Dental Implants — Doylestown, PA

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

First, you’ll meet with Dr. Kandov to discuss how dental implants work in Doylestown and whether this solution is right for you. During this visit, she will also examine your smile and make sure your jawbone is strong enough to support the implants. If so, she will go ahead and take impressions of your smile. These will be used by lab technicians to create your customized restorations. However, if your jawbone is not strong enough, you may need a bone graft or sinus lift first; otherwise, the implants may not have a strong enough foundation.

Dental Implant Surgery

As an implant dentist in Doylestown who has earned Fellowship status with the International Dental Implant Association (IDIA) and awarded for Distinguished Implant Excellence, Dr. Kandov is more than capable of performing dental implant surgery in our familiar office. This makes your treatment more streamlined for added convenience.

Compared to other types of oral surgery, dental implant placement is relatively straightforward. After numbing your mouth and helping you relax with sedation if need be, Dr. Kandov makes one or more tiny incisions in your gums. Then, she carefully positions your implant posts within your jawbone, closes your gum tissue, and sends you home to begin recovery.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment

Because dental implants are crafted from biocompatible materials like titanium, they naturally encourage your jawbone tissue to grow around them. Over the course of about three to six months, the implant will essentially be as much a part of your anatomy as the roots of your original teeth were. Known as osseointegration, this process is the key to why dental implants in Doylestown are able to look, feel, and function just like real teeth.

Once Dr. Kandov has determined that osseointegration is complete, you’ll most likely undergo a second surgical procedure to receive your abutments. Your gums are opened up to access the tops of your implant posts, and Dr. Kandov installs metal connectors to them before closing you up. It should take about two or three weeks for your gums to heal from abutment placement.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restoration

After you’ve recovered from your abutment procedure, it’s finally time to have your brand-new pearly whites placed! Based on impressions that we took during your consultation, a dental lab has been hard at work designing your dental crown, bridge, or denture to match the exact dimensions of your natural teeth. Once we secure your restoration onto your abutments, you’ll be free to fully enjoy your newly rebuilt smile!

Day-to-Day Benefits

• Stability: Dentures anchored to implants stay in place more and offer better chewing power compared to removable ones. This ensures greater confidence when eating your favorite, nutrient-rich foods because they won’t slip or fall out.
• Natural Appearance: Your dental prosthetic will look just like your natural teeth, but the implant post will stay hidden under the gums.
• Easy Cleaning: Instead of buying denture cleaner and special brushes to maneuver around your prosthetic, you only need to use regular oral hygiene products to keep your natural and artificial teeth clean and healthy.
• Enhanced Quality of Life: According to the study, “Biting Into Denture Care,” around 34% of denture-wearers report their prosthetics keep them from enjoying life to its fullest. With dental implants, you can be free to smile, laugh, talk, and eat with greater ease.

Health Benefits

• Tooth Structure Preservation: Instead of altering your natural tooth structure for a dental bridge to anchor to, implants are inserted into the vacated socket, leaving your natural teeth alone and fully intact.
• Jawbone Preservation: When you bite and chew, the implants will stimulate the jawbone. This helps it maintain its strength and density so that it can continue to support your facial structures and contribute to a youthful appearance.
• No Shifting Teeth: There’s no need to worry that your tooth loss will cause your natural teeth to shift out of alignment when receiving dental implants. Because of your decision, your regular teeth will remain upright and in place, so you don’t have to think about orthodontic treatment later on.
• Improved Overall Health: Osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease, and other common health conditions can occur as a result of tooth loss. However, once you decide to choose dental implants, you will enjoy better overall health. Your implant dentist in Doylestown will discuss the positive outcomes of dental implants on your complete health and wellbeing during your consultation.

Long-Term Benefits

• Low Risk: The success rate of dental implants is extremely high – about 95%. And, thanks to Dr. Kandov’s expertise and the advanced equipment at our disposal, risk factors are kept to a minimum.
• Durability: Thanks to the long lifespan of dental implants (30+ years on average), you won’t have to worry about needing a replacement as long as your mouth stays healthy.
• Save Money: Dentures and dental bridges are less expensive upfront but over time, they require more frequent upkeep (every few years) and additional products to hold them in place and keep them clean. While dental implants in Doylestown are costlier in the beginning, they last longer and don’t require other instruments or adhesives to maintain their stability or cleanliness.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?

The first thing we need to figure out is whether you’re a good candidate for dental implants; this means confirming that your mouth is free of infection and that there’s plenty of bone tissue in your jaw. Problems like gum disease and inadequate jawbone density can threaten the success of your dental implants. If either of these issues are detected, we’ll work with you to schedule preliminary treatments like periodontal therapy or bone grafting to get you ready for your new smile. Once you’ve healed from any necessary preparatory procedures, the rest of the process depends largely on your needs.

