Dental Implants — East York, Ontario

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

The first step is always to undergo an initial consultation so that our team can evaluate your specific smile and determine how best to restore your bite with dental implants. We’ll also need to confirm that you’re free of any growing or underlying oral health problems like gum disease, decay, infection, or low jawbone density. If not, we’ll likely have to perform preliminary services like periodontal treatment, bone grafting, or even tooth extractions to prepare your mouth for the procedure. After we’ve confirmed you’re ready for dental implants, we can move forward with the surgery.

Dental Implant Surgery

Our team can perform the entire treatment plan in the office, so you won’t have to worry about going to multiple locations. Before starting dental implant placement surgery, we’ll ensure you’re comfortable and pain-free with a local anesthetic as well as sedation dentistry if necessary. Once we’ve verified you’re numbed and relaxed, we’ll begin by making a small incision in your gums to reach the jawbone where we’ll place the implants. Afterward, we’ll suture the gums and place a protective cap above the implant for protection while you recover.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment

During your healing period, you’ll need to take good care of your implant so that it can properly undergo osseointegration—the process of the metal post fusing with your jawbone. This will create the stable and long-lasting result you’re looking for to support your implant restorations indefinitely. This part can take three to six months depending on the patient’s oral health. After osseointegration is complete, you’ll return to us to receive your abutments—small metal connectors that link your restorations to your implants.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration(s)

You’ll be sent back home to have your gums recover from getting your abutments. During this time, we’ll fabricate your restoration(s) so that they’ll fit perfectly with the rest of your smile. Once you’ve finished healing, you’ll come back to receive your new dental crown, bridge, or denture. After we’ve checked that your bite is correct and comfortable, you’ll be free to enjoy your brand-new pearly whites.

Day-to-Day Benefits

• No-Fuss Maintenance: Implant-retained teeth can be treated just like natural teeth, no inconvenient changes to your oral hygiene routine or overall diet are required.
• Seamlessly Natural Look: All-ceramic material is used to create your replacement teeth. Our office uses advanced technology to ensure they meet your exact color, size, and shape needs to match your natural teeth. 
• Say Goodbye to Slipping Dentures: You’ll never need to worry about any slipping or irritation to enjoy your favorite foods again because your new smile will be anchored into your jawbone. In fact, you can regain as much as 70% of your biting force.
• Looks, Feels, and Functions Like a Natural Tooth: Dental implants truly feel and function like the closest thing to natural teeth because of their comprehensive integration process and design to replicate the entire structure of a missing tooth

Health Benefits

• Preserve Your Healthy Natural Teeth: Dental implants are very conservative and won’t require nearby healthy dental structures to be negatively altered.
• Protect You Oral Health: Since it stimulates the jawbone like a natural tooth, a dental implant supports your natural teeth to stop dental drift. In return, you’ll have a decreased risk of cavities, gum disease, and even additional tooth loss. This reduces your overall oral health expenses for a true investment in your smile and your quality of life.  
• Keep Aging Facial Features at Bay: A healthy jawbone and a complete smile provide your facial tissues with support. This prevents premature wrinkles and sagging skin, so you’ll look younger to truly feel confident in your appearance.

Long-Term Benefits

• A Life-Long Investment: Dental implants have a success rate of over 95% and can thrive for decades at a time. Many cases are able to last for the rest of the patient’s life.
• Save Thousands of Dollars: While dentures and dental bridges need to be replaced every 5-10 years, dental implants have the potential to last a lifetime. This can save you thousands of dollars in replacements alone! Plus, since dental implants support a health mouth, you’ll likely pay less for you oral healthcare every year as well.

Missing 1 Tooth

Implant-retained dental crowns can fit right into place alongside natural teeth to beautifully replenish a single gap. We strongly encourage patients to consider this option in place of a traditional bridge, which requires the surrounding dental structure to be shaved down to make room for the prosthetic.

Missing Multiple Teeth

All-porcelain dental crowns can also be placed in several areas throughout the mouth, although when consecutive teeth are lost, our team is likely to recommend an implant-retained bridge instead. The bridge is secured in place with the healthy support of just two implants – one placed on either side of the gap.

