Dental Implants — Rochester, NY

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

During your initial consultation with your implant dentist in Rochester, you can expect our team to visually examine your oral cavity as well as capture digital images of your oral and facial structure. This will allow us to determine if you need preliminary treatments such as periodontal therapy, bone grafting, sinus lifts, or tooth extraction before moving forward with dental implant surgery. Although these procedures add to your overall timeframe for a new smile, they will ensure your dental implant placement is a success.

Dental Implant Surgery

One of the great aspects of receiving dental implants in Rochester at Vollo Dental Group is that we can perform your oral surgery in-house, eliminating the need to provide a referral. After administering local anesthesia, we will make one or more small incisions in the gums to expose the jawbone. Creating the necessary entrance point, we will place each titanium post into the appropriate area of the bone before closing the gum tissue and placing a healing cap over the area.

Dental Implant Osseointegration/Abutment

Once you return home after your dental implant surgery, you can expect osseointegration to take place. This involves 3-6 months of recovery and allowing your bone and implant to fuse, creating a solid foundation for your new teeth. Once our team believes you are fully healed, you will return to have your metal abutment(s) put into place. These serve as small appliances that connect your restoration to your implant posts.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations

The last stage of dental implant placement is receiving your customized restoration. Because dental implants are highly versatile in treating all types of tooth loss, it is possible to receive an implant crown, implant bridge, or implant dentures. Depending on how many teeth you have replaced, the appropriate restoration will be crafted by lab technicians. Its size, shape, and color will be based on specifications provided by our team to ensure it matches the rest of your smile while looking and feeling completely natural.

Look & Feel Your Very Best

Dental implants are custom-made out of durable and lifelike materials for seamless results. In fact, once placed, dental implants are practically indistinguishable from natural teeth. However, dental implants aren’t just good for the appearance of your smile. They also prevent jawbone deterioration and reduce your risk of oral and overall health issues as well so you can look and feel your best!

Eat All Your Favorite Foods

Eating with missing teeth or removable dentures can make it much more difficult to enjoy certain foods. Thankfully, with dental implants, you can continue to enjoy all your favorite meals with ease! Since they’re anchored into your jawbone, they are incredibly sturdy and reliable. They can restore 85% or more of your natural biting force, allowing you to comfortably eat crisp apples, savory steaks, crunchy movie time snacks, and virtually anything else on your plate!

Speak, Chew, & Smile with Confidence

While traditional dentures are a classic way to quickly and easily replace missing teeth, they’re notorious for slipping or popping out of place. You can easily become distracted, uncomfortable, or embarrassed while eating or talking with them. With dental implants, this concern is a thing of the past. Their firm foundation beneath the gums instead of on top of them ensures that you’ll never feel them move around in your day-to-day life.

Easily Care for Your New Smile

Not only do dental implants look and feel like natural teeth, but they’re cared for just as easily as well! Simply brush your teeth for two minutes twice a day, clean between your teeth with floss daily, and use an antibacterial mouthwash regularly to keep the supportive tissues that help keep your dental implant in place strong and healthy. Throughout your dental implant treatment, your Rochester dentist will give you personalized advice and coaching that will help keep your new smile looking, functioning, and feeling its best for decades to come.

Enjoy a Healthy, Happy Smile for a Lifetime

Dentures and dental bridges both lose their fit, become uncomfortable, and need to be replaced after several years of use. Not only is this inconvenient, but it can end up being quite expensive as well. On the other hand, dental implants are designed to be a permanent solution for tooth loss. In fact, you can easily expect to enjoy your newly rebuilt smile for life with the proper care!

Who is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?

At Vollo Dental Group, we recommend dental implants to most patients who have lost teeth. In order to qualify for this treatment, you must be in good oral health, meaning you do not have gum disease or another infection. You also need to have a strong jawbone to support and hold the implants in place. If you do not meet these criteria, your implants will likely fail. However, we can address these obstacles and get in a position where you do qualify. For example, if you have gum disease, we can get it under control through periodontal therapy, or if needed, you can have a bone graft to bolster the jawbone.

Missing 1 Tooth

An implant-supported dental crown is the very best option for rebuilding the single missing tooth. Unlike with a fixed bridge, which involves removing healthy enamel, a dental implant will not harm the surrounding natural teeth. The implant post is surgically placed beneath the gumline and allowed to heal together with the jaw, replicating real tooth structure. After 4 to 6 months, it is restored with a natural-looking dental crown on top. In fact, no one should be able to tell the tooth is prosthetic.

Missing Multiple Teeth

When we replace lost permanent teeth, we don’t always use the same number of implants. Depending on your unique situation, we may be more efficient! For patients who are missing several teeth, an implant-retained bridge can be used to replace three or more consecutive teeth by anchoring in place over two implants, which have been placed on either side of the gap. These implants provide the stability needed for the bridge, so we don’t have to disturb or reduce the surrounding natural teeth.

