Dental Implants – Custer, SD

What are Dental Implants?

Dental implants themselves are small titanium posts that are surgically placed below the surface of your gums to mimic the natural structure of the roots of your teeth. Due to their biocompatible nature, they’re able to fuse with your jawbone through a process called osseointegration. This provides a strong and stable foundation for your dental crown, bridge, or denture to be secured to.

The 4 Step Dental
Implant Process

Most dental implant procedures are accomplished in four simple steps, although it's important to remember that every case is different. If you ever have any questions or concerns about what to expect, rest assured that our team is committed to transparency and helping you feel comfortable as we work on rebuilding your smile. The steps are: 

• Initial Dental Implant Consultation: First, we will want to perform a dedicated exam of your oral health and the tooth or teeth that require replacement. This will allow Dr. Bolen to formulate the best plan of action for your specific case! 
• Dental Implant Surgery: Then, the dental implants will need to be surgically placed within the jawbone. This appointment can be completed with or without oral sedation and nitrous oxide to help patient’s relax during the surgery.
• Dental Implant Osseointegration/Abutment: Once a dental implant has been placed, it needs time to form a bond with the jawbone and create a solid foundation to support replacement teeth. This process is known as osseointegration, and it usually takes a few months. We may also need to place an abutment, which will connect to your eventual new crown on top of your implant.
• Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration(s): Finally, it's time to place your new, lifelike teeth over the implant(s)! Dr. Bolen will make sure the new restoration is comfortable, functional, and built to last. 

Benefits of
Dental Implants

Dental implants offer a wide variety of unique benefits that set them apart from traditional tooth replacement solutions. Some of the advantages of choosing this advanced dental treatment include:

• Long lifespan with routine maintenance
• Treatment success rate of 98 percent
• Natural looking and feeling restorations
• Replace the entire structure of your tooth
• Enhanced biting and chewing power
• No more unstable restorations
• No alteration of your surrounding teeth is necessary
• Easy to maintain
• Preservation of your jawbone density
• Maintain your current facial structure
• Avoid sagging, drooping, or sunken-in cheeks

Who Dental Implants Can Help?

The best way to find out whether dental implants are right for you is to schedule a New Patient Exam with Dr. Bolen. Our team will conduct a thorough oral examination and talk to you about your medical history. We’ll go over all of your treatment options and, based on your 3D CBCT and X-rays and our examination, we’ll create a customized dental implant treatment plan to walk you through.

Missing Single Tooth

If you’re missing a single tooth, we can place one dental implant below your gums in the gap. Once it has fused with your jawbone, we’ll be able to secure a small, metal connector piece to it called an abutment that will attach a customized dental crown in your mouth and complete your arch of teeth.

Missing Multiple Teeth

If you’re missing two or more consecutive teeth, we can secure a customized dental bridge to two implants placed on either side of the gap in your smile. This will eliminate the need to alter your surrounding teeth, which we would need to do if we placed a traditional dental bridge.

Missing All Teeth

If you’re missing all of your teeth, we can secure a denture in place using anywhere from four to eight strategically placed dental implants. Once your denture is attached, you won’t have to worry about it slipping or shifting when you eat or speak.

Understanding the Cost
of Dental Implants

Each dental implant treatment differs depending on your unique needs and desires. If you’re missing a couple of teeth, your treatment will look very different from somebody who’s missing all of their teeth along an arch. The cost of your treatment can vary depending on a variety of factors, like how many implants you need to have placed, whether you require preparatory procedures like bone grafting, and what restoration you require. That’s why we’ll walk you through your treatment plans and the cost details during your initial consultation, including answering any financing questions you may have.