Missing All Teeth

Replacing each individual tooth with a separate implant can quickly become very expensive if the patient has lost a majority of their smile. Implant-retained dentures rely on the help of a small number of strategically angled implants instead, making them very durable and more cost-effective as well.

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

Many patients must undergo some preliminary treatments, such as tooth extractions or gum disease therapy, before they qualify for dental implants in East York. Each of these services incurs its own fee. The dental implant placement surgery comes with a separate cost, which depends on how many implants are being placed and other factors. While many dentists must refer patients to an outside specialist for this portion of their treatment, we are able to take care of the surgery right here in our office. This spares you from having to deal with the financial policies of another practice.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

There are quite a few different types of dental implants and dental implant treatments. The company that manufactures your implants and your restorations, as well as the specific techniques used during your procedure, will have a bearing on the cost. There are some discount implant manufacturers out there, but their quality generally doesn’t measure up to our high standards. If more than one type of implant treatment would be suitable for you, we will help you compare the pros and cons of each.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

When you receive your dental implant cost estimate, you might be tempted to opt for a treatment that has a lower upfront price, such as dentures or a traditional bridge. However, it is important to think about value as well as cost. Dental implants may actually be a better value in the long-term because they have the potential to last a lifetime, while other types of prosthetics might need to be replaced every 5 – 10 years. Continually paying for new teeth can seriously add up across the years and decades.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

It is becoming more and more common for dental insurance policies to cover dental implants. However, some still do not. Our team will help you navigate your policy and use it to your greatest advantage. Even if it does not cover the implants themselves, it may apply to other parts of your treatment, such as your preliminary procedures or your final restoration.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

As your trusted implant dentist in East York, we want to help you afford your treatment! That is why we are pleased to help our patients apply for financing if necessary. Most people qualify for a low-interest or no-interest plan with affordable monthly installments. You might be surprised by how easy it is to fit dental implants into your budget!

Does It Hurt to Get Dental Implants?

You won’t feel anything while your dentist inserts your implants in your bone because your jaw doesn’t have any nerve endings. Not to mention, they’ll use a local anesthetic and sedative to ensure you are 100% pain-free. However, as the effects of any medications dissipate, you can expect there to be some discomfort while your mouth heals. You can manage it using a prescribed or OTC pain reliever. You can numb the area temporarily by applying a cold compress. After a few days, your discomfort will improve, but your bone will still require several more weeks to heal completely.

Can I Take Dental Implants Out?

Dental implants are designed to permanently replace missing teeth. Therefore, only a trained dental professional can remove them, but some implant dentures can be taken out. Your implant posts will fuse to your jawbone through a process called osseointegration. As a result, they can stay in place for decades with the right maintenance.

What Are the Signs of Dental Implant Failure?

Dental implants are the most reliable method of treating tooth loss with a failure rate of less than 5%. Although complications are rare, it’s important to contact your implant dentist in East York if you develop any signs of failure, such as redness, swelling, or pain near the post. The sooner you see a dentist, the more likely they can prevent the loss of your investment. You can protect your smile from complications by committing to your oral hygiene at home and maintaining semi-annual cleanings and checkups.

What Should I Do If My Dental Implant Feels Loose?

After your jawbone has integrated with the post, your dental implant should never feel loose. If it feels a little wobbly, it can be a sign of a serious problem, like an infection or bone loss. However, it can also indicate a loose restoration, but you don’t want to take the risk. Contact our office immediately if your dental implant is loose.

Am I Too Old for Dental Implants?

There isn’t an age limit for dental implants; however, older patients are likely to have certain medical issues, like heart disease or diabetes. Pre-existing health conditions won’t prevent you from getting dental implants. Instead, your implant dentist will learn more about your oral and general health to create the personalized strategy you need to ensure the safety and success of your procedure. It isn’t uncommon to require additional procedures, such as periodontal therapy or bone grafting. Although there might be a few more steps in your treatment plan, you can benefit from the next best thing to your real teeth–no matter your age.