After you get a dental implant, your dentist will give you a long list of dos and don’ts. This is perhaps the hardest part when it comes getting a dental implant. The one thing I always tell patients is that dental implants and tobacco do not mix. Tobacco and nicotine is firmly off-limits.

What kind of dentist specializes in dental implants?

If patients don’t take this seriously, there’s a strong chance the dental implant will fail. Everyone knows that smoking and vaping is bad for you but a lot of patients don’t understand how it can affect something like a dental implant.

Smokers and vapers have a higher chance of developing peri-implantitis, which is inflammation of the gum and bone around the dental implant site. If left to fester, peri-implantitis can easily lead to a failed dental implant.

To ensure your dental implants last a lifetime, we encourage patients to stop using tobacco and nicotine in the months leading up to the surgery. It could mean the difference between keeping and losing your dental implants.

Your routine oral health practices are also very important and will influence the lifespan of your dental implant. It's important to brush and floss at least twice daily. Resist habits like chewing on pen caps or using your teeth to open packaging.

To learn more about how to clean dental implants, select the following link:
Cleaning Dental Implants

​​DENTAL IMPLANTS:

THE BETTER CHOICE

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Stage 4 results in leakage underneath the crown and damage to the tooth nerve. Now a root canal is recommended and a new crown. The root canal shaping process weakens the tooth structure internally making it more susceptible to root fracture. Remember a root canal tooth is dead in your body and cannot repair itself.

Dentistry Forever

Continuous dentistry from a cavity to a filling to a new filling to a crown to a root canal to a root canal re-treat and then the dentist hands you the broken tooth and says now you need a bridge…and the process starts all over again! This is called the gravy train of dentistry!

If you feel trapped in this never-ending unstable dentistry, you should consider dental implants for a stable healthy mouth.

Stage 5 results in constant bite forces on the brittle root canal tooth, and leakage can occur under the crown infecting the root canal filling. This microleakage may lead to decay and tooth fracture. What’s unusual is that one day the tooth just breaks apart. No advance warning was detected because the decay was obscured by the metal and porcelain of the crown. 

Dental Implants Are Lifelong
Dental Implants interrupt the process of continuous dentistry over and over without a stable healthy outcome. Dental implants bring health and definitive stability to your soft tissues, jaw bone, bite function, and support the adjacent teeth. Dental implants are not subject to cavities, never need root canals, never break, and are not subject to the traditional gum disease process.

When placed by a Board-Certified Dental Implant Expert, dental implants are a lifelong investment. And, unlike fillings, veneers, crowns or dental bridges, dental implants and the dentistry upon them do not routinely need replacing with proper maintenance and care. 

You might be surprised how affordable dental implants are compared to tooth replacement options, especially when you consider the long-term cost effectiveness and quality of life.

One of the big factors in the long-term cost-effectiveness of dental implants comes down to how it's placed and the experience and education of the dentist who placed your implant.

During your initial consultation, it is always important to ask:
"Have you received specialist training in Periodontics or Oral Surgery and are you Board-Certified or credentialed by the American Dental Association National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties?”

There is a huge difference between regular general dentists who claim, “to do implants”, and a Board-Certified Dental Implant Specialist. After completing Dental School, a Board-Certified Dental Implant Specialist must also complete an additional series of rigorous requirements, from written and oral examinations to a review of their advanced clinical dental implant expertise by a panel of their peers, proving they have achieved the highest level of competence in both implantology and bone grafting. Only a small percentage of dental specialists are able to become Board-Certified in Dental Implant Dentistry. Board-Certification ensures optimal training, knowledge and exceptional care.

Do not take the Doctor’s training lightly: it could mean the difference between a successful and lasting result or it could become a short-lived throng of complications and failure with loss of your health investment. Please do your due diligence when you choose a properly trained dentist to insert dental implants into your jaws.

Dr. Bramanti is one of only 85 Board-Certified Dental Implant Specialists in California, out of the 20,000+ dentists who report they place dental implants.

Board-Certified Dental Implant Experts are Specialists who invest significant time and energy into dental implant-focused training, advanced bone grafting techniques, and scientific literature review above and beyond their basic dental and/or specialist education. Choosing the most qualified and highly trained clinician who is a Board-Certified Dental Implant Specialist will not only ensure the best treatment possible but will also provide peace of mind that you are truly in the hands of a highly trained Dental Implant Expert.

​Thomas E. Bramanti, D.D.S., Ph.D.

Board-Certified Diplomate American Board of Periodontology/Implant Dentistry

Board-Certified Diplomate American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry

​Certified TMJ Expert, The Pankey Institute 

Fellow American Academy of Implant Dentistry
Clinical Assistant Professor at UCSF in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Clinical Assistant Professor UCSF-Fresno Medical Education Program, School of Medicine

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Why are dental implants the best tooth replacement option?

Stage 6 results in removal of the tooth in which you paid for a filling, a crown, a root canal, and a new crown and an extraction. Now the dentist hands you the broken and decayed tooth and says, “It’s time for bridge”.

And all this happens to just one tooth! How many more teeth in your mouth are somewhere along this path?

