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Dental Implants — North Grafton, MA

The Best That Dentistry
Has to Offer

 

If you’re looking for a tooth replacement that is the next best thing to nature, then dental implants are exactly what you need. This treatment can help patients look, feel, and function just like they did before tooth loss, and at Theroux Dental Associates, we can use them to restore any number of teeth for a lifetime to come. With implants, your smile’s best days are ahead of you, and you can learn more about them by contacting us today to schedule a consultation to discuss tooth replacement with dental implants in North Grafton, MA.

Why Choose Theroux Dental Associates for Dental Implants?

  • Entire Procedure Completed Under One Roof
  • Enjoy a Menu of Relaxing, Spa-Like Amenities
  • Latest Technology Used for Extremely Precise Care

What Are Dental Implants?

Animated

Your teeth have two main parts; the crown, which is the portion you can see when you smile, and the root that supports it from below the gum line. Right now, dental implants are the only treatment that replaces both the root and   the crown. A small titanium post is placed into the jawbone, and on top, a crown, bridge, or denture is attached. The end result is a prosthetic that perfectly resembles a real tooth.

The 4 Step Dental Implant Process

Dentist showing patient dental implant tooth replacement model

With most other dental offices in the area, you’ll be referred to a specialist to have your dental implant roots placed into your jawbone, and then you’ll return to the dentist to receive your new teeth. At Theroux Dental Associates, however, we’re able to handle every step of the implant process ourselves. From your surgery all the way until you walk out of our dental office with your brand-new smile, you’ll work with our expert team, helping you save time and money while rebuilding your smile. Even though everyone’s treatment plan will look slightly different, here are the four main steps you can expect.  

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

dental implant consultation in North Grafton

The first step on your journey towards a newly rebuilt smile is a consultation with our team at Theroux Dental Associates. We’ll conduct an oral examination, review your medical history, and inquire about your goals to determine whether or not this tooth-replacement solution is right for you. Some patients will need preliminary treatments like periodontal therapy, tooth extractions, or bone grafting. Once your mouth is ready for dental implant placement, we’ll get you scheduled for the first phase of treatment.

Dental Implant Surgery

dental implant surgery in North Grafton

Believe it or not, dental implant surgery is not as complicated as you might think. Before your procedure, we’ll numb your mouth with a local anesthetic to ensure you’re comfortable. We’ll make small incisions in your gums to access the jawbone, insert the implants at precise locations and angles, and then suture your gums shut. A protective cap is placed over the surgical site to shield the implants during your recovery.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment Placement

dentist explaining X-ray to patient

After dental implant placement, you’ll spend three to six months waiting for the titanium posts to fuse with the jawbone via a process called osseointegration. It’s incredibly important that this process is successful because that’s what makes this tooth-replacement solution so reliable. Once osseointegration is complete, you’ll return to the office to receive your abutments, which are small metal connectors pieces that allow us to secure your personalized restoration (crown, bridge, denture) into place.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations

patient smiling after getting dental implants in North Grafton

Your artificial teeth will be crafted using impressions of your natural smile. A trusted dental laboratory will create your final restorations using the specifications they were provided with. Once they’re created, you’ll return to our office to have your restoration placed. You’ll be ready to flash your stunning new grin that same day!

Benefits of Dental Implants

Dentist

Over 500,000 dental implants are placed every year, making them one of the most popular solutions for missing teeth. They’re an excellent choice for patients with few or several gaps in their smiles. Since implants are strategically placed inside the jawbone, they provide multiple incredible benefits that you cannot get with traditional options like dentures and dental bridges. If you’d like to learn how this tooth-replacement solution can improve your overall quality of life, continue reading or give our office a call!

