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Dental Implants — San Antonio, TX

Rebuild Missing Teeth Seamlessly

Dentist showing female patient implant model

When natural teeth are lost, it can lead to negative consequences for your oral health, your self-confidence, and your overall quality of life. Here in San Antonio,  Dr. Joseph Noble  wants to help you regain your complete, strong smile right away, and no treatment option is more effective or more long-lasting than dental implants.  Contact our practice today  to schedule your first appointment, or if you have any questions or concerns for our team members. We’re here to help!

Why Choose Dr. Joseph Noble, DDS For Dental Implants?

  • #1 Friendly & Highly Experienced Dentist & Team
  • #2 Replace Any Number of Missing Teeth for Life
  • #3 Partnered with Trusted Local Specialists

What Are Dental Implants?

digital illustration of a dental implant next to a tooth for comparison

Your tooth is composed of two equally important components. First, there’s the white crown that shows when you smile. However, the second piece is much more neglected: the root underneath the gum tissue. While the tooth root goes unseen, its presence is a very important stimulus for your jawbone. Without tooth roots in place, the bone begins to gradually resorb, which can lead to additional tooth loss. So why is this important? Dental implants are the only reconstructive treatment option available today that rebuilds both the crown and root of your tooth, preserving both your oral health and the aesthetic quality of your smile.

Of course, Dr. Noble understands that the budget and time commitment associated with dental implants aren’t right for every single patient in need. That’s why he’ll be sure to review every option with you in full, helping you select the right choice for your personal circumstances.

The 4 Step Dental Implant Process

Older man in dental chair smiling at dentist

Once we’ve determined that dental implants are the right choice for you, Dr. Noble will recommend you to a trusted oral specialist in the area; they will handle the surgical placement of your new “tooth roots” (the implants themselves) into the jawbone. Then, after an appropriate amount of healing has passed, patients will return to our practice so that we can personally design and place restorations on top, effectively completing your brand-new teeth.

Benefits of Dental Implants

man admiring his new smile after getting dental implants

In all honesty, dental implants are popular as tooth replacements. It’s to the point that dentists place about 500,000 of them yearly! The reason, you see, is the treatment’s special placement method. Implants fuse directly with the jaw, offering unique perks that dentures and bridges can’t match. As such, they can greatly improve a patient’s quality of life. For more about the benefits of dental implants, just keep reading or call our office.

Day-to-Day Benefits

An older man admiring his new dental implants

Typically, patients first notice implants’ day-to-day upsides. These include the following:

  • A Full & Pretty Smile – Implants are capped with dental crowns, blending beautifully and seamlessly with adjacent teeth. Your peers won’t even notice they’re artificial.
  • Higher Confidence – By filling your smile gaps, implants tend to help your confidence. In doing so, they reduce your anxiety and let you feel assured in social settings.
  • Easier Eating – Since they fuse with your jawbone, implants restore much of your bite force. That means they'll let you chew your favorite tough foods!
  • Simple Care – Unlike dentures or bridges, implants don’t need special care. You can easily clean them like natural teeth. So, remember to practice twice-daily brushing, once-daily flossing, and frequent mouth rinses.

Health Benefits

A senior couple eating a healthy meal at home

Of course, not all implant benefits are the everyday kind. Some are more geared toward bodily health. These are:

  • Better Nutrition  – Due to restoring your bite force, implants let you have a wider variety of food. From there, the increase in dietary choices betters your nutritional health.
  • Cleaner Mouth – When jaw sockets are left empty, they become breeding grounds for harmful bacteria. That said, implants can fill these spaces and reduce the risk of oral issues like gum disease, tooth infections, etc.
  • Tooth Support – If you don’t treat your smile gaps, they’ll tilt your surrounding teeth. The tilted chompers could then fall out. Fortunately, implants would fix these gaps and keep your nearby pearly whites straight.
  • Stronger Jawbone – Unchecked tooth loss will erode your jaw. If that process continues, you’ll suffer a facial collapse. Implants, though, can reverse and prevent this erosion. They stimulate your jaw to preserve its bone tissue.

Long-term Benefits

A photo pointing out a woman’s implanted tooth

Lastly, you can trust implants to provide you with many long-term advantages. The most common of these include:

  • High Success – When placed by a qualified dentist, implants usually succeed in the long run. In fact, their ten-year success rate is about 95%!
  • Long-Lasting Results – On average, the typical implant lasts roughly 15-20 years. A well-maintained one, meanwhile, can reach a lifespan of 30 years or more. Either way, such longevity shows an implant may help you for a lifetime.
  • Big Savings – When acting as a long-term investment, implants more than pay off. They won’t force you to spend much on replacement or repair visits. As such, their high upfront price is countered by the money you save over time.

Who Dental Implants Can Help

Model smile with implant dentures

The loss of even one tooth can be seriously detrimental to oral health, so it’s essential that you replace your lost tooth or teeth as quickly and effectively as possible. Before you begin any dental plan, you should make sure it’s the right option for your individual needs. No treatment is right everyone, and our goal is to ensure our patients receive dentistry services geared toward delivering the healthiest smiles within your schedule and budget.  Fortunately, dental implants can help nearly any patient missing one or more teeth!

Missing 1 Tooth

Implant-retained dental crowns are ideal for restoring single implants. The tooth-colored addition will blend right in while allowing nearby healthy teeth to stay intact.

