Dental Implants

_{According to the Institute for Dental Implant Awareness}

Most patients experience minor bleeding, swelling, and discomfort for the first few days after their surgery. Ice packs, pain medication, and sleeping with your head elevated can all help control these symptoms.

You should be able to return to work within two to three days. However, you should avoid strenuous activity until Dr. Pinnix or Dr. Betancourt clears you.

While you are healing, you should:

• Be gentle while brushing
• Stick to a soft food diet 
• Avoid spitting forcefully
• Keep your mouth clean

In addition to the many important benefits you can experience by restoring your smile with dental implants, maintaining your new smile is easy. Simply brush twice and floss at least once each day, and make your six-month checkups a priority. By committing to outstanding oral hygiene and regular exams with your dentist, you can expect that your dental implants will last 40 years or longer.

Dental implant-supported restorations function almost exactly like natural teeth, meaning this type of denture will never slip out of place while you eat or speak.

Unlike traditional treatments, implants can also preserve the integrity of the jaw bone. In the absence of tooth roots, the jaw can begin to atrophy, or shrink. Implants can halt this process.

Meanwhile, with proper care, the implants themselves can last a lifetime.

Implants and Their Functions

Dental implants replace your tooth roots, not just the crowns of your teeth, and are often incorporated into full mouth reconstruction and smile makeover plans. During a precisely planned oral surgery, your dentist will insert these posts into your jawbone. As you heal, they will fuse with the bone to create the ultimate foundation for your restorations. Your dentist can then attach a custom crown, bridge or denture that will provide the stability of a natural tooth. Therefore, you can expect that your implant-supported restorations will allow you to chew any foods you like, smile with confidence, and speak with total clarity. Solutions such as traditional dentures simply cannot provide this level of functionality.

Dental implants have helped many to once again experience the joys of eating their favorite foods, having long talks with friends, and smiling wide for photos.

Implants and Your Oral Health

One of the most important benefits of dental implants is that they will protect the health of your jaw. When teeth are lost, the jaw will naturally begin to recede as bone tissue is absorbed and distributed elsewhere in the body. This is why traditional dentures must be frequently refitted - the jaw is changing shape due to recession, and the denture eventually begins to shift and slip, causing discomfort and other problems. However, because implants are a direct replacement for tooth roots, the jaw continues to receive the proper stimulation needed to prevent jaw recession.

Meanwhile, implants require no alteration of otherwise healthy teeth. While a traditional bridge is often supported by adjacent crowns, requiring the removal of healthy dental tissue, implants can provide ample support, and no crowns are necessary.

Implants and Your Appearance

Dental implants also provide important cosmetic benefits. Since traditional dentures are prone to slip, even subtle movements can give your smile an artificial appearance. Implant-supported dentures, on the other hand, remain firmly in place at all times for a thoroughly natural appearance. Meanwhile, because the implants halt bone atrophy, you can retain the natural shape of your jaw and other facial features. And since implants contribute to a natural-looking smile and boosted confidence, you may find that you are much more prone to smile, helping you exude a warm and friendly appearance that benefits your personal and professional life. 

Types of Implants

We offer two types of implants: traditional and All-on-4®. Traditional dental implants are long-lasting and versatile. However, if you are receiving an implant-supported denture, or an implant-supported fixed-hybrid denture, Dr. Pinnix or Dr. Betancourt may use the innovative All-on-4® method. This method places the implants at a special angle, allowing them to be restored right away, without having to wait for the implants to fuse to the bone. Our dentists can help determine if this method is right for you.

Curious about the benefits of All-on-4?

According to a study by the Cleveland ClearChoice Dental Implant Center

If so, you are not alone. According to the American College of Prosthodontists, approximately 40 million Americans are missing all of their adult teeth. 

Fortunately, All-on-4 treatment is designed to help patients who are missing an entire arch of teeth or both dental arches.

The benefits of All-on-4 treatment include:

• Immediately improved function
• No clicking noise when eating and speaking
• Results that can last a lifetime
• A beautiful-looking smile
• Easy maintenance
• Improved confidence
• Improved comfort

Traditional Dental Implants

Traditional dental implants are usually about 3.5 mm wide. They are multifunctional and can support crowns, bridges, and dentures. Because traditional implants are larger, they do require a certain amount of jawbone tissue for support. Therefore, if your jaw has started to recede because of a prolonged absence of one or more teeth, you will require a bone grafting procedure before receiving a traditional implant. During this surgery, your dentist will augment your jaw with donor tissue. Though traditional implants may require preparatory surgery, and can require several months of healing time before they can support a restoration, they are considered the most durable dental implant option.