Day-to-Day Benefits

two young women smiling and laughing together

We use our teeth every day to eat, speak, and laugh. Because of that, it only makes sense that you’d want a tooth-replacement solution that will allow you to live your day-to-day life to the fullest. Luckily, you can do just that with dental implants thanks to these benefits:

  • Easy maintenance. Caring for your implants is as easy as caring for natural teeth! All you have to do is brush, floss, and rinse as you normally would to keep your new smile in excellent condition.
  • Regained ability to eat most foods. Since implants replace the entire missing tooth structure from the root up to the chewing surface, they can withstand the chewing of virtually any food.
  • Increased confidence. Our team will carefully design your implant restorations to complement your natural facial aesthetics. As a result, you’ll be able to show off your newly rebuilt grin with confidence!

Health Benefits

man smiling after getting dental implants in North Grafton

The benefits of dental implants stretch beyond improving your daily quality of life. Some of those include:

  • Jawbone preservation. Because dental implants are placed inside the jawbone, they stimulate it to prevent its deterioration and maintain the face’s overall shape for years to come.
  • Prevent dental drift. It’s common for teeth after tooth loss. However, implants serve as a placeholder to ensure every member of your smile stays exactly where it belongs.
  • Improved overall health. Studies have discovered a correlation between tooth loss and an increased risk of several diseases. Since implants are so similar to natural teeth, it’s reasonable to assume that they can help lower such risks.

Long-Term Benefits

grandma and grandchild laughing together

Aside from appearance, you can expect to enjoy several long-term benefits with dental implants, including:

  • High success rate. Implants have an impressive success rate of about 95% even 20 years after they’ve been placed!
  • Youthful appearance. Since implants stimulate blood flow in the jaw, they help prevent the sunken, aged look that often accompanies tooth loss.
  • Long lifespan. Unlike dentures and bridges, dental implants can last several decades without needing a replacement.

Who Dental Implants Can Help

Model smile with dental implant supported dental crown

Pretty much anyone with missing teeth can be a good candidate for dental implants if their mouth is relatively healthy and their jawbone is strong enough to support the new roots. If either of these requirements is lacking, we can help a patient get what they need so they’re able to safely receive implants. Once someone is ready, we can help them determine which type of implant procedure would best suit their needs.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?

Man smiling with dental implants in North Grafton

Pretty much any healthy adult can get dental implants. Usually, there are three things that are necessary to be considered a good candidate for dental implants:

  • Good overall health: Placing dental implants is a surgical procedure, so you’ll need to be well enough to undergo minor surgery. 
  • Great oral health: Issues like cavities and gum disease can potentially cause dental implants to fail, so they’ll need to be addressed first.
  • Adequate jawbone density: It’s essential that your jawbone is strong enough to support dental implants for your treatment to be successful. 

If you aren’t initially a good candidate, this isn’t a reason to be discouraged. Many patients need to complete preliminary treatments, like tooth extractions, gum disease therapy, or bone grafting before they can get dental implants. We will help you to schedule these preparatory procedures to get you on track. Once you meet the criteria, we will put together a plan that’s right for you.

Missing One Tooth

Tooth replaced by a dental implant in North Grafton

An implant post can be positioned between two healthy teeth and topped with a porcelain crown without disturbing the nearby dental structure. This actually makes getting an implant less invasive compared to a regular bridge.

Missing Multiple Teeth

Dental implant bridge in North Grafton

One to two implants can be used to anchor a bridge or partial denture to the jawbone, replacing several teeth at once while also giving these prosthetics stability their removable counterparts simply can’t match.

Missing All Teeth

Dental implant dentures in North Grafton

Total tooth loss can be reversed with just four to six implants, which will serve as the foundation for a full denture that is smaller, stronger, and more natural-looking than a regular prosthetic. We can even use implants to upgrade a patient’s existing denture to make it more comfortable and secure.

Alternatively, you may be a candidate for All-On-4 dental implants. This method is ideal for patients who have inadequate jawbone density, possibly because they’ve been missing teeth for a long time. As the name implies, this option anchors a full denture securely in place with just four strategically placed dental implants. 

