New Hanover County · Since 1987
Implant Dentist in Porters Neck, NC
A dental implant replaces the root of a missing tooth with a titanium post, then a crown on top of it. It is the only replacement that keeps the jawbone working the way a natural tooth does.
What to expect
When a tooth comes out, the bone that held it starts to shrink. That is why a face changes shape years after a loss, and why a bridge or partial that fit well in 2019 rocks by 2024. An implant stops that process because the post loads the bone every time you chew.
We plan every case on a 3D scan before anything is placed. That scan shows nerve position, sinus floor and available bone volume, so the plan you approve is the plan that happens in the chair.
Why Porters Neck patients come to us
Porters Neck is an established community on the northern edge of New Hanover County, where many families have lived in the same neighborhood for decades.
Most of the restorative work we do for this community is second-generation: replacing crowns and bridges placed twenty or thirty years ago that have finally given out. The question is rarely whether to treat it, it is whether to keep patching or rebuild properly.
Porters Neck Plantation and Porters Neck Village together hold much of the community's older population, and both are a straight run down Market Street.
Vacancy here is around seven percent, so patients tend to stay with a practice for decades rather than years.
A lot of the restorative work we do for Porters Neck involves replacing crowns and bridges placed elsewhere in the 1990s.
We see patients from across Porters Neck and the surrounding area, including Porters Neck Plantation, Porters Neck Village, Poplar Grove and the 28411 ZIP code.
New Hanover County is the built-out core of the region, growing around one percent a year, with roughly 21 percent of residents over 65 and the highest concentration of employer dental coverage in southeastern North Carolina.
For treatment at this level we do the planning properly before anything starts: records, a scan, and a written phased plan you take home and think about. Nobody signs anything at the first appointment.
This is the kind of restorative work we do most: patients who kept their teeth a long time and now want a plan that holds for the next twenty years.
This is for you if
- You are missing one tooth, several teeth, or all of them
- A bridge or partial denture has started to move, click or trap food
- You want to stop wearing something removable
- You have enough bone, or are willing to have it built up first
- You are healthy enough for a routine outpatient procedure
Afterwards
Most patients take ibuprofen for a day or two and go back to work the next morning. Once the final crown is on, you brush and floss it like a tooth. The maintenance that matters is your cleaning schedule, since the gum around an implant needs the same attention as gum around a root.
If getting to follow-up visits is difficult, tell us. We can often combine checks into fewer, longer appointments.
Questions we get asked
How long does a dental implant last?
The post itself is designed to be permanent, and implants placed decades ago are still in service. The crown on top is the part that eventually wears, usually somewhere past the fifteen year mark.
Does getting an implant hurt?
Placement is done under local anesthetic and most people describe it as easier than the extraction that preceded it. Soreness for two or three days is normal. Sedation is available if the idea of the appointment is the hard part.
How far is your office from Porters Neck?
About 13 miles, or roughly 22 minutes via Market Street (US-17) or I-140 to MLK Jr. Parkway. We are at 1301 Physicians Dr in Wilmington, with parking at the door.
Do you see patients from Porters Neck?
Regularly. Porters Neck is part of our core service area in New Hanover County, and this is the kind of restorative work we do most: patients who kept their teeth a long time and now want a plan that holds for the next twenty years.
What are your hours?
Monday through Thursday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, and Friday, 8:00am to 12:00pm. Outside those hours, leave a message or use the appointment request form and we will come back to you with the first available time.
Implant Dentist · Porters Neck
Surgery and restoration by the same team.
The doctor placing the implant is the one planning the crown, so position is driven by where the tooth needs to end up.
- 3D cone beam planning on every case
- Single implants through full arch All-on-4
- Sedation available for surgical appointments
- Written estimate before you commit
Been told you do not have enough bone? That answer is often out of date. Bring the scan.
Request an appointment
We reply the next business day.
Please do not include Protected Health Information. For anything urgent, call (910) 762-0958.
