dental implant patient smiling

Single Missing Tooth - Columbia, SC

Embarrassed by Your Missing Tooth?

Restore Confidence with a Dental Implant

It can be uncomfortable living with a single missing tooth, and if the gap shows when you smile, it can be downright embarrassing. The good news is you have quite a few options to restore your smile, though none will outmatch the benefits of choosing a dental implant. Made to take the place of an entire tooth (from root to crown), a dental implant is the healthiest and longest-lasting solution available and the closest thing to a natural tooth. Without having to worry about a removable partial denture or the short lifespan of a dental bridge, you’re free to feel confidence in a complete smile once again! Our general dentists have advanced training and years of experience placing and restoring dental implants in Columbia, SC. Using state-of-the-art surgical technology, we can personalize your treatment to match your smile goals, while providing optimal functional improvements. At Bela Family Dentistry, you can count on our skilled team to provide a new tooth that looks, functions, and feels like the real thing!

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Why Dental Implants Are Ideal

A dental implant has distinct advantages when compared to partial dentures and dental bridges. A dental implant has three pieces: the dental implant post (tooth root), the dental crown (visible tooth), and the connector (the abutment). In short, a dental implant is designed to mimic everything about a healthy natural tooth. Long-term, a dental implant will let you bite and chew virtually all foods and won’t become stained or decay, with the proper care. A dental implant won’t harm surrounding teeth like dental bridges do and will keep your jawbone healthy, which does not occur with a partial denture. This permanent solution naturally requires trained dentists like those at Bela Family Dentistry to place and restore your dental implant. Learn about our personalized treatment process and the cost of your dental implant, then contact us to schedule your consultation.
Our Dental Implant Process

Consultation and Treatment Planning

Dental implant treatment is a very personalized process, even more so if your single missing tooth shows when you smile. We want you to feel confident in how you look once treatment is complete, so our first phase of treatment includes learning about your smile goals. It’s our mission to help patients feel welcomed and involved in their dental care, and we believe these personal connections help us provide more tailored experiences and better results! At your consultation, we’ll take the time to discuss what you dislike about your current smile, your current limitations, and how you want the new one to look. We’ll also complete a comprehensive evaluation, review your dental and medical history, discuss sedation options if needed, and take cone beam CT scans of your mouth. All this information will be used to design your personalized treatment plan.

Dental Implant Surgery

Today, you’ll be receiving your new dental implant! Depending on the quality of bone at the site of your single missing tooth, we may complete bone grafting in addition to actually placing your dental implant in our Columbia office. This will ensure that your new tooth has the support it needs to remain strong long-term and streamline your overall treatment process. In our relaxing treatment suite, you’ll be comfortable and pain-free during this entire procedure. When your surgery is over, you can relax for as long as you need in our recovery room, then return home. If you feel any post-operative discomfort, this can be remedied with over-the-counter pain medication.

dental implant patient smiling after procedure

Final Restoration

Your natural jawbone will need 4-6 months to fully heal and fuse to the dental implant post. This length of time is necessary to achieve the needed stability and strength characteristic of a successful dental implant. Sometimes, if this stability is achieved at the time your implant is placed, we may be able to attach a provisional dental crown on the day of your surgery! If not, we’ll attach a healing cap, which will remain in place until your implant is healed. When your mouth is fully healed, you’ll come back to our Sandhills area office to receive your permanent dental crown. Custom-made by our dentists and fabricated in our in-house milling machine, this dental crown will look stunning and be as strong as your existing teeth. No one will be able to tell which tooth is your new dental implant!

An Attractive, Affordable New Tooth

At Bela Family Dentistry, we’ll be able to transition you from having a single missing tooth to experiencing the benefits of a permanent dental implant in just a few months! If you’re worried about the cost of your dental implant treatment, we have solutions for you. Since dental implants are the only permanent solution, many patients are understanding of the higher initial cost because they want the life-long benefits this tooth replacement provides. We make sure your dental implant is affordable by offering third-party financing and we will file insurance claims on your behalf. Whatever your budget, we’ll help you afford your dental implant and give you back a confident, healthy life with dental implants!

Our Patients tell the story best

Let’s replace your tooth and your smile.

Schedule your consultation now.