Fixed Hybrid Dentures: Combining the Benefits of Traditional Dentures and Implants

A fixed hybrid prosthesis is a detachable set of dentures anchored on strategically placed dental implants. A specialized abutment is attached to the dental implants so that the prosthesis can be removed with ease. Addressing tooth loss with implant-supported dentures can prevent bone loss by stimulating the jawbone. A fixed hybrid prosthesis offers not only this benefit, but also the convenience of a detachable restoration.

How a Fixed Hybrid Prosthesis Works

If you are missing most or all of your teeth, a fixed hybrid prosthesis can restore form and function to your smile, fitting securely and comfortably while being worn, and detaching easily for oral maintenance and while sleeping. Dental implants are strategically placed to provide this comfortable fit, in addition to ensuring an even distribution of bone stimulation.

Unlike traditional removable dentures, a fixed hybrid prosthesis offers the convenience of a detachable restoration plus jawbone loss prevention. Some fixed dentures are ball-retained, which means that they will snap directly onto your implant posts. Others are bar-retained. These dentures will clip onto a metal bar that runs along the implants.

You will remove your fixed hybrid denture for cleaning, and you will not wear it when you sleep. Of course, a fixed hybrid denture will be much more secure than a traditional removable prosthetic. You can eat a wide range of foods without worrying that your dentures will shift out of place. This treatment is growing steadily in popularity as patients experience the benefits of this revolutionary restorative option.

Treatment Planning

While planning treatment, your doctor will thoroughly examine your smile to determine the placement and number of dental implants needed to support your fixed hybrid prosthesis. This course of treatment may also include tooth extraction, which is typically discussed during the initial consultation.

We are dedicated to providing our patients with all essential information regarding their treatment, and we present full treatment plans before any procedures or surgeries are performed.

Surgery for Fixed Hybrid Prostheses

After all extractions and restorative work have been completed, treatment will begin with dental implant placement surgery. Dental implants are placed in the jaw and then covered with gum tissue. After surgery, osseointegration will occur, the process in which the jawbone will fuse with implant posts.

Implant-supported dentures can prevent bone loss by stimulating the jawbone. A fixed hybrid prosthesis offers not only this benefit, but also the convenience of a detachable restoration.

Our doctors typically recommend a four to six month recovery period before the second surgery is performed. During the second surgery, the gums are reopened to expose the implants, and the abutments are attached. A much shorter recovery period will follow this surgery, during which the gums will heal.

Placement of Your Restoration

Your fixed hybrid prosthesis will be expertly crafted to provide an even and comfortable bite as well as natural aesthetic appeal. We involve our patients in the planning process to ensure that their restorations are made just the way they want. We can make minor adjustments to the final restoration upon request with our on-site CEREC® machine.

Once you have recovered from your second surgery, your fixed hybrid prosthesis will be placed, and you will be ready to immediately begin eating, drinking, and speaking normally, as you would with your own teeth.

Many agree that being able to eat any foods you like and never having to worry about unstable, uncomfortable dentures is priceless.

The price of dental implants can be intimidating, but the truth is that the benefits of this solution can more than justify the amount of time and money they require. Because implants are the only solution that can stop bone atrophy after tooth loss, you can expect that your jaw and facial structure will maintain their shape. With implants, you face a reduced risk of additional tooth loss, and you can avoid needing to spend money on additional restorative care. Meanwhile, most patients agree that being able to speak clearly, enjoy all the foods you love, and smile with complete confidence are virtually priceless benefits.

Dental Implants provide the ultimate foundation for a beautifully restored smile.

Investing in Experience

When it comes to your health and quality of life, it does not pay to go bargain hunting. While many providers advertise astoundingly low prices, the fact is that these practices often lack experience, and may not be available to help you if your implants fail. At Advanced Dentistry of Blakeney, Drs. Pinnix and Betancourt have years of experience serving Charlotte, Ballantyne, and surrounding areas. They have mastered the latest implant placement techniques. 

How much downtime can I expect?

After placement surgery, most patients need only about 24 to 48 hours away from work. Drs. Pinnix and Betancourt will determine when it is safe to resume strenuous activity.

Why won't my insurance cover implants?

In spite of the many practical advantages of dental implants, the vast majority of insurance providers consider it an elective procedure. We can help arrange financing, and you can count on our staff to secure as much insurance coverage as possible for your dentures or other aspects of restoring your smile.

What happens during the healing period that follows placement surgery?

Your titanium implants will become permanently fused to the jawbone in a process called osseointegration. Bone tissue will actually generate and conform to the contours of your implants to keep them securely in place, which will give your restorations superior stability.