Dental Implants – Van Nuys, CA

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

Your initial consultation will consist of meeting with your implant dentist in Los Angeles to discuss your oral and overall health as well as if you have enough jawbone to support your dental implants and customized restoration. If necessary, you will be required to undergo preliminary treatments (i.e., bone grafting, periodontal therapy, tooth extraction) to better prepare your oral cavity for placement of your dental implants. This will create a healthier, more stable environment for your future smile.  

Dental Implant Surgery

The dental implant surgery step is actually quite straightforward but does require minor oral surgery. As a board-certified prosthodontist, Dr. Sastiel will administer local anesthesia before making one or more small incisions in your gums to expose your underlying jawbone. Placing each titanium post, he will ensure it is properly aligned and offers the maximum amount of support. After closing the gum tissue, he will place a healing cap over the area before sending you home to recover.

Dental Implant Osseointegration/Abutment

While at home recovering, which can take anywhere from 3-6 months depending on your oral and overall health, as well as how many dental implants in Los Angeles were put into place, osseointegration will begin to occur. This is the process of the bone and implant fusing to create a solid fixture for your customized restoration. Once you are fully healed from your surgery, you will return to have another minor procedure that involves placing metal abutments on top of your dental implants. These will serve as connector pieces between the implant and restoration.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations

The final stage of the dental implant process is receiving your customized restoration. Once your implants are in place, impressions are taken so a dental crown, implant bridge, or implant denture can be created. Using the specifications provided by our team, you can expect your restoration to look completely natural and feel comfortable once put into place. The securing of your artificial teeth is the final step in the process, allowing you to embrace a new and improved smile that will last you for decades as long as you take proper care of your new teeth.

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

Before getting dental implants in Van Nuys, you may need to undergo certain preliminary treatments. Some common services include gum disease therapy, tooth extractions, and bone grafting. Although these add to the overall cost of your treatment, they’re necessary to ensure the long-term success of your new smile. Best of all, they’re often eligible for partial coverage by most dental insurance plans!

It’s worth noting that dental implant surgery has a cost of its own, and it varies from patient to patient depending on the location of the surgical site and the type of sedation needed. Fortunately, we’re able to complete the entire dental implant process from start to finish at our office. That means you don’t have to worry about receiving a bill from a different provider!

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

Many factors influence the total cost of dental implants in Van Nuys, including:

• Number of implants needed. This depends on the number of missing teeth you have.
• Type of restoration. Crowns, bridges, and dentures all have different costs. Plus, the smaller the restoration is, the less expensive it typically is.
• Some implants are made of zirconia instead of titanium, which can affect the overall cost.
• Different manufacturers make dental implants differently based on the needs of the patient. Since the manufacturer you choose will affect the total price, you are free to ask about any brand-specific benefits.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

If you’re on a budget, you may be tempted to choose more traditional options like dentures or dental bridges because they have a lower price point. However, dental implants are usually the more cost-effective choice in the long run because they offer several unique benefits. For example, you don’t need to worry about replacements or adjustments every few years. You also don’t have to purchase special cleaning products or solutions to maintain a healthy smile. Caring for dental implants is as easy as caring for natural teeth! All in all, most patients find the cost to be worth every penny.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

While most dental insurance plans do not offer coverage for dental implants, there are some exceptions. For instance, parts of the final restoration and certain preliminary treatments are eligible for coverage. Of course, you should confirm the details of your plan with your insurance provider before committing to anything. Our team is more than happy to help with that step if needed! We can help you figure out how to maximize your benefits and reduce your out-of-pocket expenses.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

We don’t want cost to get in the way of your dental care. That’s why we offer additional financing options to help make your treatment as affordable as possible! We offer third-party financing through CareCredit and Green Sky Financial, which allow you to make smaller monthly payments. Also, we’re currently offering a free implant consultation which includes a CBCT Scan. You can learn more about our special offers through our website!

3D Cone Beam Imaging/3D CT Scanning

Our 3D Cone Beam Imaging system allows our team to capture a 360-degree view of your oral cavity and facial structures. The bones, gums, teeth, tissues, and nerves are visible thanks to the high-resolution images taken during the quick scan. Within minutes, a three-dimension model of your oral cavity will appear on a nearby screen, allowing your implant dentist in Los Angeles to use advanced software to create a thorough plan for your dental implant placement.

While digital X-rays are beneficial, they often cannot show the same level of detail as a CBCT scanner. The benefits that come with using this type of technology include:

• Little, if any, radiation is left behind after capturing images of your mouth and facial structures
• Optimal precision during the planning phase of your treatment, reducing your risk for serious complications once your implants are in place
• Better quality images that allow us to clearly see the various components of your oral cavity and structures
• Higher dental implant placement success rate

Digital Impression System

When it’s time to capture impressions of your smile, our team at OraBell Dental Implant Centers no longer uses cold, messy dental putty. Instead, we turn to our digital impression system. With a handheld, pen-like device, we can quickly scan your mouth while the device snaps various pictures to create a 3D model nearby. This serves as a blueprint, making it easier for dental technicians to craft your customized restoration (i.e., crown, bridge, or denture) so it will fit correctly and comfortably when put into place over the top of your dental implants in Los Angeles.

Can I Take Dental Implants Out?

No. Once dental implants have integrated with your jawbone, they cannot easily be removed, as they are as firmly bonded to your jaw as the roots of natural teeth. The restorations on top of your implants, however, can be removed by a dentist if need be. In some cases, implant dentures can be designed so that you can take the prosthetic out yourself for cleaning while the implant posts remain in your jawbone.

