Dental Implants in Alexandria

What Dental Implants Are

Dental implants are essentially artificial tooth roots used to replace real ones. They provide a sturdy foundation for placing prosthetic teeth.

How Much Dental Implants Cost

Affordable dental implants cost from around $3,000 to $4,500 to replace a single tooth. Compare this to the cost of full, fixed, permanent dentures, which is around $20,000 to $45,000.

Dental Insurance Coverage for Implants

Dental implants insurance is not ordinarily included in most dental insurance plans. If you can get it, the cost of affordable dental implants with insurance will be lower. How much lower your dental implants cost will be a factor of many variables, including the terms of the specific insurance policy.

Dental implants insurance might cover 50-80 percent of the total dental implants cost, including for the replacement tooth. When insurance does cover part of a dental implant procedure, the dental implants insurance portion usually helps pay for the consultations, x-rays, anesthesia, and bone grafts as well as the implant itself.

If your dentist in Alexandria deems your affordable dental implants medically necessary, dental insurance is more likely to cover more of the procedure.

Steps in the Dental Implant Procedure

Generally, a dental implants procedure involves:

1. Preparing the site
2. Placing the implant in the jawbone
3. Healing and recovery for several months as the jawbone fuses with the implant and creates a secure bond between them
4. Attaching the abutment to the implant
5. Fitting and cementing the custom-made crown into place

Dental Implant Benefits

Dental implant benefits include improvements in:

• Appearance
• Speech
• Comfort
• Eating
• Self-esteem
• Oral health

Implants are also more durable and convenient than other alternatives like dentures.

Kinds of Implants

Call now for help figuring out which type of dental implants in Alexandria may be right for you.

Implants can replace one tooth (single implant) or many teeth (multiple implants). You may also get a full-mouth implant or an implant-supported bridge.

There is also an option known as mini dental implants (MDIs) or simply mini implants. These are small implants about the size of the lead inside a pencil. Your dentist may opt for this option in order to stabilize a denture or if there’s insufficient bone to attach a regularly sized implant to. The mini dental implants procedure is usually less invasive than for other types of oral implants.

Whichever type of implant you get, your dentist can place them in one of several ways:

• Endosteal implants - Endosteal implants are the most common kind. Shaped like a cylinder, blade or screw, they’re placed in the jawbone. Your dentist may suggest endosteal implants if you have bridges or dentures already.
• Subperiosteal implants - Subperiosteal implants are placed on or above the bone rather than inside it. They're made up of a metal post that’s put under your gum and sticks through it to hold it in place. Your dentist may suggest subperiosteal implants if you’re unable to wear conventional dentures, lack sufficient bone to hold an implant or prefer not to get a bone augmentation.

Caring for Implants

After a dental implants procedure, it can take around six months for the implants to fuse with the bone of the jaw. Dental implant care after surgery will include a special diet that aids in the recovery process.

Afterward, your Alexandria dentist will place the replacement teeth that will now become your permanent teeth, at which point you can resume your regular diet.

Care for implants after healing and recovery is the same as for real teeth: brush, floss, rinse with an antimicrobial mouthwash, and get regular checkups from your dentist in Alexandria.

To schedule your next dental checkup and possibly discuss whether dental implants in Alexandria would be a good option for you, call us at Dental Care of Alexandria & McLean in Alexandria today.

Eligibility for Implants

When looking at who needs implants, it comes clear that the model dental implant candidate is anyone in good enough health to undergo dental implant surgery. The gums should be healthy and there should be sufficient bone to secure the implant. An ideal candidate must also be dedicated to good dental hygiene and regular dental exams.

If you’re a heavy smoker, have an uncontrolled chronic disorder like heart disease or diabetes, or your head or neck area has undergone radiation therapy you’ll need to be evaluated on individual grounds to determine your eligibility for implants. If you’re thinking about getting implants, discuss it with your Alexandria dentist.

How Long Implants Last

Assuming proper maintenance and care, an implant could last from 10 years to your entire life.

Visit our dental office in Alexandria to discuss the possibility of you getting implants.