Dental Implants — Houston, TX

Day-to-Day Benefits

As soon as your gums and jawbone have completely healed, your dental implants shouldn’t feel any different from your natural teeth. You might even forget it’s there! Here are a few of the benefits that you can experience every single day:

• Easy Maintenance: You care for your dental implants as you do your natural teeth. Brush twice, floss, and rinse with mouthwash every day. Continue seeing your dentist for regular cleanings and checkups.
• Stronger Bite: Dental implants can restore your bite force up to 90%! This is much more than what you can expect from dental bridges and dentures.
• Increases Confidence: If you currently are missing teeth, it can be easy to lack confidence. Dental implants can completely turn this around!

Health Benefits

Dental implants can have a positive impact on the health of your whole body! Here are some of the ways they do that:

• Dental Health: Missing teeth increases your risk of dental problems. This includes gum disease, misalignment, and additional tooth loss. Dental implants help to prevent these.
• Better General Health: Your dental health and general health are very closely related. When your smile is thriving, you are at lower risk of numerous life-threatening conditions, like diabetes and heart disease.
• Prevents Bone Loss: When your jawbone isn’t being stimulated with regular chewing, the body begins to reabsorb it. Dental implants replace the roots of the missing teeth, therefore stimulating the jawbone and preventing it from deteriorating over time.

Long-Term Benefits

Dental implant implants are more costly than traditional dentures and dental bridges. However, there are plenty of good reasons for this. Here are some of the benefits you can experience for a long time:

• Long Lasting: Dental implants are very durable. With proper care and maintenance, you can anticipate a restoration that will last for many years. You can enjoy your dental implants for numerous decades or even the rest of your life!
• High Success Rate: Dental implants have over a 95% 10-year success rate. Dental implant failure is very rare.
• Cost-Effective: Dental implants have a higher upfront cost, but they are made to last for a very long time. This way, you don’t have to worry about repairs and replacements. You don’t need to stock up on other products to keep your implants healthy either. Best of all, dental implants can prevent oral health issues from developing, saving you time and money.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?

If you are considering implants, a thorough evaluation by our expert dentist in Houston will help determine if you are a good candidate for them. This evaluation will include a clinical examination and a complete dental and medical history to gather information about any conditions you have that could interfere with normal healing (such as diabetes or heart disease). Also, be sure to tell Dr. Rich about any allergies you have or any medications you are taking.

During the dental examination, Dr. Rich will check the condition of your mouth, the supporting bone in your jaw, and the way your upper and lower teeth fit together. She may gather additional information by taking X-rays and making models of your teeth. With this information, she can determine if dental implants are the best way to replace your missing teeth.

Missing One Tooth

If you’re missing a single tooth, Dr. Rich will use an implant crown to restore the look and feel of your smile. This will seamlessly blend in with your natural teeth, and it will also maintain the health of your remaining ones.

Missing Multiple Teeth

If you’re missing multiple consecutive teeth, Dr. Rich will recommend the use of a dental bridge. This restoration literally bridges the gap in your smile using dental implants on either side. This gives you a secure, functional, and natural-looking set of teeth.

Missing All Teeth

Are you missing all or most of your teeth? We can restore your smile with implant dentures. Using strategically placed dental implants, we can anchor your denture in place for the most secure bite. This restores your biting power, and best of all, confidence.

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

A dental implant replicates both the root and crown. As a result, your treatment is performed in multiple phases, each with separate costs. This can make it easier to budget for your new smile because you won’t have to come up with a lump sum. Although every plan differs, you can expect your estimate to include:

• Preliminary Treatments: It’s not uncommon to require preparatory procedures, like gum disease treatment, tooth extractions, or bone grafting.
• Placement Surgery: Sedation or anesthesia are used during your placement surgery to keep you comfortable.
• Type of Restoration: The more teeth you are replacing, the larger the restoration you will need.

After creating a personalized treatment plan, your implant dentist in Houston will review your estimate, so you’ll know exactly what you will have to pay.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

You’ll need to pay for each component to rebuild your smile. While there are discounted materials, you’ll get what you pay for. It’s best to focus on quality when choosing materials for your dental implants:

• Implant Post: A titanium post is placed into the jawbone to mimic a root.
• Abutment: Each post needs an abutment to attach your restoration.
• Restoration: Depending on your severity of tooth loss, you’ll need a crown, bridge, or denture.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money  

Dental implants are the most cost-effective solution for missing teeth because you’ll never have to budget for replacements. With the right aftercare, your investment can last for 30 years or more to save money down the road. Not to mention, dental implants will lower your overall oral health expenses by stopping bone loss in your jaw. You’ll avoid many common issues associated with missing teeth to lessen the likeliness of needing a costly treatment down the road.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Your dental insurance won’t cover the entire cost of dental implants in Houston, but you can use your benefits to lower the amount you’ll pay for certain steps in your plan, like the consultation, tooth extractions, or restoration. A member of our team will work on your behalf to maximize your dental insurance to reduce your out-of-pocket expenses.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

We offer several financial methods to keep dental implants within everyone’s budget, including:

• Traditional Payments: We accept cash, checks, and credit cards.
• Third-Party Financing: Pay for your treatment using monthly installments through a third-party financing company, like CareCredit.

If you have any questions about your payment options, or you’re ready to schedule your consultation, contact our office to speak with a member of your dental team.