cavities, but the teeth surrounding them are! Your gums are also at risk of becoming infected. You should continue to maintain an excellent oral hygiene regimen. Remember to brush twice, floss, and rinse with mouthwash every day.

Eat a Healthy Diet

One of the great benefits of dental implants is the fact that patients can enjoy a complete and nutritious diet. This is certainly something to take advantage of. Just remember that you should avoid indulging in foods that are particularly hard, sticky, or sugary. Instead, enjoy plenty of foods that are high in calcium and vitamin C. These nutrients help to maintain the health of your jaw and gums.

Break Bad Habits

Bad habits can cause major issues for your teeth and dental implants if you don’t put a stop to them. It is always best to refrain from smoking cigarettes and using other tobacco products. These can slow healing and make it more challenging for your immune system to fight off infections throughout your body. You should also avoid using your teeth to open bottles, rip through packaging, or complete other tasks. Instead, find an appropriate tool so you don’t hurt your smile.

Protect Your Dental Implants

Dental implants are very resilient and can last for many years. However, you should still wear a mouthguard when engaging in contact sports. If you tend to grind your teeth at night, you may want to ask your dentist about getting a nightguard to protect your replacement teeth (and natural teeth) from too much wear and tear.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

You should continue to attend regular cleanings and checkups twice each year. This way, we can monitor your dental implants, natural teeth, gum tissue, and more. By detecting issues early on, we can address them quickly and may even be able to prevent serious issues from arising later on.