As a patient of Dr. Kandov’s, you have options. You’ll never be told what to do or which option to choose. Instead, she will recommend which solutions will work best for your smile and work closely with you to determine which one will best meet your needs. Whether it is mini dental implants, All-On-4, implant dentures, an implant bridge, or a single dental implant crown, you can trust that your personalized treatment plan will be catered according to your liking and fit well within your budget.

Missing 1 Tooth

As you might expect, only one implant is needed if you’re only missing a single tooth. In this case, the post will be attached to a ceramic crown. Normally, you’ll have to wait a few months to have your new tooth placed, as the post needs time to bond with the jawbone.

Missing Multiple Teeth

Sometimes, several teeth in a row need to be replaced, and in this case, you might need an implant-retained dental bridge. Instead of using natural teeth for support (which would require changes to the enamel), the bridge will rest on two implant posts. If you’re missing several nonconsecutive teeth around your mouth, we may recommend anchoring a partial denture in place with dental implants.

Missing All Teeth

Implants can be used to replace any number of teeth – even when an entire row is gone! Dentures that are held in place by implants can be cleaned like natural teeth with brushing and flossing. Also, since the implants stop the jaw from breaking down and changing shape, there’s little chance of your dentures needing to be refitted.

Some patients missing all their natural teeth may be good candidates for All-On-4 dental implants. Thanks to the All-on-4 procedure, we can keep the number of implants you need to a minimum while also allowing you to enjoy your new teeth sooner. Four posts are placed into your mouth, and two are angled so that they can join with the densest areas of the jaw. With this approach, we can often give you temporary dentures on the same day as the placement surgery.

Learn More About All-On-4

Bone loss in the jaw tends to be more severe when teeth have been missing for a while. You may need a bone graft before you can receive full-sized implants. However, mini dental implants – which, as you might expect, are much smaller – can sometimes be placed without the need for an additional procedure.

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

Your dental implant consultation will include a thorough evaluation to determine your need for preliminary treatments. Bone grafting, periodontal therapy, and tooth extraction may be necessary if your oral health and jawbone density do not meet the necessary standards. Should you require one or more of these procedures, you can expect them to be added to the total cost of treatment.

Also, your dental implant surgery will be factored into your cost estimate. Fortunately, because Dr. Kandov performs the entire procedure in-house, you do not need to worry about seeking an outside implant dentist in Doylestown. This not only means you get to stay in one convenient location, but you won’t need to pay a separate fee to a specialist.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

Another vital component of your cost breakdown is the different parts of your dental implant, all of which will be explained during your free, no-obligation dental implant consultation:

• The number of implant posts you will need – The more dental implants you need, the higher your cost. A single implant post will cost much less than the required four or six needed for an implant denture.
• The materials used – Each with its own price tag, zirconia and titanium are the two most popular materials used to create dental implants.
• The type of restoration – Whether you need a crown, bridge, or denture, these restorations require custom creation by a skilled lab technician, which involves a separate cost.
• The brand – All dental implants are different because of the various brands and manufacturers. Dr. Kandov chooses which brands to use, which are of a higher quality and allow for longer-lasting smiles. This will be explained during your initial consultation. Although there are cheaper options out there on the market, you will ultimately pay for the quality you receive.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

There is no doubt that dental implants are most definitely worth the investment. If you desire a quick solution that gives you faster results and costs less, you’ll want to choose a more traditional method of treatment. However, if you want a smile that is designed to be permanent, replicate the entire tooth structure, improve your oral health, and potentially last decades or longer, there’s no doubt you should opt for dental implants in Doylestown.

But those are not the only reasons to choose these permanent prosthetics. You’ll also save more money in the long run. If this seems impossible, here are just a few ways this method of treatment is more cost-effective:

• There’s no need to purchase dental adhesives
• You don’t need specialized cleaners to maintain your new teeth
• Frequent adjustments and replacements every few years are not necessary (as long as you commit to taking proper care of your smile)
• You’ll avoid high medical costs for conditions closely related to tooth loss (i.e., diabetes, heart disease, and even osteoporosis).

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Dr. Kandov is in-network with many major PPO dental insurance plans; however, you will need to contact your insurer to find out if you are covered for any or all parts of dental implant placement. Unfortunately, many companies do not offer coverage for this type of surgical procedure. The good news is you may be covered for other aspects of treatment, including your initial consultation, the customized restoration, or the preliminary treatments.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

If you’re uninsured, Dr. Kandov can make your dental implant treatment more affordable by offering offer a Dental Passport Program that allows you to pay one flat annual fee. Not only will you receive basic dental care, but you’ll also receive 15% off all other dental procedures.

You may also opt to enroll in CareCredit financing, which allows you to choose between low- and no-interest payment plans, allowing you to stay within your budget.

Bone Grafting

Once dental implants are surgically placed into the jawbone, it takes anywhere from 3-6 months for them to properly fuse with the bone and surrounding tissue. This is known as osseointegration, and in order for the procedure to be considered a success, everything must come together to create a solid foundation for the restoration.

