Dental implants for Westminster patients are placed by a board-certified periodontist at Safari Dentistry and Implants, about 3 miles south on Goldenwest St in Huntington Beach. The CT scan, any bone grafting, the implant surgery and the final crown are all done in the one office at Goldenwest and Heil, and the fee is written down before anything starts.
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 Westminster 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 Westminster patients choose Safari for implants
Westminster residents often come in with a quote from an implant center on Bolsa Ave or Beach Blvd that covered the post and little else. Here the written fee includes the abutment, the crown and the follow-up visits, and the specialist who placed it is the one who checks it for years afterward. Medi-Cal Dental patients are told plainly which implant situations the program covers and which it does not.
What do dental implants cost for Westminster 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 Westminster
- 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 Westminster
Safari Dentistry and Implants is at 16511 Goldenwest St, Unit 101, Huntington Beach, CA 92647, about 3 miles from Westminster and usually about 10 minutes by car. Goldenwest St runs straight south out of Westminster into Huntington Beach. Stay on it past Bolsa Ave, Westminster Blvd, McFadden and Edinger; the office is on the right at Heil Ave, just before Warner. From the east side of the city, Heil Ave or Edinger Ave west to Goldenwest works too.
- 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: Little Saigon along Bolsa Ave, the Westminster Mall area at the 405, the Civic Center district and Midway City on the Huntington Beach border.