The Best That Dentistry Has to Offer
Are you tired of having to work around your missing teeth every single day? Do you have a denture that doesn’t fit well and is constantly shifting around in your mouth? With dental implants, you can enjoy a full and confident smile again, and you can trust it will last for life. Dr. Shwarts can use this treatment to reliably replace any number of teeth, fully restoring a patient’s oral health, function, and appearance all at the same time. Could dental implants in Dallas be exactly what your smile needs? You can learn more and even schedule a consultation by giving us a call today.
Why Choose Shwarts Family Dentistry in Dallas for Dental Implants?
WHAT ARE DENTAL IMPLANTS?
What makes dental implants unique is the fact that they are surgically placed into the jawbone. Unlike traditional solutions that sit on top of the gums and break down or loosen over time, dental implants stay firm because your bone actually grows around them.
Once the titanium post is placed in the bone and given a few months to heal, Dr. Shwarts will restore it with a personalized dental crown, bridge, or denture (depending on the number of teeth you have lost). At that point, your implant will look, feel, and function exactly like your original tooth. For this reason, most dentists, including Dr. Shwarts, recommend dental implants for most patients with missing teeth.
THE 4-STEP DENTAL IMPLANT PROCESS
Placing dental implants into the jawbone requires a very minor but delicate surgery, and in order to guarantee that his patients receive the absolute highest-quality care, Dr. Shwarts is partnered with a network of Dallas’s finest oral surgeons and periodontists. After having the procedure completed by a specialist, a patient will be given time to heal, and then they’ll return to Dr. Shwarts to receive their new teeth. Thanks to this team approach, patients are able to renew their smiles in the most comfortable and efficient way possible.
The first step in the process of rebuilding your smile is attending a consultation with Dr. Shwarts. At this appointment, he’ll carefully examine your mouth and take x-rays to determine the state of your oral health. Based on his findings, he’ll let you know whether you’ll require any preliminary procedures, like gum disease therapy or bone grafting, before your implants can be placed. Once these issues have been squared away, you can go ahead and schedule your implant placement surgery.
At Shwarts Family Dentistry in Dallas, we partner with the best oral surgeons and periodontists in the Dallas area. Rest assured that your implants will only be placed by professionals who are truly experts in their field.
During the procedure, your gums will be opened up to reveal your jawbone. The implants are placed directly into your jawbone and your gum tissue is sealed back up. Because the titanium posts are incredibly biocompatible, they will begin the process of osseointegration almost immediately. Osseointegration is the process by which your implants fuse to your jawbone until they’re essentially the same structure.
It usually takes three to six months for osseointegration to be fully complete. Once you’re finished healing, you’ll undergo another minor surgery to receive your abutments. Abutments are little metal connectors that are placed on top of your implants, and they allow your restoration to be secured in place. After this procedure is done and your gums have healed, you’ll return to our office to receive your custom-made crown, bridge, or denture.
Once you see Dr. Shwarts again, he’ll take impressions of your mouth and send them off to a dental lab, where a team of ceramists will get to work crafting your restoration. These impressions help it resemble the teeth you were born with almost perfectly. We’ll place it atop your abutments as soon as we receive it, and voila! You can enjoy your new and improved smile for years, even decades, to come!
Because there are so many factors that can affect your timeline of receiving dental implants in Dallas, the best way to learn how long it will take is to contact us to schedule a consultation. Our team is more than happy to answer any questions you may have about implants and how they can give you a smile you can be proud of!
BENEFITS OF DENTAL IMPLANTS
The reason dental implants stand above all other tooth replacements is that they accomplish something no other treatment can: restore both the root and crown of a tooth. Small titanium posts that act as tooth roots are placed into the jawbone, and these provide the foundation for the new teeth. It’s no wonder more than 3 million people already have them and more than 500,000 are placed each year. You will find the benefits of dental implants in Dallas far outweigh those of any other tooth replacement solution.
Below are just a few reasons Dr. Shwarts recommends dental implants to almost every patient with gaps in their smile.
- Hot beverages and hard foods can easily be consumed while wearing dental implants. Unlike dentures that can become warped or damaged when drinking hot coffee or eating dense, coarse foods, dental implants in Dallas can withstand the pressure.
