Implants may be the right choice for anyone missing one or more teeth due to injury, disease, or decay. They are especially practical for patients who can no longer wear removable dentures. Our office is on Madison Boulevard in Madison.
At a glance: A dental implant is a titanium post that takes the place of a missing tooth root, with a crown, a bridge or a denture attached once the bone has grown around it. At Dentistry Today in Huntsville, implants are placed with YOMI, an FDA-cleared robotic system for dental surgery. A cone-beam CT scan at your consultation decides whether you are a candidate.
Your implant is planned, placed and restored by one dentist, in one office. The common model in implant dentistry sends you to an oral surgeon for the surgery and back to a separate restorative dentist for the crown, which means two practices and two people accountable for the result.
Dr. Leslie Barrilleaux, DMD places your implant personally. She earned her DMD with Honors from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry and has spent more than 25 years in private practice. She has been an Accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, a credential earned through a written examination, a submission of clinical cases, and an oral examination.
Our dental implants in Huntsville are placed through robot-assisted surgery, using YOMI, the first and only FDA-cleared robotic system for dental surgery. The computerized navigational system allows Dr. Barrilleaux to perform surgery with greater accuracy and precision, and to provide a more comfortable patient experience. Placing the implant in the planned position, at the planned angle, is what allows the finished crown to sit and bite like a natural tooth.
You were told you do not have enough bone. That sentence stops most people from asking a second time, and it is rarely the end of the conversation. Bone can often be rebuilt, and the only way to know is to measure it.
Everything the case needs is under one roof:
The shade, the shape and the bite are settled by one set of hands.
Bone grafting is performed in-office. Grafting material, and possibly a membrane, covers the socket after a tooth is taken out, and the graft aids in the regeneration of newly formed bone. If you need a tooth extracted, ask us about grafting before the extraction, not after. Preserving the socket helps prevent the bone loss that leads to shifting teeth and bite collapse.
Nothing is drilled, cut or placed until the scan is on the screen and you have seen the plan.
A natural tooth consists of a root and a crown, so when you lose a tooth, you lose both. A dental implant is a substitute for the root. Much like your natural root, it acts as an anchor for a replacement tooth, a crown, or a set of teeth. The human body accepts titanium, a corrosion-resistant material that is completely biocompatible and stable.
| Option | What it replaces | How many implants | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single tooth | One missing tooth. A crown is attached to the implant with an abutment. | One | You have lost one tooth and want the teeth beside it left alone. |
| Crown & bridge | Several teeth in a row, with an implant-supported bridge. | Implants placed to surround the gap | You are missing two or more neighboring teeth. The bridge carries a crown on each implant and false teeth between them. |
| Over-denture | A complete or partial denture, supported by implants instead of gum and suction. | Two or more | You wear a denture that moves, clicks or rubs, and you want stability back. |
| Full denture on implants | A complete set of teeth, with a fixed or removable denture attached to multiple implants. | Multiple | You have lost most or all of an arch. The bone is better preserved than under a traditional denture. |
The first visit is a cone-beam CT scan and a conversation. Cone-beam computed tomography produces three dimensional images of your teeth, soft tissues, nerve pathways and bone in a single scan, which is how we determine whether you are a potential candidate. The surgery is planned on that scan and carried out with YOMI, and the area is numbed with The Wand, which delivers the anesthetic slowly rather than in one push. Healing time depends on your bone and on the site, so Dr. Barrilleaux gives you a timeline at the consultation rather than a number off a chart.
Recovery varies from person to person, and Dr. Barrilleaux tells you what to expect for your own case before the surgery is booked. Do not judge the result by the first week, because the part that matters is happening under the gum, where bone is growing against the titanium. Once the final crown is on, brush it, floss around it, and keep your cleaning appointments so the gum around the implant stays healthy.
Two questions decide whether anybody books, and both deserve a straight answer.
You may be a candidate if:
The gate is the scan. Bone height, bone width and the position of the nerve are measured on your cone-beam CT, and that image, not a rule of thumb, decides what your jaw can support.
The price depends on how many implants you need, whether the site needs a graft, and what goes on top of the implant, because a single crown and a full denture on multiple implants are different pieces of work. We give you an exact written price at your consultation, once the scan shows what your case actually needs. We do not quote implants over the phone, because a number given before the scan is a guess. Pay-over-time financing is available, and our financing and insurance page has the detail. For a wider view of what drives the figure, see our guide to what dental implants cost in 2026.
Book your implant consultation, (256) 529-5179
An implant is one of several ways to replace a missing tooth, and it is not always the one that fits your mouth or your budget.
Our custom dentures page covers full and partial dentures made in the same in-house lab. Patients missing part of a tooth rather than the whole tooth are usually better served by a same-day crown. The full range is on our Huntsville cosmetic dentistry hub.
We serve implant patients across Huntsville, including Blossomwood, Jones Valley, Harvest and Owens Cross Roads, and the Madison Boulevard office sits on the western edge of the city. For more on implants in Madison, see our page on dental implants in Madison, AL.
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Dentistry Today 7736 Madison Blvd, Suite #2 Huntsville, AL 35806 Phone: (256) 529-5179 Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Closed Saturday and Sunday.
Book your implant consultation, (256) 529-5179
There is no single average that tells you what your own case costs. The figure depends on how many implants are placed, whether the site needs a bone graft, and what is attached on top. We give you an exact written price at your consultation, after the scan. Our guide to what dental implants cost in 2026 explains what moves the number.
Often yes, but it is assessed case by case. An autoimmune condition is not an automatic disqualification. What matters is your current disease activity, your medications, and how well your bone and gum tissue heal, so we review your full medical history before planning surgery. Bring your medication list to the consultation.
Yes. Smoking slows healing and raises the risk that the implant does not integrate with the bone. Nicotine narrows the small blood vessels in the gum, and the healing an implant depends on is a blood-supply problem before it is anything else. Smoking is not an absolute barrier, but we will discuss it honestly at the consultation.
We do not decide your case on a rule of thumb. Several spacing conventions circulate in implant dentistry, and we will not define one here as though it settled your treatment. Bone height, bone width and the position of the nerve are measured on your cone-beam CT scan, and the plan is built from those measurements. If your jaw does not have what the plan needs, we discuss grafting.
We do not market the branded All-on-4 system. We do replace a complete set of teeth with a fixed or removable denture that is attached to multiple implants, placed with YOMI robotic guidance. That is the full-arch option in the table above, and it is what most patients asking about All-on-4 are describing. We will show you on your own scan what your arch can support.
The titanium post is designed to be permanent, because bone grows against it and holds it in place. The part that eventually wears is the crown, bridge or denture attached on top, as any restoration wears with years of chewing. Gum health usually decides how long an implant lasts, since the implant cannot decay but the tissue around it can.
Yes, when the implant is positioned correctly and the crown is matched properly. An implant placed at the wrong angle produces a crown that never quite looks right, which is why the placement is planned on a 3D scan and carried out with YOMI. The crown is made in our in-house lab and shade-matched to the teeth beside it.
Brush and floss around the implant exactly as you would a natural tooth, and keep your regular cleanings. The implant cannot get a cavity, but the gum and bone around it can become inflamed, and that is what puts an implant at risk. Interdental brushes or a water flosser help around bridges and implant-supported dentures.
This page is general information about dental implants and is not dental or medical advice. Reading it does not create a patient relationship with Dentistry Today. Results vary from person to person, and whether implants are suitable for you can only be determined by an in-person examination and a cone-beam CT scan. Nothing on this page is a price quote. Please consult Dr. Leslie Barrilleaux, DMD, or another qualified dental professional about your own situation.
