It’s vital to the health of your teeth to replace those that need extracting. Missing teeth can cause surrounding healthy ones to drift toward open spaces, causing them to loosen and eventually fall out. To replace teeth, a popular option at U Smile Family Dentistry is dental implants in Mesa, AZ.
Although getting implants can take months between approval and getting to eat with them, their ability to function and look like natural teeth is what makes them popular with patients. The first step in getting implants is to have our dentist, Dr. Tia Khoshaba, examine your jaw to make sure you qualify for them.
Since implants are embedded into the jawbone, Dr. Khoshaba in Mesa, AZ, will measure the length and depth of your jaw to ensure it can hold all the implants that you need. If your teeth need removing due to decay, it’s essential that the depth of the jaw allows for embedding implants in it.
Decay can erode the jaw so that it is too shallow to place regular dental implants in it. If the jaw lacks depth, then our dentist may recommend a bone graft as the next step in the implant process. Also, many people have short jaws, and there may not be enough room to put the implants in it to replace your teeth.
After determining that your jaw can hold the implants you need, Dr. Khoshaba will schedule your implant surgery. The surgery takes place in two to three stages because an implant has three components: the titanium root, an abutment, and the crown.
The roots and abutments of the implants go in first, and it takes about two weeks for the sutures to heal. However, the roots and bone need to fuse before you can use the implants to eat solid foods. It can take four to six months for the bone and titanium roots to fuse together, so the entire process for dental implants can take up to eight or nine months to complete.
If you want to get implants to replace your teeth, contact U Smile Family Dentistry to schedule an appointment with Dr. Khoshaba. While the process for getting implants takes longer than other teeth replacement options, our patients in Mesa, AZ, think they are well worth the wait.
It is difficult to give an exact cost estimate for dental implant treatment because the cost can vary greatly depending on many factors. Each case is unique, and the total cost will include work done before the implants and the implants themselves.
Dental insurance does not cover dental implants because they are considered a purely cosmetic treatment and not medically necessary. However, depending on your provider, you may be able to get coverage that includes implant insurance for that who have suffered mouth damage or traumatic tooth loss.