Seal Beach and Leisure World residents drive 15 to 20 minutes along Westminster Blvd for dental implants placed by a periodontist at Safari Dentistry and Implants in Huntington Beach. The office specializes in the questions older patients ask: whether thinning bone can hold an implant, whether a loose lower denture can be locked onto two or four implants, and what it will all cost, in writing.
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 Seal Beach 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 Seal Beach patients choose Safari for implants
Seal Beach patients are usually replacing something rather than one tooth: a denture that has worn the ridge flat, a bridge that has failed a second time, or a full set of teeth that has reached the end. Bone grafting and sinus lifts for jaws that have shrunk are routine here, done by the periodontist who then places the implants. Medicare does not pay for this work, so the fee is written down and payment plans are offered. The office entrance is level with the parking lot.
What do dental implants cost for Seal Beach 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 Seal Beach
- 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 Seal Beach
Safari Dentistry and Implants is at 16511 Goldenwest St, Unit 101, Huntington Beach, CA 92647, about 7 miles from Seal Beach and usually 15 to 20 minutes by car. From Seal Beach take Westminster Blvd east to Goldenwest St and turn south; the office is at Heil Ave, about two miles down. From Old Town, Pacific Coast Highway south to Warner Ave, then east to Goldenwest and a short hop north to Heil, is the coastal route. From Leisure World, Seal Beach Blvd to Westminster Blvd is the quickest.
- 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: Leisure World, Old Town and the pier, College Park East and West, the Rossmoor border and Sunset Beach and Surfside to the south.