Missing All Teeth

Dental implants can also be used to effectively replace several teeth or even an entire arch! Instead of using one implant per tooth, this technique can save our patients cost while still providing them with revitalizing, long-term improvements. Implant dentures come in two major forms – the hybrid model is designed to be permanently fixed in place within the mouth, while overdentures remain removable in nature for patients who are already used to this convenience.

Learn More About Implant Dentures

Types of Dental Implants

You may not have guessed it, but there are several different types of dental implants. Depending on your needs, your dentist in Rochester will discuss the different options with you at your initial consultation. Factors like how many posts you need and what materials they’re made from do affect the cost.

If you’re planning on having a single tooth replaced with an implant-retained crown, that’s going to be a less expensive procedure that an implant denture that requires anywhere from four to six posts to be placed. Dr. Vollo can walk you through the different factors and help breakdown the price of your procedure during your first appointment.

Stages of Dental implant Treatment

The process of getting implant-retained restorations can be broken down into a few stages. The great thing about this is that you won’t need to pay for everything at once. Rather, you’ll pay for each procedure you have over the course of several months. Here are the different stages you can expect to pay for:

• Initial Consultation: Your initial consultation will consist of an office fee as well as digital images that will be captured of your mouth and facial structure to inspect your oral health.
• Preparatory Procedures: Some patients need additional procedures such as bone grafts, tooth extractions, or a sinus lift before their implant surgery can be scheduled.
• Implant Surgery: Whether you need anesthesia or sedation during your surgery, these will impact the cost.
• Abutment and Restoration Placement: After your gums have healed and your posts have naturally fused with your jawbone, your implant dentist, Dr. Joseph Vollo, will place your abutments. These are connector pieces that attach your restorations securely in your mouth. Depending on whether you need a bridge, crown, or denture, the cost will vary.

Are Dental implants Worth the Investment?

Patients and professionals will agree that yes, dental implants are well worth the investment of time and money. They’re a cost-effective solution that can last for several decades with the right care. Plus, they reduce your risk of developing oral health problems down the road and prevent jawbone erosion and additional tooth loss.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

To find out if your insurance policy covers dental implants, it’s best to contact your provider. However, most insurance companies consider this procedure to be cosmetic. At Vollo Dental Group, we don’t want our patients to have to put necessary oral health treatments on hold because of their budget, which is why we offer additional financing options. These are budget-friendly payment plans through CareCredit that have little or even no interest attached. We’ll be more than happy to help walk you through the process, or you can fill out the application online!

What Is the CBCT Scanner?

CBCT stands for “cone beam computer tomography.” Similar machines, called CT machines, are often used in hospitals to help doctors get a clear view of what is happening beneath the skin. It is used when the level of detail provided by typical X-rays is not sufficient. The same is true of the CBCT scanner in dentistry. It helps us to get an in-depth, three-dimensional view of, not just a patient’s teeth, but also the nerves, connective tissues, and other structures in the head and neck.

The machine works by emitting a cone-shaped beam of radiation (the same type of radiation used for X-rays). It captures countless images, and then those images are assembled in a way that makes it easy for a dentist to analyze them.

The CBCT Scanner & Dental Implants

The CBCT scanner is particularly useful during the dental implant process because the detailed, three-dimensional images it provides help us to plan the entire tooth replacement journey. For example, a scan can let us know if there is enough room in your jaw to support the implants, or if your sinus cavities have become enlarged to the point where a sinus lift is necessary before your implant placement surgery.

The images are also essential in helping the doctor who will place the implants to know what to expect during the surgery. If there is anything unusual about your oral anatomy, the doctor can anticipate those issues and thereby greatly reduce your risk of suffering from complications.

What to Expect During a CBCT Scan

The CBCT scanning process is simple, quick, and painless. Before your scan, we may ask you to remove jewelry, eyeglasses, and anything else that might interfere with the final images. Then, we’ll help to position you correctly in the machine. You’ll need to stay very still as the machine’s arm rotates around you. It usually does not take more than 20 – 40 seconds to complete a scan.

Although the CBCT scanner emits a higher level of radiation than normal X-rays, it is safe for most patients. Just be sure to let us know if you are pregnant so we can be extra-aware of the need to take precautions.

Our CBCT scanner is a remarkable piece of technology that can aid in the successful placement of dental implants near Greece. To learn more about it, or about any aspect of the dental implant procedure, contact our team today. 

Bone Grafting

Once tooth loss occurs and the jawbone no longer has any stimulation in the form of a root in place, deterioration is likely to become a gradual process. If a patient has been missing teeth for many years and is now interested in dental implants, we may find that their remaining bone structure in the necessary areas cannot successfully support the placement. However, this doesn’t have to be a problem! Your dentist in Rochester can perform a site-specific bone grafting procedure as a solution to recreate an adequate foundation for implant placement.