Learn More About Implant Dentures

Learn More About All-On-4 Dental Implants

Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants

Dentist calculating cost of dental implant treatment plan

Dental work often requires evaluating your budget to determine what you can afford and what you cannot. While your heart may be set on a particular treatment, your bank account might have you rethinking your decision. Unfortunately, this mindset keeps many people from pursuing solutions that are actually much more cost-effective in the long run. While it is true that a dental implant is more costly upfront, its benefits and capabilities far exceed more traditional options that often result in frequent replacements along the way. Let the team at Theroux Dental Associates explain how dental implants are a possible solution for anyone looking to restore their smile.  Contact us today  to schedule an appointment.

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

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Any preliminary treatments that you need before you can get dental implants, like gum disease therapy, tooth extractions, and bone grafting, will contribute to the overall cost. For many patients, these treatments are necessary to ensure that the dental implants are successful. Preliminary treatments are sometimes covered by dental insurance, so this is something that you should double-check with your provider. Since we conveniently provide the entire treatment under one roof, you won’t need to worry about working with an outside surgeon and needing to pay for the implant placement separately.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

Man

These are some of the main factors that will contribute to the cost of your dental implants:

  • Number of dental implants : Depending on the number of your teeth that you need to have replaced and where they are located in the mouth, you will need more or fewer implants. The more implants you need, the higher the cost will be.
  • Type of restoration : Crowns, bridges, and dentures all have different costs. Usually, the smaller the restoration, the lower the cost.
  • Size or material : Implants can be made out of zirconia or titanium. These materials are at different price points.
  • Brand of dental implant : Dental implants come from a variety of manufacturers. This can influence their cost.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

Man

Once you receive your dental implants, you will not only discover they are worth the wait, but they’re also worth the investment. While you can opt for traditional solutions (i.e. fixed bridge, dentures), you may spend more time traveling back and forth to the dentist’s office for realignments and adjustments. You will also spend far more money on replacement restorations. With dental implants, you can enjoy a permanent solution that can last decades or longer with proper maintenance and improved oral health.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Man

Some dental insurance companies have yet to incorporate dental implants as part of their benefits coverage, so if you are one of the many who will not receive any financial reprieve from your insurance company, don’t worry. Our team at Theroux Dental Associates is here to help you move forward with your implant placement while offering available financing options to help you stay within your budget.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

Woman calculating cost of dental implants in North Grafton

If you don’t have dental insurance, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re completely out of luck. We work with CareCredit – a third-party financing company that can split the cost of treatment into manageable monthly installments with little-to-no interest. Talk to one of our friendly team members to learn more.

Dental Implant Failure & Salvage

Dentist

Even though dental implant failure occurs in fewer than 5% of cases, it may still happen as a result of injury, infection, or other circumstances. If your implant feels loose or you experience pain, swelling, or bleeding around your implant, please call our team immediately. Our team will work to see you right away, and we’ll do everything in our power to save your new smile with dental implant salvage.

Learn More

Dental Implant Technology

dentist and patient discussing advanced dental implant technology in North Grafton

Dental implants are the gold standard of tooth replacement, so we use state-of-the-art technology to ensure optimal results. In addition to the advanced training of our implant dentists, we rely on the precision provided by equipment like the CT 3D cone beam scanner and CEREC digital impression system to plan out every detail of your dental implant treatment. Read on to learn more about some of the advanced dental implant technology we’ll be using on your journey towards a new smile.

3D Cone Beam CT Scanning

Patient using 3D cone beam CT scanner for dental implants in North Grafton

Digital X-rays allow us to see the oral structures in your mouth that are typically hidden, like the roots of your teeth and your jawbone. However, they don’t quite capture everything. To make sure there are as few unexpected surprises during your dental implant placement, we’ll map your mouth with the 3D cone beam CT scanner. This essential piece of technology will show us important details that aren’t made clear in a digital X-ray, such as nerve pathways, blood vessels, and the thickness of the jawbone. With all this information clearly laid out, we can plan precisely where your dental implant(s) should be placed for the highest chances of long-term success.

