Dental Implants And What To Expect

Forest Smiles – The Best Dentist in Lynchburg, VA

Dr. Claiborne is one of the top dental implant specialist in Virginia . We are going to explain the procedure for you . A dental implant is a surgically placed titanium screw which can hold a tooth or several teeth in place.  . After the surgical placement of the dental implant, the process of ossentegration occurs and the surrounding bone and implant surface fuse together. The dental implant acts as a replacement to the lost root of a tooth. This “root” can then be used to support single teeth, or joined together to support multiple teeth or stabilize dentures. How long will implants last? At least 10 years and in some cases,   They should last a lifetime.  However, we all can sight examples where teeth have not served for a person’s lifetime.  We know that dental problems mostly stem from improper home care or lack of treatment when needed.  The same holds true for implants.  With proper care and routine dental check-ups they should last a very long time 🙂

WHAT IS THE COST OF A DENTAL IMPLANT AND WILL MY INSURANCE COVER IT?

Typically dental insurance does not cover dental implants.  But we are seeing some insurance carriers start to cover them.  The surgical placement of one implant is around $1500.  The cost to place one tooth on an implant is $850-1350.  A typical set of dentures retained by two implants will average $5000.    Because Dr. Claiborne performs both the surgical aspect and the prosthetic aspect of implant dentistry, he is able to pass substantial savings onto his patients.