- Dental implants are capable of providing a better quality of life and offer improved self-confidence. You’ll begin to feel more comfortable talking to others and showing off your smile in photos and at social gatherings.
- You can expect your implants to remain firmly in place because of their surgical placement. Dentures and fixed bridges rely on natural suction or healthy abutment teeth to remain in place. With implants, you can eat, speak, and chew with greater ease.
- By choosing to replace your missing teeth with the help of a skilled implant dentist in Dallas, you can help improve your overall health, minimize the risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis, and potentially extend your lifespan.
- Your dental implants will never cause gum irritation or wear down your health teeth because they are their own prosthetic. Your natural, healthy teeth will remain untouched when pursuing dental implants.
- You can easily clean and maintain your dental implants thanks to the way they mimic your natural tooth structure. Brushing, flossing, and rinsing do not require special tools or products. You only need a soft-bristled toothbrush, dental floss, and mouthwash to keep your mouth clean.
- You’ll enjoy greater oral health not only because of the ease of cleaning but also because of the continued stimulation to your jawbone. Because your implants are surgically placed within the bone, they keep your jawbone strong and reduce the chances of facial collapse.
- The initial success rate of dental implant placement is 98%; however, after 10 years, their success rate remains between 90 and 95%!
- With dental implants, you’ll actually save money in the long run. Although a more expensive investment in the beginning, the lack of relining and replacements you’ll need in addition to forgoing any denture adhesives and cleaning solutions will allow you to save substantially more over the years.
- If you want a smile that is designed to last a lifetime, you cannot go wrong with dental implants. However, you must commit to maintaining them and cleaning them properly.
WHO DENTAL IMPLANTS CAN HELP
Because dental implants are so versatile, they can be used to replace any number of missing teeth. After your dental implant dentist in Dallas examines your mouth, they will determine whether you’re eligible for this procedure and come up with a personalized treatment plan to rebuild your smile.
At your initial consultation, Dr. Shwarts will find out whether you have the three factors that qualify you for dental implant treatment:
- Good oral and overall health – You’ll have to be healthy enough to undergo a minor surgical procedure. Any oral health problems, like cavities or gum disease, should be addressed before the surgery.
- A strong, healthy jawbone – Your jawbone is the foundation for your implant posts and your restorations, so the bone will need to have enough density to accommodate the implants.
- Dedication to good oral hygiene – To ensure your dental implants in Dallas last as long as possible, proper oral hygiene is a must. In addition to regular brushing, flossing, and dental checkups, you should also quit bad oral habits (smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, nail-biting, etc.) to keep your implants in great condition for as long as possible.
If you don’t meet all of the qualifications right now, don’t worry! You may still be a candidate for dental implants if you’re able to undergo certain preparatory procedures first, such as gum disease therapy, bone grafting, or sinus lifts.
Once your mouth is ready to receive dental implants, we can decide the number of posts you’ll need and the restoration you’ll require based on the extent of your tooth loss:
To fill the gap created by a single missing tooth, a dental implant can be inserted into the empty space and topped with an all-porcelain dental crown. This is a more conservative approach compared to a regular dental bridge, in which the nearby teeth have to be reshaped and cut down in order to make room for the prosthetic.
Instead of replacing each individual missing tooth with a dental implant, a small number of posts can be strategically positioned in the jaw to deliver the maximum support for a custom-made restoration. Several lost teeth in a row can be brought back with an implant-supported bridge, in which an implant is placed at either end of the gap to retain your prosthetic. If you’re missing multiple teeth throughout your mouth, a partial denture can be anchored onto a few implant posts, delivering a more secure option than a traditional partial.
Even if you’ve lost all of your teeth on one or both arches, dental implants can help. It just takes four to six well-placed implants to restore an entire row of teeth using an implant denture. These prosthetics tend to be smaller and leave more room in the mouth than regular removable dentures, but they are notably more stable, helping patients recover much more of their bite strength. This, in turn, allows them to enjoy a more varied and healthy diet, which can lead to improved overall health.
UNDERSTANDING THE COST OF DENTAL IMPLANTS
Every dental implant treatment provided by Dr. Shwarts is completely personalized based on the needs of the patient, meaning the price always varies from person to person. To learn what your particular procedure will cost, we recommend scheduling a consultation. Even though implants do tend to be more expensive up front compared to other replacements, they are guaranteed to last many, many times longer, which helps patients save tremendously on periodic maintenance over time.