Antibacterial Coating

digital illustration of dental implant with antibacterial coating in North Grafton

Even though dental implants have an amazing success rate of over 95%, we still want to make sure we’re doing everything possible to minimize risk of failure. That’s why we have antibacterial coating for our dental implants and restorations. This coating will keep bacteria away from the surgical site as it heals, which is essential for successful fusing of your dental implant and jawbone. While you’ll still need to practice thorough oral hygiene after your dental implants are placed, antibacterial coating can dramatically assist keeping infection at bay.

CEREC Digital Impression System

Dentist holding dental crown for dental implant in North Grafton

Your dental implant or implants will support a custom-made restoration to complete your smile. This restoration could be a dental crown, dental bridge, partial denture, or full denture. All of our restorations are carefully created out of high-quality dental porcelain to ensure the results are as seamless as possible. Part of this process involves mapping the area where the restoration will go to make sure it’s designed to blend in with your natural teeth. In the past, a sticky dental putty was used to do this, which many patients found uncomfortable. Fortunately, we’ve upgraded to the CEREC digital impression system! This device will quickly scan your teeth without touching them and create a detailed model of your bite. Then, we’ll use this digital layout to make sure your new custom restoration looks as natural as possible.

Dental Implant Post-Op Instructions

man smiling after getting dental implants in North Grafton

At Theroux Dental Associates, you don’t have to worry about visiting an outside specialist to complete the dental implant process. We’re able to perform the entire procedure from start to finish in one convenient location! After your oral surgery, we’ll provide you with post-op instructions to help you make a speedy and smooth sailing recovery. Below, we’ll briefly explain what you can expect as you heal.

What to Do Directly After Dental Implant Surgery

man taking pain medication after dental implant surgery in North Grafton

During your recovery, it’s incredibly important that you leave the forming blood clot on the surgical site untouched. It’s necessary to ensure that the gums heal properly around the implant.

To that end, you should avoid:

  • Spitting (use tissues or swallow your saliva)
  • Drinking from straws
  • Smoking or using tobacco products
  • Touching the surgical site with your fingers or tongue

Common Side-Effects When Recovering from Dental Implant Placement

woman using ice pack on jaw

If you’ve never had oral surgery before, you may be unsure which side effects are normal and which ones you should be concerned about. Generally speaking, any initial discomfort you experience is temporary and should improve within a few days. If that’s ever not the case, you should give our office a call for assistance.

Here’s what you can expect in the first few days after dental implant placement:

  • Intermittent Bleeding – You can remedy it by placing a small amount of pressure on the gauze that’s located on the surgical site.
  • Swelling – Although it can last over a week, you can reduce your swelling by placing a cold compress on your cheek or jaw for 10 minutes at a time.
  • General Discomfort – Any discomfort can be alleviated by taking prescribed or over-the-counter pain medication.

Your Diet After Dental Implant Surgery

eating plain yogurt after getting dental implants in North Grafton

After your procedure, you should stick to a soft-food diet for the first few days. It’s strongly recommended that you stock up on the following foods:

  • Mashed potatoes
  • Yogurt
  • Ice cream
  • Pudding
  • Scrambled eggs
  • Pasta

While you can return to your usual diet as soon as you feel up for it, you should exercise caution around certain foods to avoid damaging your new smile.

Post-Op Health & Oral Hygiene

young woman rinsing mouth after dental implant surgery in North Grafton

Keeping your mouth clean after dental implant surgery is the key to a successful recovery! It’s essential to ensure that your implants fuse successfully with your jawbone. Although it’s okay to brush your teeth the day after your procedure, make sure you’re very careful near the surgical site. Don’t forget to rinse your mouth at least two to three times a day with salt water, ideally after meals. Avoid using any mouthwashes that contain high levels of alcohol!