Missing Multiple Teeth

If you’re missing several teeth in a row, an implant bridge may be recommended. Implant bridges are supported by two implant posts, one at each end. For multiple consecutive and nonconsecutive teeth, an implant-supported partial denture will be used. These partials are supported by two to four implant posts in most cases.

Missing All Teeth

Implant dentures are a solution for restoring a full row of teeth at once. They’re very similar to their traditional counterparts, but the ability to attach in place over four to six implant posts adds much-needed strength and stability. Dr. Noble can either design a fixed (permanent) or removable denture prosthetic.

Learn More About Full Mouth Replacement

Understanding the Cost of Dental Implants

model dental implant on a stack of money

Every patient’s dental implant tooth replacement plan will be unique depending on the number and location of missing teeth, and cost can vary dramatically. There are a number of factors that will impact the cost of your treatment plan, including:

  • Need for preparatory tooth extractions or tissue grafts
  • The price of dental implant posts themselves depending on size, material, and manufacturer
  • The cost of surgically placing dental implant posts
  • The manufacturer and placement of abutment posts that anchor replacement teeth to the implant posts
  • Finally, there is the cost of your crown, bridge, or denture

During your treatment planning appointment, we’ll walk you through the costs associated with each stage of treatment. We will process and file dental insurance claims to make the most of any available benefits, and our knowledgeable team members will work with you to access affordable financing options whenever possible.

Preparatory Treatments

Doctor preparing patient for dental implant treatment

During the treatment planning process, we may discover a need for preparatory procedures to ensure predictable results. Preparatory services may include the extraction of damaged teeth, the placement of tissue grafts, and other services that improve your chances for treatment success. During these preparatory treatments and the surgical placement of dental implant posts, you may elect to utilize dental sedation to ensure your complete comfort throughout these treatments, but unless your dental insurance provides coverage for these services, they can tack on some extra cost to your overall treatment pricing.

Dental Implants & Surgical Placement

Digital illustration of a single dental implant being placed

The dental implant posts and their surgical placement will make up the bulk of your treatment price. The cost of your dental implant posts can vary based on the high-quality materials used and where they are manufactured. Because each dental implant is custom crafted, there is an added cost associated with the time and precision design and crafting. We will help you find the right dental implant option to meet your needs and fit your budget.

Replacement Teeth

Various restorations and dental implants on a blue background

Once your dental implants are in place, we will need to attach abutment pieces that will hold your replacement teeth in place. Then, we design your replacement dental crown, bridge, partial, and full denture. The type of restoration and the materials used to craft your replacement teeth and the abutment posts will also impact the overall cost of treatment.

Additional Pricing Factors

Couple reviewing paperwork for dental implant treatment

Unfortunately, dental insurance benefits do not usually offer coverage for dental implants or their surgical placement. However, your insurance may offer coverage for other aspects of the dental implant process, and we will do our utmost to maximize all of these benefits. Additionally, we can work with third party financiers to provide patients with low and no interest payment plans to fit the cost of dental implant supported tooth replacements into their budgets.

Dental Implant FAQs

Closeup of single tooth dental implants on a gray background

Dental implant treatment is one of the more complex treatments available at our practice. It’s highly customizable, carries many steps and takes a large amount of planning to complete. When people first learn about dental implants, they tend to have many questions. For your convenience, we’ve gathered some of the most common questions we get about this popular treatment below. You can also call our office and ask questions that way as well, however we believe an in-person visit will give you more time to get your questions answered.

Are Dental Implants Safe?

When planned and placed by a dental professional, dental implants are completely safe. We work with trusted oral surgeons to place implants outside of our office, which should provide additional reassurance for your safety. On average, they carry a success rate as high a 98 percent. While it is rare, dental implants can fail if you use tobacco products or have poor oral hygiene. The crown portion of your implant cannot develop cavities like natural teeth, however the gum tissue underneath can develop peri-implantitis, an infection of the gum tissue surrounding the implant. Thankfully, this condition is largely preventable with regular oral hygiene.

How Can I Pay for Dental Implants?

Our office is in-network with most PPO dental insurance providers, which you can learn more about  here . While dental insurance does not typically offer coverage for dental implants, there are certain aspects of your treatment it may cover. The best way to find out for sure is to contact your provider directly. Another common way patients pay for dental implants is through third-party financing programs like CareCredit, which our practice offers. This program cuts your overall cost for treatment into more manageable chunks, often with very low to zero interest attached!

How Long Will My Dental Implants Last?

Unlike other tooth replacement options, dental implants are designed to last for an incredibly long time. In many cases, dental implants can last for the rest of your life. However, they tend to last for a minimum of 25 years. This is a far cry from dentures, which typically require replacement every several years, or bridges, which only carry a 10- to 15-year lifespan. As long as you practice daily oral hygiene and avoid tobacco products, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t last several decades.

How Long Does It Take to Get Dental Implants?

It depends. The more complex your treatment is, the longer the planning, healing and restoration phases of your treatment will be. After an implant is placed, it usually takes between three and six months for it to integrate with your existing bone tissue. Once the abutment is placed, the gum tissue requires a few weeks of healing before a final restoration can be placed on top. Overall, you should dedicate at least four to six months for dental implant treatment.