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Dental Implants - East Brunswick, NJ

Whether you’re missing one, several, or all of your teeth, you no longer have to settle for restorations that require you to either alter your healthy teeth or slip or shift within your mouth. At East Brunswick Family & Implant Dentistry, we offer lifelike implant restorations that restore the entire structure of missing teeth, from the roots upward. As a result, you’ll be able to enjoy countless day-to-day, life-changing benefits. Call our office today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Ruiz and learn more about the procedure.

Why Choose East Brunswick Family & Implant Dentistry for Dental Implants?

What are Dental Implants?

Animated smile during dental implant placementIDental implants are small, screw-shaped posts that are surgically placed below the gumline and into the jawbone to restore the root structure of one or more missing teeth. They’re crafted from biocompatible materials like titanium that allow them to naturally fuse with the bone, providing a strong and unwavering foundation for restorations like crowns, bridges, and dentures to be attached to. They also have a titanium oxide layer, similar to the material used in hip and joint replacements, to keep them from corroding over time.

The 4-Step Dental Implant Process

Animated dental implant supported fixed bridge

  1. Consultation: The first step of your journey will be to schedule a consultation with our team. We’ll speak with you about your smile goals, collect diagnostic scans, and complete a physical examination of your mouth to determine whether you’re a good candidate for the procedure. We’ll also walk you through a treatment plan so you know what to expect before moving forward with the process.
  2. Implant Placement: In order for a dental implant to be placed you will be given local anesthesia to help you undergo your procedure comfortably. In most cases Ruiz can perform your implant procedure from extraction to final prosthetic. In more complex cases, We partner with local expert oral surgeons to take care of this part of the procedure to make sure your implant journey always starts off on the right foot.
  3. Osseointegration & Abutment Placement: After your implant has been placed, you’ll undergo a three to six-month period where it will fuse with your jawbone through a process called osseointegration. Once this has occurred, we’ll place a small metal connector piece onto the implant, called an abutment.
  4. Final Restoration: As soon as we receive your final crown, bridge, or denture, we’ll call you in to secure it to your abutment and complete your procedure.

 

Benefits of Dental Implants

Dental implants in East Brunswick offer a wide range of benefits, from making it easier to chew food and speak to improved confidence and oral health. This is primarily due to the fact that, unlike their traditional counterparts, dental implants restore the roots as well as the crown of missing teeth, making the results more stable, longer-lasting, and natural-feeling. Here are some of the advantages you can expect to appreciate with these restorations.

Day-to-Day Benefits

  • Enhanced chewing ability: Dental implants rebuild your teeth from the roots up, providing an incredibly sturdy foundation for your restorations. This also means they can help you regain the majority of your biting power, allowing you to enjoy an expanded diet.
  • Simpler teeth cleaning: Since your dental implants will serve just as your natural pearly whites, you won’t have to worry about any special cleaning products or techniques. Simply brush, floss, and rinse every day like normal!
  • Boost in confidence: You won’t have to worry about your restorations falling out of your mouth, as the implants will be fused to your jawbone. This means you can feel more confident in your smile while eating, talking, or grinning.

Health Benefits

  • Jawbone preservation: Dental implants act as tooth roots, which stimulate the jawbone and promote stronger bone tissue. This means they can reverse or prevent your facial shape from changing—a common effect of tooth loss.
  • Protect remaining teeth: If you’re missing teeth, any other natural ones can start to shift out of place to fill the gap. Dental implants can provide the necessary placeholders to ensure the rest of your smile remains unaffected.
  • Improved overall health: Other than your appearance and your bite, tooth loss can also put you at risk of other bodily issues, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. With dental implants, you can significantly reduce your chances of developing further complications.

Long-Term Benefits

  • Incredible success rate: Dental implants typically boast a success rate of 95% or more, even 10 years after being placed. With proper preparation and care, you can expect trustworthy results.
  • More youthful appearance: Since dental implants help preserve the jawbone from deterioration or shrinking, you’ll be able to enjoy a more youthful facial shape in the long run.
  • Long-lasting solution: Dental implants can usually last several decades to a lifetime with minimal dental care, while other traditional treatments like dental bridges and dentures can only go for a little over a decade before needing replacements.