What to Do After Your New Teeth Are Attached

Once you’re all healed up, you’ll return to the office for the final step of the process – the placement of your new crown, bridge, or denture! After your restoration is in place, you may experience slight sensitivity in the gum tissue. Luckily, you can easily manage it with pain medication and cold compresses. You should be ready to show off your brand-new smile that same day!

Maintaining & Caring for Your Dental Implants

Dentist

Just like your real teeth, dental implants are very strong and resilient but not indestructible. If you don’t take good care of them, they could end up breaking or need to be removed due to an infection. Our dentists or our doctors can give you a number of suggestions for making sure that your implants stay in your mouth for as long as possible – ideally, the rest of your life. Follow the tips below to protect your implants, and call us immediately if you have questions or notice an issue.

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

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Regular brushing, flossing, and rinsing are always important for maintaining a healthy smile. Don’t think you can afford to be less strict about your routine just because your implants can’t get cavities. You still need to protect the gums from harmful bacteria; infected soft tissues can easily lead to bone and tooth loss, and your remaining natural teeth could still suffer from decay. As such, you need to give your implants the same attention you give the rest of your mouth. Don’t forget to brush carefully around the gum line.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Man

An occasional cookie or potato chip won’t put your dental implants at risk, but if your diet is extremely high in sugar and starch, you may run into problems. Try to cut down on sugary or starchy foods as much as possible while opting for more gum-friendly fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and dairy products. Pay close attention to how much calcium and vitamin C you’re getting, as these nutrients help create the perfect environment for dental implants to thrive.

Break Bad Habits

Man

Implant failure is often brought about by one of the bad habits listed below:

  • Regularly biting or chewing on fingernails.
  • Chewing on pen tips or pencils.
  • Crunching ice, popcorn kernels, and other extremely hard foods.
  • Using the teeth to open packages and jars.
  • Smoking or using tobacco products.

Not only do these habits destroy natural tooth enamel, but they can wear down and even break dental implants. Take whatever steps are necessary to break these habits right away.

Protect Your Dental Implants

Man

While some accidents can’t be avoided, there are ways to minimize the risk to your implants. If you play sports of any kind, you can ask for a custom-made mouthguard to wear while on the field. This will help keep the implants as safe as possible. If we find signs that you grind your teeth at night, we’ll recommend that you wear your mouthguard when you go to bed. This will minimize the pressure on the implant while you sleep, protecting it from long-term damage.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

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Every six months, we can check your implants to make sure they’re still firmly in place. We can also make sure there are no problems with the restoration(s) they support. Having potential problems identified early makes it more likely that you’ll be able to keep your implants without costly, time-consuming treatments.

Advanced Dental Implant Procedures

Happy dental patient using mirror to admire her new teeth

Here at Theroux Dental Associates, we are proud to offer, not just the basic procedures involved in dental implant treatment, but also advanced techniques that can prepare your mouth for dental implants and speed up your body’s recovery after oral surgery. Read on below to learn more about these advanced dental implant procedures in North Grafton, and give us a call when you are ready to schedule an appointment with our highly skilled team.

Bone Grafts

Illustration of granulated bone material being placed in extraction socket

After the natural teeth go missing, a biological process known as resorption begins. This basically means that because the jawbone is no longer supporting the teeth, its raw materials begin to be recycled for other purposes within the body. Over time, resorption can cause the bone to lose so much volume that it is no longer able to support dental implants.

We can address this issue via bone grafting in North Grafton. There are a few different types of bone grafts, but essentially, the procedure uses donor bone, bone from your own body, or synthetic bone material to build up your jaw. To perform the procedure, we access the jawbone, place the graft, and close the incision. In some cases, we can place a dental implant during the same appointment. In other cases, a healing period of several months is necessary.

Sinus Lifts

Illustration of dental implant placed at location of sinus lift

The sinus cavities are right above the upper jaw. Therefore, if the cavities are large, or the jaw is thin, placing a dental implant can be problematic. The implant might penetrate the sinus membrane, leading to complications.