Socket Preservation After Tooth Extraction

When we extract a natural tooth for whatever reason, a small hole is left in the mouth that can shrink and recede very quickly. In order to preserve this area for the eventual placement of a dental implant, socket preservation can be performed. This can be accomplished in several ways, including the addition of new bone material, an artificial membrane, or stimulating proteins. Our goal is to heal the surgical site while preventing the collapse of nearby tissue and create a solid foundation for the new implant down the road.

Making Oral Hygiene a Priority

Tooth loss can take a serious toll on your oral health but so can poor dental hygiene. While it’s true that dental implants in Rochester cannot decay, any regular teeth can, which is why brushing twice a day for two minutes, flossing at least once a day, and using an antiseptic mouthwash can help eliminate bad bacteria and keep your pearly whites, both real and artificial, looking and feeling their best. This morning and evening routine will also ensure optimal gum health, which is essential if you want to avoid inflammation and infection that can attack your soft tissues and eventually cause dental implant failure.

Eating a Healthy Diet

There’s a good chance your physician has explained the importance of eating healthy foods. Not only can they positively benefit your mind and body, but they can also impact your gum and teeth. Unlike sugars and starches that cause harmful bacteria and acids to eat away at your tooth enamel and cause cavities, leafy greens, foods rich in Vitamin C and calcium, and plenty of lean proteins can keep your dental implants firmly in place.

Breaking Bad Habits

It can be hard to break a bad habit; however, if you know that what you’re knowingly or unknowingly doing day-in and day-out can damage your dental investment, you’ll want to quit. Smoking, using your teeth as tools, eating ice, and even chewing on pens and pencils can weaken tooth enamel and cause chips or cracks in your dental implants. As a result, you’ll have to have them replaced, adding more money and time to your smile. Save yourself from an emergency dental visit and instead, find ways to kick tobacco to the curb and/or break any other unhealthy habits for good.

Protecting our Dental Implants

If you play sports, there’s a good chance your smile is at risk for serious injury. No matter the physical activity, you could experience a sudden accident that injures your mouth. Fortunately, a customized mouthguard can help safeguard your teeth and gums while allowing you to still engage in your favorite game. You might also think about talking to your implant dentist in Rochester about a nightguard if you are prone to grinding your teeth at night.

Scheduling Regular Dental Checkups

Your dentist is your ally in maintaining a healthy smile. No matter if you had only one tooth replaced or an entire arch, they will help you to avoid serious problems early on and keep your teeth looking their best. With regular six-month dental checkups and cleanings, you can better equip yourself to stay ahead of any potential oral health problems and make sure you’re doing everything you can (and should) to keep your dental implants right where they belong.

Are Dental Implants Safe?

If you have good oral and overall health, you can expect dental implants to be very successful when placed by a professional who plans your treatment properly. However, those who have low jawbone density or gum disease will need to have these problems addressed ahead of time before oral surgery can occur. Additionally, if you have a preexisting condition, such as cancer, diabetes, or other medical issues that could increase the risk or healing effectiveness of your implant, we’ll make sure to discuss it with you during your consultation.

Am I Too Old to Get Dental Implants?

Technically, there is no age limit to receive dental implants. As soon as you are a full-grown adult and your jawbone has fully developed, you should be able to replace teeth through this procedure. With that said, older folks tend to have other health issues that can make the dental implant process more complicated, but not impossible. These concerns will be addressed during your initial consultation with our team.

Can I Take Dental Implants Out?

Dental implants are designed to mimic tooth roots as closely as possible, which means they are not designed to be removed once they are fully integrated. With that said, certain implant dentures can be removed for more effective cleaning, but even this option does not involve removing the actual implants.

What Should I Do If My Dental Implant Feels Loose?

The moment you notice your dental implant feeling loose or shifting out of place, give our office a call right away. Much like how your natural tooth should never feel loose, a loose dental implant is an indicator that the implant is failing due to infection (peri-implantitis) or because the post never integrated properly with the bone tissue.

How Long Does Dental Implant Surgery Take?

The length of your implant procedure will vary depending on what treatments are needed ahead of time as well as the number of implants that need to be placed. A single implant can take one to two hours to place, which includes the time it takes to administer necessary anesthesia. We’ll also need to dress you so a sterile, surgical environment can be created.

Is There Anything I Shouldn’t Eat with Dental Implants?

During the recovery period, you will need to stick to a diet of mostly soft foods, like plain yogurt, applesauce, and vegetable soup. After that, you can eat pretty much anything. That said, there are a few foods we recommend avoiding as your dental team. The first is sticky foods, like marshmallows, taffy, and caramel candies, since they can tug on your restoration and the sugar will stick to your teeth. The second is crunchy snacks, like hard pretzels, because they increase the risk of a chip or crack.

How Long Do Dental Implants Last? 

One of the many perks of dental implants is that they have a long lifespan. In fact, while dental bridges and dentures can last for upwards of a decade, dental implants can last for 30 years. The key is proper care, so make sure that you commit to good oral hygiene habits at home and come to our Rochester dental office twice a year for a dental checkup and cleaning.