Restore Your Smile and Oral Health
Dental Implants in Chicago
Having one or more missing teeth can cause difficulties in chewing and speaking while also potentially affecting the alignment of your remaining teeth. Moreover, an incomplete smile may lead to bone loss and increase the risk of losing more teeth. However, there is a solution to restore your smile and oral health: dental implants in Chicago. Reach out to Strobel Dentistry today to discover how dental implants can help you regain a complete and confident smile.
Seamlessly Blends Into Your Smile
What are Dental Implants?
Dental implants serve as excellent replacements for missing teeth, seamlessly mimicking both the appearance and functionality of natural teeth.
Typically, a single dental implant consists of a titanium post that is securely placed in the jawbone, followed by the attachment of an abutment connecting the implant to a tooth restoration such as a crown, bridge, or denture. Once the implant has fully healed, you can enjoy the pleasure of eating your favorite foods, maintaining oral hygiene, and engaging in basic activities like smiling and speaking with utmost ease. With dental implants Chicago dentists — alongside their global counterparts—recognize these compelling benefits and consistently extend their high recommendations, endorsing them as the preferred solution.
Improve Function and Speech
What are the benefits of Dental Implants?
Dental implants are created to mimic the appearance of your natural teeth. At Strobel Dentistry in Chicago dental implants serve as an aesthetic, effective solution for missing or damaged teeth and can:
- Restore your smile
- Improve function and speech
- Promote optimal oral health
- Protect healthy bone structure
- Provide long-term tooth replacement
For Healthy Bones
Your Dental Implants Consultation
During your visit, the doctor will carefully consider several factors to determine if you are a candidate for dental implants. Some of these considerations include:
- Adequate bone support to anchor the implant
- Healthy gum tissue
- Sinus and nerve location
- Overall health, including any chronic illnesses.
At Strobel Dentistry, our treatment philosophy is found by actively involving and educating our patients during treatment planning. If we determine you are an ideal candidate for dental implants, we will review your options, field your questions and discuss the next steps with you. If you are curious about what benefits or financial options may be available to you, our admin team can help. Get in touch today!
Fitted For You
Your Dental Implants Procedure
Once your evaluation is complete and you’ve opted to pursue implant restoration with dental implants, the process is pretty straightforward:
Prepare The Area
If the tooth still needs to be removed, this first phase involves extraction and bone grafting/regeneration if additional support is needed prior to implant placement.
If it’s a tooth from your upper arch and it’s been missing for a while, your sinuses may have started to encroach into the space the implant needs. A sinus lift would then be needed before the implant can be started.
In some cases, the dental implant can be placed immediately in the context of these procedures, but more often than not, a period of 3-4 months of healing is necessary post-extraction to ensure the area is ready.
Place The Implant
Once we have adequate support and space, it’s time to place the surgical implant – this is the titanium post that goes into the gum and bone and will eventually support the prosthetic tooth (crown) that completes your restoration. An additional 3-4 months of healing is typically needed after this phase to ensure that the dental implant has successfully integrated with your bone and is ready to support a crown.
Get Your New Tooth!
After the doctor has confirmed that the dental implant is healthy and successfully integrated into your bone, we’ll be ready to make you the final restoration, your implant crown.
This takes two visits: first, you’ll come in for a scan so we have all the information we need to design and mill your crown. One week later, you come back to have your crown fitted and placed. Then you celebrate being done with your brand new tooth!
A Healthy Grin
Dental Implants Recovery and Aftercare
Immediate Steps
If bleeding is present, bite down gently for the first 30 minutes on the gauze provided, making sure to keep it in place. Do not change gauze during this time unless the bleeding is uncontrolled. You may then change the gauze as necessary every 30 minutes if there is continued bleeding. If necessary, Apply ice packs to the outside of the cheek 2-3 times an hour for the first 1-2 days.
What to Look For
Symptoms
Bleeding: Some blood in the saliva is normal for the first day after your procedure. If more significant bleeding persists after the first 1-2 hours, avoid physical activity, use ice packs, and bite gently on a moistened tea bag to promote clotting. If the bleeding doesn’t abate, call the office. Quickly pooling bright red blood is not normal; if this persists, call the office immediately.
Bruising/Swelling: Bruising and swelling are normal side effects of your procedure and will reach their peak 2-3 days after surgery. Apply ice packs 2-3 times an hour for the first 2 days to reduce swelling. Keep your head slightly elevated when you sleep for the first 2 Nights. After 3 days, you may use moist heat to reduce any inflammation.
Numbness: After leaving the office, you may experience numbness for several hours due to the effects of the local anesthetic. It is essential to exercise caution and avoid biting, chewing, pinching, or scratching the numb area to prevent any accidental injury. Stay mindful of your actions until the numbness subsides to ensure your safety and well-being.