Unlike other tooth replacement options, getting dental implants is a multistep process. Your smile will be rebuilt over several months and across several stages, so you won’t have to pay for your entire treatment all at once. Some of these stages include preliminary treatments like gum disease therapy or tooth extractions, which carry their own unique cost. Surgery can also maintain it’s own unique price, and this price goes up when coupled with anesthesia. Since we partner with local specialists to complete care, their fees will be separate from what you find at our office.
The more dental implants you need to replace teeth, the more you’ll need to pay. The materials that make up your dental implant will factor into how much you’ll need to pay per implant. Prices can also vary based on brand and manufacturer. The specialists we work with are more than happy to answer questions you have about the materials and specific implants we utilize.
If your restoration needs to be more complex to make your smile complete, then its cost will generally be higher. Dental implants can hold any variety of dental restorations, including crowns, bridges, and dentures, so you can expect the final price tag of your treatment to reflect that. All of our restorations are customized to keep your bite even and look incredibly natural, so you can smile and eat your favorite foods with confidence.
Since every dental insurance policy is different, we invite you to bring your insurance paperwork to your consultation. Our talented team has years of experience maximizing our patients’ benefits, and we’ll be more than happy to help you understand the details of your policy. In most cases, insurance will cover at least some of your dental implant treatment phases, such as tooth extractions, gum therapy, and the implant restoration. We also offer financing options to help break down the cost of your smile into easy monthly payments that fit into your budget.
Dental implants can potentially keep your smile looking and feeling its best for a lifetime, but we understand if you need help making them more affordable. That’s why we offer options for those who either don’t have insurance or their plan didn’t offer enough coverage. This includes our in-house financing, which allows for plans that budget care over the span of 6 to 36 months, often with very little to zero interest attached. Alternatively, you can gain access to a 15% discount on your dental implant treatment when you sign up for our VIP Member Plan as well!
ADVANCED DENTAL IMPLANT PROCEDURES
Dental implants have an incredibly high success rate, but not everyone is automatically a good candidate for implant treatment. If you have been missing teeth for quite some time, it’s possible that your jawbone has gradually deteriorated. Insufficient jawbone depth is a common factor in implant failure. Thankfully, advanced dental implant procedures in Dallas can help rebuild your jawbone and pave the way to successfully restoring your smile with dental implants. Keep reading to learn more about bone grafts and sinus lifts at Shwarts Family Dentistry in Dallas.
If you have a weakened jawbone from years of missing teeth, you may be able to benefit from bone grafting in Dallas. This advanced procedure can enhance the thickness of your jawbone by transferring a small piece of bone to the weakened area of your jaw.
The new bone material will stimulate your body to produce new bone cells in the affected area, thereby slowly building your jawbone back to full strength and thickness.
The small piece of bone or grafting material use in this procedure can come from:
- The patient’s hip bone or rear jawbone
- A separate human donor
- An animal source
- Synthetic grafting material
A bone grafting procedure at Shwarts Family Dentistry in Dallas typically requires three to six months to fully heal. Once your jawbone is back to full strength, you will be ready to receive your dental implants.
If you are missing a tooth in the upper arch, you may not have enough bone near the maxillary sinuses to support dental implants. If this is the case for you, a sinus lift in Dallas can make room for new bone to be added to the area near your molars and premolars.
Sinus lift surgery begins with a small incision in the gum tissue where your back teeth used to be. Next, Dr. Shwarts will open a small window in the underlying bone and gently lift the sinus membrane up and away from your jaw. Grafting material is then placed in the hole to stimulate new bone growth. Finally, Dr. Shwarts will stitch up your gums and the healing process will begin.
DENTAL IMPLANT FAQS
When it comes to tooth replacement, dental implants are the best that dentistry has to offer. This unique treatment is truly unlike more traditional options like dentures and dental bridges, so it’s natural to have a few questions about it. For your convenience, we’ve gathered some of the most common questions about dental implants in Dallas to help you learn more about them. If you don’t see the answers you’re looking for below, don’t hesitate to give us a call or schedule your consultation!