Who Can Dental Implants Help?

Model of implant denturesEach dental implant process can vary from patient to patient, but due to the procedure’s versatility, most people facing tooth loss are good candidates. In some situations, you may need to undergo a preparatory procedure to ensure you have a strong jawbone or healthy gums to accommodate your new replacement teeth. However, we’ll discuss these details with you once we’ve had a chance to examine your smile during your consultation.

Missing One Tooth

Model of implant dentures

To replace a single tooth, we’ll secure one dental implant below the gumline and into the jawbone. Once it has fused with the bone, we can attach the abutment and secure a free-standing, custom-crafted dental crown to fill the gap in your smile.

Missing Multiple Teeth

Model of implant dentures

To restore several missing teeth, whether they’re consecutive or not, we can either secure a bridge to two dental implants placed on either side of the gap in your smile or place a combination of crowns and bridges to restore gaps scattered throughout your arch.

Missing All Teeth

Model of implant dentures

For implant dentures, four to six implants will be placed so that a denture can snap onto them using ball-shaped connectors or a metal bar. Compared to a regular removable prosthetic, implant dentures have a much more secure fit, and they also give a patient a stronger bite force as well.

Learn More About Implant Dentures

Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants

Model of implant denturesThe best way to determine the cost of dental implants in East Brunswick is to come in for a consultation. During this visit, we’ll provide you with a detailed cost estimate and discuss all of your payment options with you so you know what to expect financially moving forward. We’re proud to be an in-network provider with many PPO dental insurance plans, including Aetna and Delta, so you can maximize your benefits and reduce your out-of-pocket expenses. We also offer additional flexible financing through CareCredit.

Dental Implant FAQs

Are Dental Implants Safe?

Dental implants are completely safe for most patients who have great oral and overall health. Additionally, when performed by a qualified professional, you should be able to expect an incredibly high success rate. Our team will even address any underlying issues beforehand, such as gum disease or insufficient jawbone density, so that you can avoid costly complications down the road. We’ll also work closely with your primary physician if you have preexisting medical conditions like diabetes or cancer, that way we can ensure your overall safety as well as raise the chance of success of your dental implant procedure.

Will I Have to Take Off Work for Dental Implant Surgery?

In many instances, a patient will simply need to take off one or two days from work to undergo dental implant surgery. Of course, the specifics can depend on the individual and their oral health. Also, if your occupation demands more physical labor, then our team might recommend that you take three or even four days off to ensure proper and comfortable recovery. This is because too much strenuous exercise can end up disturbing blood flow to the surgical site, which can negatively impact the healing process. Our team will review your treatment plan and develop a schedule that benefits you the most, such as performing your treatment on Thursday or Friday so that you have more time for recovery over the weekend.

How Long Does It Take to Recover from Dental Implant Surgery?

Thanks to advanced dental technology and techniques, recovering from dental implant surgery should be fairly simple and relatively quick, as most patients can go back to their normal daily tasks the day following the appointment. That said, you’ll want to practice the proper measures for ensuring comfortable and efficient healing, such as avoiding excessive exercise for at least the first week. Intermittent bleeding and swelling for the first few days is normal and should be short-lived.

Other than minimizing discomfort, your recovery will involve osseointegration—the fusion between the dental implant and your jawbone. This process can typically take about six months to complete. By following your specific aftercare guidelines and going to your follow-up visits, you should be able to expect a successful and comfortable healing process.

What Can Cause Dental Implants to Fail?

In very rare cases, dental implants can fail primarily due to peri-implantitis or failed osseointegration. The former is a kind of gum infection that surrounds the implant and damages or destroys the supporting tissues in the bone and gums, and it’s usually caused by poor oral hygiene. Failed osseointegration occurs when the metal post doesn’t properly fuse with the jawbone—most likely due to insufficient bone mass.

Dental implants can also fail due to other things like tobacco use, teeth grinding, certain medications, poor oral hygiene, physical trauma, and health conditions like diabetes or cancer that can contribute to implant failure. Fortunately, our team will provide you with detailed instructions on how to care for your new pearly whites so that you can minimize the risks of a failed dental implant.