Dental Implants in Apex

The process for placing a dental implant usually requires an initial consultation, and 2 additional appointments. More appointments may be necessary if your jaw bone is weak, and you require a bone graft or sinus lift, or if your tooth must be extracted before the implant is placed.
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If your mouth is healthy, you are free of gum disease, and you have a strong jaw bone, you are likely eligible for a dental implant. Dr. Barker will begin crafting your implant plan, and you’ll come in for your next appointment when our team is ready to begin the procedure.
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At your next appointment at Cardinal Family Dentistry, Dr. Barker will numb and clean your mouth. Then, she will place a small, titanium rod or screw into the gum and jaw. This is the dental implant. After it’s been placed, the area is sutured, and a healing abutment or dental crown may be placed. These will help ensure the gum does not grow over the implant while it heals.
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After this, you will be sent home, and you’ll follow Dr. Barker’s recovery instructions. It usually takes about 1-3 days to feel “normal” after your procedure, and most pain, discomfort and bleeding should subside within less than a week.
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However, you’ll have to wait 3-6 months for your next appointment. This is because the implant must undergo the process of “osseointegration” and bond permanently to your gum and jaw tissue. During this time, your implant-supported restoration, usually a dental crown, will be manufactured.
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Once this has been completed, you’ll come into our office for your final appointment. Dr. Barker will place your implant-supported restoration on the implant, and bond it in place permanently. This completes the dental implant procedure.

If you are missing all or multiple teeth, Dr. Barker can help you with full arch restorations as well. Contact us to learn more.

This is a common question. Why do implants take so long to heal? To answer this, you must understand what osseointegration is, and how it works. Essentially, osseointegration allows a dental implant to function as an artificial tooth root, and bond permanently with your jaw and gum.
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There’s a reason that titanium is the most common material used for dental implants. Not only is it strong and corrosion-resistant, it has the unique ability to form a permanent bond with the bone structure of your jaw.
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The screw-shaped design of dental implants allows them to be placed deep within your jaw and gum tissue. Then, over the next several months, the surrounding bone continues to grow around the dental implant, surrounding it and eventually integrating with it completely. Over the next several years, this bond will continue to grow even more robust.
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That’s why you must wait 3-6 months before having your implant placed. The bone must begin to grow around the metal, or the implant could be knocked out of place or damaged before it’s taken hold.

Because dental implants are permanent and can last a lifetime, they are considered an investment in your dental health. Other solutions like dentures or bridges for missing teeth are removable and less durable, and will need to be replaced every few years. Though these removable options are initially less expensive, implants will save you time and money in the long run. Money should never come between you and your dental health, and that’s why we provide resources to ensure that your treatment stays affordable and within your budget.

During your consultation, Dr. Barker will assess your dental health to determine whether you are a good candidate for implants. Since implants are permanent and they are surgically placed, patients need to have sufficient jaw bone and healthy gums in order to support them. If implants are the right option for you and your mouth is healthy enough to safely insert the implant, Dr. Barker will begin the process.

Dental implants have a lot of great benefits. For one thing, they last a lot longer than any other type of tooth replacement, such as dentures or dental bridges. Implants last up to 30 years or longer, and most patients are able to keep them for the rest of their lives with proper oral care and hygiene.

In addition to this, dental implants look and feel more natural than any other type of tooth replacement. They will never shift or move, unlike dentures, and they are less bulky and easier to clean compared to fixed dental bridges.

Beyond this, dental implants also protect and preserve your oral health more effectively than alternative methods of tooth replacement. This is because they prevent bone resorption after tooth loss. Bone resorption happens when the bone below a missing tooth starts to weaken, because it’s no longer being stimulated by the pressure of biting and chewing.

Dental implants prevent this because they are placed directly into the jaw bone. When you bite and chew, they stimulate the bone tissue just like a real tooth would, keeping it strong and preventing it from deteriorating. This, in turn, protects your appearance and your oral health.