We can prevent this problem via a sinus lift in North Grafton. This is a special type of bone graft wherein we access the sinus membrane through the upper jaw, gently push it upward, and hold it in its new place with a chunk of bone material. Usually, patients are ready to receive dental implants 4 – 9 months following a sinus lift.

PRP/PRF

Illustration of blood platelets traveling through blood vessel

Theroux Dental Associates is pleased to be offering a new, state-of-the-art adjunctive treatment to our patients undergoing surgical procedures: PRP (platelet-rich plasma) and PRF (platelet-rich fibrin). It has been documented for years that this is a form of regenerative medicine that harnesses your body’s own natural growth factors to accelerate healing.

Plasma is the liquid portion of whole blood that is composed mainly of water and proteins that provide a medium for red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets to circulate throughout your cardiovascular system. Fibrin is a protein found in the blood and liver that plays a role in blood clotting and would healing. Therefore, both plasma and fibrin are blood by-products and are both very rich in platelets.

PRP, as a blood component, can be mixed into bone graft material resulting in a graft that is rich in platelets and natural growth factors to accelerate the graft healing.

PRF can be used to create a “membrane” over a surgical wound (i.e. extraction socket). Because it is rich in platelets and natural growth factors, healing is accelerated while post-operative complications are minimal because it is used as a barrier between the socket and the oral cavity. As such, patients also experience much less post-operative discomfort.

To obtain these blood components, a small amount of your own blood is collected and then immediately placed into a centrifuge to collect the PRP or PRF, depending on the clinical need. The PRP and/or PRF will then be used within minutes of removing it from the centrifuge. You will have a Band-Aid placed over the drawing area as you would with routine bloodwork.

We are very excited to be able to offer this advanced level of service to you! We are confident that you will end up with the very best result using this technology.

Ridge Expansion

Illustration of two dental implants placed at site of ridge augmentation

We often say that dental implants in North Grafton get placed in the jawbone. More specifically, though, they get placed in a portion of the bone known as the alveolar ridge. If the ridge is too narrow to accept dental implants, we may perform a type of bone graft known as ridge expansion or ridge augmentation.

During the procedure, we wedge apart the interior and exterior segments of the bone before placing a graft between them. Depending on the specifics of your situation, we may be able to place an implant during the same procedure. Otherwise, you will need to wait a few months so your body will have time to integrate the graft into your jawbone.

Dental Implant FAQs

Dentist

If you are considering dental implants in North Grafton, you’ll want to spend a few minutes reviewing the following questions we’re often asked by our patients. At Theroux Dental Associates, we want you to have all the information you need to feel confident in your decision to pursue this type of tooth replacement, which is why we’ve compiled the following FAQs for you to review. Don’t hesitate to contact our office if you have additional questions or concerns about the dental implant process.

Do dental implants hurt?

When having your dental implants surgically placed, your dentist in North Grafton will make sure you are completely comfortable and relaxed by administering a local anesthetic and/or sedation. This will allow you to feel no pain during the procedure. Once your implants are firmly in place, you can expect to experience some soreness afterward, and your gums will likely be tender to the touch. It’s important that you follow our instructions and avoid strenuous activity or hard foods in the days following your procedure. This will ensure you have a swift and successful recovery.

If I have dentures, can I switch to dental implants?

It is possible; however, our team will first need to examine the state of your jawbone and gums to determine if you are a qualified candidate. Many denture-wearers experience bone deterioration over time. If this occurs, it will be necessary to undergo a bone graft to strengthen the bone and create a stable foundation to support the implants and restoration. This step does add several months to the overall process, as you will need ample time to recover from the bone graft.

Will insurance cover my dental implants?

This is dependent upon your insurance company. While some are beginning to offer coverage, others still do not, making it harder for patients to justify the greater upfront cost. However, the team at Theroux Dental Associates is here to make sure you get the treatment you need without emptying your bank account. With available financing options, you can replace your missing teeth with dental implants and make manageable monthly payments that allow you to stay within your budget.