Am I Too Old to Get Dental Implants?

There’s actually no such thing as being too old to get dental implants! As long as you’re an adult, and your mouth and jaws have finished developing, age shouldn’t directly impact your eligibility for the treatment. However, senior patients may have additional health issues that could interfere with the success of dental implants. This is why an initial consultation is crucial; we’ll make sure you have sufficient jawbone density and that any other health problems are dealt with before placing dental implants.

How Successful Are Dental Implants?

In the hands of an experienced professional – such as our board-certified periodontist, Dr. Sastiel – dental implants in Los Angeles have an over 95 percent success rate! Of course, their longevity depends on how well you take care of them. For the most part, keeping dental implants in good condition is simple if you brush and floss every day and visit our dental office for two checkups and cleanings a year.

Does Getting Dental Implants Hurt?

Getting dental implants involves oral surgery, which understandably makes some patients fear that the procedure will hurt. In actuality, though, you should barely feel anything during dental implant placement. Our team will make sure you’re comfortable and numb with local anesthetic and sedation before beginning. You may experience some residual soreness for a few days after your surgery, but taking over-the-counter pain relievers as needed should be more than enough to manage it.

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

Most patients only need to take a day or two away from their usual routines to heal after dental implant surgery. However, you should avoid strenuous physical activity for about a week. Otherwise, your body may take longer to heal. Any swelling and bleeding should subside after a couple of days, as should any general discomfort.

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Flossing daily and brushing for two minutes twice a day is essential for a healthy smile whether you have dental implants or not! While dental implants cannot get cavities, they rely on healthy gum tissue for support. Poor oral hygiene often leads to gum disease, which damages the gums and supportive tissues that help hold your dental implant in place.

Eat a Healthy Diet

While traditional tooth replacement options only restore about 30% of your chewing force, dental implants can give you 80% or more of your natural biting power! This means you can easily eat steak, nuts, apples, and more, but that doesn’t mean you should throw caution to the wind. The restorations atop your dental implants can still chip or crack if exposed to too much pressure, so avoid eating too many overly hard foods or snacks. Instead, eat plenty of foods with calcium and vitamin C to help keep the tissues around your dental implant strong and healthy.

Break Bad Habits

Just as a few healthy habits can help you make the most of your dental implants, a few bad choices can shorten their lifespan. Once you rebuild your smile with dental implants, consider breaking bad habits like:

• Smoking: Smoking prohibits your natural healing abilities and can cause dental implant failure. Now is the perfect time to quit this habit!
• Chewing on hard objects: Chewing on items like ice, pens, or your fingernails can damage your replacement teeth.
• Using your teeth as tools: Don’t put your dental implants or remaining teeth at risk by using them to open packages, hold bags, rip off price tags, or as any other household tools.

Protect Your Dental Implants

A mouthguard is an essential piece of safety equipment for practically any athletic activity or sport. Not only will these little devices protect your natural teeth and dental implants from breaking, loosening, or becoming knocked out should you receive a blow to the face, but some studies suggest that they could lower your risk of concussion as well.

You may need to protect your teeth while you sleep as well. Bruxism, a condition where you grind your teeth at night, put excess pressure on your dental implant and natural teeth, which can eventually loosen or damage them. A custom-made nightguard for bruxism can help shield your teeth while you sleep and help relax your jaws.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

Whether you’ve replaced one tooth, several teeth, or an entire arch of pearly whites, you should visit us every six months for routine checkups and cleanings. We’ll check to make sure your dental implant is doing well and that there are no problems developing. Plus, with a thorough cleaning and personalized preventive care, we will hopefully keep any oral health issues from beginning in the first place!

What to Do Directly After Dental Implant Surgery

Keep clean gauze on the site, and allow a blood clot to form over the incision to protect the tender tissue underneath. For at least a day or two after the procedure, you need to get plenty of rest. At that point, you may resume some normal activities, like going back to work depending on your occupation, but refrain from rigorous activities such as heavy lifting and exercising for at least three or four days. Basically, listen to your body at go at a pace that feels okay to you without going overboard.

Common Side Effects

In the days that follow the placement surgery, you may have some facial swelling, for which you can put a cold compress on your face. It should go down within a day or two. You can also take over-the-counter pain medication when you have discomfort after the anesthetic wears off. If you continue to feel pain after three days, you get a fever, or the pain intensifies over time, call us right away. These could point to an infection.

Diet

Although you should avoid contact with the surgical site for a while, you may drink beverages and eat soft foods like yogurt after the procedure. Do not use a straw for at least 48 hours, because the sucking motion can cause the blood clot to come off the site, increasing your risk of a painful complication called dry socket. Try to avoid overly sugary or acidic foods during this time as well. After three or four days, you may start to introduce normal foods back into your diet, but again, be very careful not to have crunchy or hard foods too soon after surgery.

Health & Oral Hygiene

Although you’ll be recovering from the procedure, it’s essential to maintain your usual oral hygiene routine. You may brush and floss your teeth, but be extra careful not to disrupt the blood clot on the surgical site. You may rinse your mouth with warm salt water to help keep the area clean as well. For a day or two, you should have someone you trust monitor you to make sure you’re doing okay and not exerting yourself too much.

What to Do After Your New Teeth Are Attached

Several months after your placement procedure, you will get your restorations attached to your implants. At that time, you may require a couple of days to readjust to having secure teeth, but it’ll be like riding a bike. Keep in mind that your replacement teeth will not have nerves, meaning that you need to be careful when eating or drinking hot beverages or food, which could burn the soft tissues in your mouth. Otherwise, your implant restorations should be ready to enjoy!