For all of these reasons and quite a few more, dental implants are widely considered to be the best way to replace missing teeth in eligible patients. To learn more and see if they’re right for you, contact Cardinal Family Dentistry for an appointment.

Dental implants are intended to fix missing teeth, similarly to other restorative dentistry procedures like dentures and dental bridges. If you are missing one or more of your teeth due to chronic oral health issues or oral injuries, dental implants are a great option for restoring your smile, your bite, and your self-confidence.

It’s very easy to care for single-tooth dental implants. You can treat them just like a normal tooth. As long as you brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, floss once a day, and see Dr. Barker for teeth cleanings and oral exams every 6 months, your implant will remain in great shape.

In addition, you may want to consider some lifestyle changes to ensure your implants stay healthy. Smoking and other forms of tobacco use, for example, can dramatically increase your risk of complications like peri-implantitis, an infection of the gums that can result in the loss of your dental implant.

Other types of dental restorations are a bit more complicated to care for. For example, fixed implant-supported bridges and non removable implant-supported dentures will require you to brush your teeth and gums, and also use tools like interdental brushes and water flossers to clean between your gums and your implant restorations.

Removable implant-supported dentures can be treated just like any other set of dentures. Dr. Barker will give you a full set of instructions on how to care for your implant-supported restorations after your treatment at Cardinal Family Dentistry.

The short answer is “no.” Most dental insurance plans don’t cover the cost of dental implants. While there are exceptions, most insurance plans will not pay anything toward the cost of dental implants.

Most dental insurance plans will cover the cost of tooth replacements like dental bridges, or a partial denture, but they don’t cover dental implants. Unfortunately, most insurers simply haven't moved on with the times, and have not added dental implants to their coverage list. They are thought of as “experimental” or “cosmetic,” despite dental implants being a safe, effective, long-lasting way to restore teeth.

However, that doesn’t mean you’re completely out of luck. For example, your dental insurance may pay for treatments like tooth extractions, which may be needed as part of the implant placement process. Your policy may also cover the cost of the dental crown that attaches to the implant, though it won’t cover the implant itself.

If you’re wondering what your insurance will cover, it’s best to consult with your policy documents and with the insurer directly. You may be able to get partial coverage for some of your treatment.

And even if your implants are not covered by dental insurance, they're worth the investment. Dental implants last longer, protect your oral health more effectively, and are more convenient compared to other treatments like dentures or dental bridges.

We offer both single-tooth and “All-On-Four” implants at Cardinal Family Dentistry. Single-tooth implants are the most common and least expensive type of dental implant procedure. They consist of a single metal dental implant, which is surgically placed into your mouth. Once this implant heals, it’s capped with a dental crown (false tooth) made of porcelain. This dental crown looks, feels, and functions just like a real tooth. Single-tooth implants are an excellent choice if you have a healthy mouth, but you’re missing one or two teeth.

All-On-Four full-mouth restorations are a bit different. These are an alternative to traditional dentures, and they replace a full mouth of missing teeth. They use a series of 4 dental implants to hold a full row of false teeth in the upper, lower, or both arches of your mouth. These implants are placed at a special angle so that they bond tightly with your gum and jaw tissue. Once they heal, a full set of permanent, non-removable dentures will be built and attached to your implants.

All-On-Four implants are more expensive than alternatives like dentures. However, they're much more convenient, since they don’t have to be removed. They also don’t move or shift when you eat and speak. If you are missing most or all of your teeth and are interested in alternatives to traditional dentures, All-On-Four at Cardinal Family Dentistry may be right for you.

Bone grafting is a procedure where Dr. Sarah Barker opens up your gum and jaw tissue, then places bone powder or fragments in the treatment area. As your mouth heals from surgery, new bone tissue will grow around this implant, strengthening it sufficiently for a dental implant.

Most commonly, this is needed if your jaw bone has lost some of its mass after tooth loss. Once you lose a tooth, the bone is no longer stimulated by biting and chewing. This can lead it to lose up to 25% of its mass within a year. If you lose too much bone mass, you’ll need a bone graft before you can get a dental implant.