Costa Mesa patients take the 405 or Adams Ave about 20 minutes to Safari Dentistry and Implants, where dental implants are planned and placed by a board-certified periodontist in the Huntington Beach office. In-house CT scanning, bone grafting and sinus lifts, oral sedation, and a written fee that includes the crown and follow-up visits are the reasons for the drive.
What is a dental implant and who places it?
A dental implant is a titanium post placed in the jawbone to replace a tooth root, with a ceramic crown attached once the bone has healed around it. At Safari Dentistry and Implants the post is placed by a board-certified periodontist, a specialist in the gum and bone that hold the implant, so Costa Mesa patients are not sent to a separate surgeon and back again.
The steps are the same for a single tooth, several teeth, or a full arch: a 3D CT scan to measure bone, a written plan and fee, placement of the post under local anesthetic with oral sedation available, three to six months of healing, then the crown. Bone grafting or a sinus lift is added to the plan when the scan shows the bone is too thin, and both are done in this office.
Single tooth, several teeth, or full arch
- Single implant and crown: the standard replacement for one missing tooth; the neighboring teeth are left untouched.
- Implant bridge: two or more implants carrying three or more teeth, for a longer gap.
- Implant-retained denture: two to four implants that snap a lower denture in place so it stops moving.
- All-on-4 full arch: four to six implants holding a fixed set of teeth; see the All-on-4 page.
Why Costa Mesa patients choose Safari for implants
Costa Mesa has several implant centers that advertise a low headline price, and patients who compare quotes notice that Safari’s written fee lists everything: implant, abutment, crown, any graft, and the visits after. The other difference is who does the work. A periodontist has spent three years after dental school on the bone and gum that hold an implant, and is the specialist who treats the problems that make implants fail.
What do dental implants cost for Costa Mesa patients?
The fee for a single implant, abutment and crown is quoted in writing at the consultation and includes the follow-up visits; bone grafting and sinus lifts are itemized separately when the scan shows they are needed. Most PPO plans pay part of the crown and sometimes part of the implant, Medi-Cal Dental covers implants only in limited cases, and monthly payment plans are available for the rest.
What to bring to your first visit from Costa Mesa
- Any recent X-rays or a treatment plan from another office, for a second opinion.
- Your insurance card or Medi-Cal Dental member number; benefits are checked before the scan.
- A list of medications, especially blood thinners and osteoporosis drugs.
- A driver if you would like oral sedation for the surgery visit.
Getting to the office from Costa Mesa
Safari Dentistry and Implants is at 16511 Goldenwest St, Unit 101, Huntington Beach, CA 92647, about 10 miles from Costa Mesa and usually about 20 minutes by car. From Costa Mesa take the 405 north to the Goldenwest St exit and head south about two and a half miles to Heil Ave. Without the freeway, Adams Ave or Talbert Ave west to Goldenwest St, then north, takes about the same time. The office is at the corner of Goldenwest and Heil with parking in front.
- Hours: Monday to Thursday, 10 AM to 4 PM. Same-day emergency time is held each open day.
- Parking: free, in the lot at the door, with a level entrance.
- Patients come from: Mesa Verde, the Eastside and Westside, the South Coast Plaza area and the neighborhoods around Orange Coast College and the fairgrounds.