Dental Implant appearance: You should not be able to see the placed implant as your gums will cover the area. This is good and should not be disturbed. If a healing cap was placed, you will see silver emerging through the gums. Avoid stretching your lip to inspect the area, as this can disturb the surgical site and cause wound breakdown.
Best Practices
Activity Guidelines
Activity: Avoid excessive physical activity and strenuous exercise for the first 2 days after your procedure. Such activity increases blood flow and can disturb the clotting process of the wound.
Brushing: Do not brush your teeth on the night of your surgery. After this, you may brush your teeth gently. If you had sutures placed, please avoid the area of surgery for 3 days.
Rinsing: To ensure proper healing, it is crucial to refrain from vigorous rinsing or swishing for 24 hours after your surgery. Such actions can disrupt the formation of a healing blood clot, which is essential for the recovery process. This disruption may lead to bleeding and increase the risk of dry socket. However, after the initial 24 hours, you may start gentle rinsing using a saltwater solution consisting of 1/2 teaspoon of salt mixed with 8 ounces of warm water. Once two days have passed, you can incorporate the special mouth rinse provided by your dentist into your oral care routine, using it three times a day in addition to brushing and flossing.
Diet: Restrict diet to soft foods and liquids until the numbness has subsided. Avoid alcohol for 2 days. Avoid foods such as seeds, nuts, or other items that may get lodged in the surgical area for the first couple of days. Generally, avoid chewing at the area of the implant during the healing process to promote successful integration until you are instructed otherwise.
Removable Appliances: If you use a denture, retainer, or other appliance in the area, you will likely need to leave it out for the first few days after the procedure. Every situation is different – the doctor will give you specific use instructions for your appliance. Call the office with any questions.
Smoking: Smoking can retard the healing process, prolong bleeding, increase discomfort, and increase your chances of developing dry socket. Chances for successful integration of the dental implant are greatly reduced by smoking. It is strongly advised that you avoid all smoking for 2 weeks prior to AND 2 weeks following surgery. Of course, we encourage you not to smoke for the duration of the healing process.
Prescription
Medications
In addition to the antibiotic administered to you before your procedure, you may be given a prescription for Tylenol #3. This should only be filled in the instance of moderate-severe pain.
For the first 2 days, you should take 1000mg of Tylenol (2) AND 400mg of ibuprofen (2) every 6 hours to prevent pain and help control inflammation. If needed, a gentle sedative may be administered before the procedure. If so, you will need someone to drive you home. If you are using oral contraceptives, please note that antibiotics and other medications may sometimes interfere with their efficacy. Consult with your doctor and/or dentist about any potential interaction and employ a different means of contraception for one full month if necessary.
Call us right away if:
We need to see you if you have heavy bleeding/continue to bleed after 24 hours, severe pain continued swelling after two or three days, or if you have a reaction to the medication.
Dental Implants Frequently Asked Questions
Your safety is our top priority! Our team is dedicated to participating in continuing education on implant dentistry. At Strobel Dentistry, we use the latest technology and most up-to-date strategies to provide you with unparalleled service. Implants today now have up to a 98% success rate, and maintaining regular visits to our office will allow us to provide you with care to ensure your implants will last for years.
As with any surgical procedure, there are risks associated with dental implants. Risks include: postoperative pain/discomfort/swelling/infection, prolonged or heavy bleeding, damage to adjacent teeth and structures, restricted oral movements related to swelling, nerve injury, bone loss around the implant, implant failure/rejection, jaw joint injury/spasm, and cracking/bruising around the mouth. Thankfully, advanced technology and training have reduced these to an absolute minimum in our practice. There are risks of not treating the area at all as well. If you opt for no implant and no alternate type of restoration, these risks may include bone loss, periodontal infection, shifting of adjacent and opposing teeth, increased difficulty chewing, and looseness of surrounding teeth, ultimately necessitating additional extractions.
Dental Implants Cost depends on a number of situations, such as whether or not your tooth has been extracted yet, or if you need additional bone support/sinus augmentation prior to implant placement. There’s no denying that the long-term viability of implants comes with a financial commitment; on average, an implant from start to finish will cost $4000-$4500 before any insurance benefits are applied. The good news is that most insurance companies will reimburse around 50% up to your annual benefit limit for implants! Additionally, that total breaks down into more manageable amounts, typically billed out over the course of treatment, which, as we’ve seen above, can be as long as a year, so it’s rare that you’d be responsible for that total all at once.
Find the Answers
Start your journey with Strobel Dentistry in Chicago
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We are proud to offer exceptionally experienced, compassionate, and comprehensive Chicago dental care to our patients. Contact us today or schedule an appointment online to take the first step toward your best experience and results.