THOMAS E. BRAMANTI, DDS, PHD, INC 

5660 N. Fresno Suite 110

Fresno, CA 93710

559-438-7800

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Even though it may seem like dental implant cost is higher than regular dentistry at first, over time the dental implant brings value and stability, while continuous dentistry will fail thus swelling overall costs over time.

Stage 3 results in removal of the old filling and placement of a crown.

The crown seems fine for a season until it leaks underneath, and decay gets under the crown and into the root. 

​Disadvantages of traditional tooth fillings, crowns, bridges and dentures.

At first glance, crowns, bridges, root canals, dentures or removable bridges can appear much less expensive than dental implants, given their lower upfront costs. However, the full cost—both financial and emotional—of these options can run much higher than dental implants, for several reasons:

1. Continuous ongoing costs. Continuous dentistry on the same tooth over and over without a stable healthy outcome (cavity > filling > larger filling > root canal > crown > root canal re-treat > tooth fracture > bridge > on good teeth and continuous dentistry process starts over). Add gum disease and heavy bite forces to the mix and continued costs will only escalate over time.

2. Initial costs versus total costs. The initial price you pay doesn’t include the cost of continually repairing your tooth, root canals, replacing your crown, dentures or bridges, which may be necessary as often as every 5 to 10 years or less. It also doesn’t include the ongoing maintenance costs, such as patch ups, fixatives and adhesives and relines for dentures.

3. The convenience costs. Unlike your natural teeth or dental implants, you need to remove your dentures to soak and brush them, which can be a time-consuming hassle. I  addition, food debris may get stuck under your dentures and bridges making your appliances uncomfortable and annoying.

4. The health costs. Without a tooth or implant, your jawbone will begin to deteriorate, which can change your facial appearance making it look sunken in giving you a premature aged appearance. Regular dentures are an artificial limb and cannot adequately replace lost teeth in form or function.

5. The social costs. Your sense of wholeness and wellness along with your esteem are affected every time you take your dentures out and look at your facial collapse in the mirror. Dentures can slip or click when you chew, laugh, talk or kiss, which can lead to embarrassment and frustration.
 

Advantages of Dental Implants

1. One cost for dental implants – one time. Dentistry on dental implants will last for decades compared to just years on teeth.

2. Initial costs versus total value. Initial costs for dental implants may seem higher than fillings and dentures, but over time the dental implants will hold  up disease free and provide a stable health with crowns, bridges and dentures that don’t move. No adhesives, no fixatives and no relines.

3. The convenience value. Dental implant crowns conveniently do not get decay or need root canals like teeth requiring continuing inconvenient visits back to the dentist for repair. Dental implants provide the convenience of knowing that once the dentistry is complete, the dental implant will be problem-free, and also providing functional convenience for dental implant denture and bridge stability.

4. The health benefit. Dental implants support bone volume and prevent loss of jaw bones and facial structures. Further, dental implants are not subject to oral diseases that affect teeth and thereby offer a healthy alternative to failing teeth and rampant oral disease.  Dental implants improve chewing function offering better nutritional health benefits and confidence as you try different types of foods.

5. The social comfort. Dental implants make wearing dentures much more comfortable and feel like you have teeth again. You feel whole again and enjoy eating, smiling, laughing confidently and without hesitation. You are no longer limited to a softer diet and are able to eat a broad range of complex foods, textures and tastes. The former lingering fears and embarrassment experienced before dental implants, will melt away as you enjoy your life to the full.
 

Bottom line:

• regular tooth dentistry and dentures carry with them escalating costs over time resulting in tooth fracture, tooth loss, declining quality of life and a compromised health.
• dental implants bring strength, resistance to diseases that impact teeth, no root canals ever, no pain, no cavities, no gum disease, no fracture, no new dentistry, brings forth a stable oral health, better nutrition, improved quality of life, and peace of mind.

Maintain good oral hygiene habits

The Cycle Of Continuous Dentistry

Dental implants have enjoyed over 70 years of use in humans with the lowest failure rate of any medical device ever produced. Although it may seem like dental implants may be more costly, in the long run dental implants outlast teeth that are subject to dentistry after dentistry. Teeth are subject to cavities, fillings, crowns, root canals, gum disease and bite trauma, all adverse factors that lead to tooth loss. A dental implant is impervious to cavities, gum disease, never needs a root canal and can withstand greater bite forces and therefore provides lifelong health and function.

Bottom Line: dental implants are much more reliable than teeth over time.

The Long-Term

Cost-Effectiveness of

Dental Implants

Stage 2 results in decay removal and placement of a simple filling

.
All seems well for a season and then one day the filling does not hold up.

A check-up is always important

Every six months, dental implant patients are asked to come in for a maintenance check-up.

The dentist will review your radiographs around the dental implant site and check the site in your mouth, while your hygienist will clean the area around the abutment and crown for any debris and plaque. The dentist may remove your fixed implant denture for cleaning and then replace the appliance at the same visit.  It seems like a small thing but this regular appointment is very important for maintaining your dental implant's long-term health.

Stage 1 of this cycle is a simple cavity that grows larger over time. ​