Thankfully, dental implants are a great choice for almost anyone missing one or more teeth! However, you may need to complete a few preliminary treatments first to become an ideal candidate. To know for certain, you should schedule a consultation with Dr. Shwarts. He’ll review your smile goals as well as your health. If you needed, he’ll work with you to create a custom treatment plan to get your oral health back on track. Once you’re ready for your brand-new smile, he’ll help you choose a highly trained implant dentist in Dallas for the next step of your dental implant treatment.
While undergoing dental implant surgery may sound daunting at first, there’s no need to worry. We partner with the finest oral surgeons and periodontists to ensure this step of your treatment goes as smoothly and comfortably as possible. Thanks to modern numbing medication and sedation dentistry options, most patients report that they don’t feel any discomfort at all during their dental implant surgery.
Unlike other tooth replacement options, dental implants require a multistep procedure. The length of your treatment will depend on several factors, like whether you need preliminary dental care and how many dental implants you’re having placed. The longest part of the dental implant procedure is usually the recovery period after the placement surgery. In most cases, it takes between four and six months for your mouth to fully heal and be ready for the placement of your final restoration.
Since every dental insurance policy is slightly different, you’ll need to review the details of your plan to see what it covers. Feel free to bring your insurance paperwork with you to your consultation and we’ll be happy to review it with you. Some dental insurance companies will cover your preliminary treatment or portions of your dental implant. Our knowledgeable team will file your claims for you and make sure you’re maximizing your benefits. In addition, we’re also proud to offer financing options to help break up the cost of your treatment into easy monthly payments. At Shwarts Family Dentistry in Dallas, we believe everyone should be able to achieve the happy, healthy smile they deserve, so we’ll do everything we can to make your treatment as affordable as possible.
MAINTAINING & CARING FOR YOUR DENTAL IMPLANTS
When you consider how dental implants can last for decades, if not for the rest of your life, it’s no surprise that more and more patients are choosing them over traditional dentures and bridges. Of course, for that to occur, you’ll need to practice good dental implant care in Dallas. Luckily, many of the same habits that help protect your natural teeth can do the same for your new ones. To ensure your new smile lasts a lifetime, just follow the simple tips below. As always, contact our friendly team at Shwarts Family Dentistry in Dallas if you have any questions!
Just because dental implants in Dallas are cavity-proof doesn’t mean that oral hygiene isn’t important. The gums supporting your implants can still become infected as a result of plaque buildup. Known as peri-implantitis, this condition could eventually destroy the bone at the implant site, ultimately causing implant failure.
To avoid infection, keep brushing twice a day and flossing at least once daily. If you’re having difficulty flossing around the implant, you may want to try an interdental brush or water flosser to help clear out plaque from that area. You should also rinse with mouthwash every day. It can be a great way to kill bacteria that you may have missed when brushing and flossing.
It’s okay to have a sweet treat every once in a while, but doing so often shouldn’t become a habit. To ensure the long-term of your dental implant as well as your remaining teeth, your diet should be balanced and include a variety of foods that promote positive oral health. This includes foods rich in calcium, Vitamin A, C, D, and phosphorus, to name a few. Incorporate vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and dairy products into your meals daily.
Dental implants are not indestructible, which means they can still wear down, chip, and even crack and break if you use them inappropriately. For example, chewing pens, pencils, or fingernails is out of the question. You should also avoid using them to open bottles or packages. Instead, use the right tool for the job. That means nail clippers for trimming nails, bottle openers for beverages, and either a knife or scissors for packages.
Do you enjoy being active? Certain sports can put your smile at risk if you’re not careful, such as football, basketball, or boxing. Any activity that carries a high risk for impact should be performed only when wearing the right protective gear, and that includes a custom mouthguard. We recommend professionally made versions over store-bought ones for the best comfort, protection, and longevity.
It should go without saying that having a healthy smile requires routine dental checkups and cleanings. During these appointments, which should take place at least twice a year, your implant dentist in Dallas can make sure your implants are still functioning properly. The earlier we identify any problems, the easier they will be to treat.
WHAT OUR PATIENTS SAY
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I was fortunate to find Dr Shwarts when my long time dentist retired. He gives you adequate attention and his expert advice then let’s you make the decisions regarding any work. A perfect fit for me and I highly recommend him.
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