Dental implants in Brooklyn
What is involved in getting a dental implant?
A dental implant is a titanium post placed into the jawbone to replace the root of a missing tooth, with a crown attached once it has fused to the bone. The sequence is an exam with 3D imaging, any grafting your bone needs, placement of the implant, a healing period while it integrates, and then the crown, which your own general dentist usually makes. At Brooklyn Periodontics, Dr. Zidile and Dr. Choi place implants and hand the restorative work back to your dentist.
Single teeth, multiple teeth, and full arches with All-on-X or Teeth in a Day are all planned the same way: backwards from the final tooth.
The sequence, start to finish
01
Consultation and 3D imaging
A periodontal exam plus in-office cone beam imaging that shows bone height, width, and density, and the position of the sinus and nerve. Most consultations run about an hour.
02
The plan and the cost in writing
How many implants, whether grafting is needed, the sequence, the timeline, and the fee with your insurance applied. Nothing is scheduled until you say yes.
03
Grafting, when the bone is short
Ridge augmentation or a sinus lift to rebuild the foundation. Sometimes done at the same visit as the extraction or the implant, sometimes as a separate stage that heals first.
04
Implant placement
Guided placement planned against your final restoration, done under local anesthesia with sedation available. Most patients return to normal activity the next day.
05
Integration
The implant fuses with the bone over a period of months. A healing cap or a temporary tooth keeps the site shaped and, in front teeth, keeps you looking normal.
06
The crown, back with your dentist
Once the implant is stable, your general dentist restores it. We send them the surgical details and the components so the handoff is clean.
Who is a candidate
Enough bone, or bone that can be rebuilt
Bone volume is measured, not estimated. Where it is short, grafting usually makes an implant possible. Very few patients are told no outright.
Gum health under control first
Active periodontal disease is treated before implants are placed. Putting an implant into an infected mouth is how peri-implantitis starts.
Medical factors accounted for
Uncontrolled diabetes, smoking, and certain medications, particularly some bone medications, change the plan. Tell us everything at the consultation and it gets factored in.
Full-arch options
All-on-X
A full arch of teeth supported by four to six implants, planned with 3D imaging, for patients missing most or all of the teeth in an arch.
Teeth in a Day
When the implants are stable enough at placement, a provisional set of teeth is delivered at the same visit so you never leave without a smile. Candidacy is decided by the stability measured that day, not promised in advance.
Why implant costs vary
Two people quoted very different numbers usually are not being quoted for the same work. The variables are how many implants, whether the site needs extraction, whether bone grafting or a sinus lift is required, whether a temporary tooth is made, and who makes the final crown.
We give you the surgical fee and your insurance breakdown in writing before treatment is scheduled, and we tell you what to expect from the restorative side so there is no second surprise from your dentist.
Implants need maintenance like teeth do
Implants do not decay, but the bone around them can be lost to infection. That is peri-implantitis, and it is the main reason implants fail years later. Cleaning around an implant is different from cleaning a tooth, so we show you the technique and set a maintenance interval rather than assuming a standard six months.
Questions patients ask
Dental implants, answered
- How long do dental implants last?
- Implants are designed to be permanent, and many last decades. What determines longevity is the health of the gum and bone around them, which is why maintenance and treating any infection early matter more than the implant brand.
- How long does the whole process take?
- From placement to final crown is typically several months to allow the implant to integrate, longer if grafting is needed first. Some cases allow a same-day provisional tooth. Your timeline is set after imaging.
- Is implant surgery painful?
- Placement is done under local anesthesia with sedation available, and most patients report less discomfort than they expected. You get written recovery instructions, a pain plan, and both doctors' direct cell numbers.
- Do I need a bone graft?
- Only if your bone volume is short where the implant needs to go. The 3D scan answers this at the consultation. Grafting is common and does not mean anything has gone wrong.
- Who makes the crown, you or my dentist?
- Your general dentist usually does. We handle the surgical portion and send them everything they need, so you go back to the dentist you already know for the restorative work.
- Can I get implants if I have gum disease?
- Not until the gum disease is treated and stable. Placing an implant into active disease significantly raises the risk of losing it. Treating the disease first is part of the implant plan.
- What if an implant fails?
- Most failing implants can be treated and kept if caught early. When one cannot, it is removed, the site is grafted, and a replacement is planned. We treat failing implants placed at other offices as well as our own.
Related
Get the scan, then the plan.
One consultation tells you whether you are a candidate, what it will take, and what it costs.