During your initial consultation, Dr. Kandov will examine your jawbone to determine if this process is even possible. Should she find there isn’t enough bone to support the implants, she will likely recommend bone grafting in Doylestown. This process requires taking bone minerals from another location in your body or a donor and placing them into the weakened area(s) of your jawbone. After spending several months healing from your procedure, you will then be able to discuss dental implant placement with Dr. Kandov.

Sinus Lifts

Since the upper back jaw tends to have less bone density and is close to the sinuses, it can be difficult to place implants in this area. Thus, we might need to perform a sinus lift first. This procedure involves making an incision in the gums and creating an opening in the exposed bone. We’ll then raise the sinus membrane and pack bone grafting material into the new space, thickening the jawbone right where you need it. You’ll be ready to receive implants after your mouth has healed, which can take 4 to 12 months.

PRP Therapy

A successful dental implant surgery depends on how well your body heals once you’ve received your posts. In order to make sure your recovery is successful, we can apply platelet rich plasma, or PRP, to the area where the surgery was performed. The growth factors in the platelets will dramatically speed up the healing process. Not only does this mean less of a wait time for your new teeth, but you’ll also be much less likely to suffer from infections or other complications after the procedure.

What to Do Directly After Dental Implant Surgery

After your surgery, blood clots should form at your incisions sites. Because they are a vital part of your body’s healing process, they should be protected. Here are some steps you can take to that end:

• Do not spit. Instead, swallow excess saliva or use tissues to absorb it.
• Do not smoke or use drinking straws. The suction action could dislodge your blood clots.
• Do not touch your surgical sites. You should avoid using your fingers or tongue to touch your incision sites.

Common Side Effects after Dental Implant Placement

During the initial part of your recovery period, you may experience:

• Intermittent bleeding. This can go on for several days. It is manageable with gauze and light pressure.
• This could last for over a week. Cold compresses can keep it to a minimum.
• General discomfort. Using pain medications and getting adequate rest can take the edge off of any discomfort.

If you experience any severe or unusual side effects after your surgery, you should call our team right away.

Your Diet after Dental Implant Surgery

At first, you should stick to a no-chew diet. This can include things like yogurt, mashed potatoes, brothy soups, ice cream, and a variety of liquids. Later, you can progress to a fork-tender diet, which may encompass items such as scrambled eggs, meatloaf, and pasta. You should avoid alcohol for as long as you are taking pain medications (or as long as Dr. Kandov recommends). When you feel up to it, you can try to incorporate tougher foods back into your diet.

Post-Op Oral Hygiene

The day after your surgery, you can brush your natural teeth as usual, but you should exercise extreme caution around your surgical sites. You can also begin to regularly rinse your mouth with warm salt water. Doing so can ease inflammation and reduce the risk of infection. Try to avoid using any mouthwashes that contain alcohol, such as Scope or Listerine. If Dr. Kandov provides you with a prescription for mouthwash, be sure to use it as instructed.

What to Do after Your New Teeth Are Attached

Sometime after your implant placement surgery, your restorations will be secured in your mouth. Your new crown, bridge, or denture might feel a little strange at first. Your gums might also be a little sore. However, you will not be required to take any downtime. You should be able to begin using your new teeth right away!

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Each day, you will need to make your at-home oral hygiene routine a priority. Brushing, flossing, and rinsing are all key tasks you’ll need to complete if you want your implants to remain clean and durable from day-to-day.

A few helpful tips to remember when caring for your implants include:

• Brushing them with a soft-bristled toothbrush. You’ll want to clean not only the fronts and backs of your teeth but also around the gum line. Make sure to do this for two full minutes twice a day.
• Using dental floss to remove harmful bacteria between your teeth and from the area around your metal abutments.
• Avoid using abrasive toothpaste, as this can scratch your restoration, causing it to dull over time.
• Rinsing with an antimicrobial mouthwash to eliminate the debris left behind by brushing and flossing.

Protect Your Dental Implants

Although your dental implants in Doylestown are made of strong materials, they are not indestructible. This means you will need to take additional precautions to keep your artificial teeth fully intact. If you enjoy playing sports or engaging in physical activities, wearing a mouthguard can keep your teeth better protected while on the field or court.

If you tend to grind your teeth because of stress or bruxism while asleep, a nightguard can keep your teeth from touching and grinding against each other, preventing wear and tear over time. You’ll also want to make sure that you avoid certain bad habits like eating ice, using your teeth to open packages, and chewing on pens or pencils, all of which can cause chips or small cracks.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

At-home care is vital but regular dental checkups and cleanings are equally as important. Why? Because these visits allow your implant dentist in Doylestown to examine your smile for signs of decay, gum disease, and oral cancer, as well as check for any problem areas concerning your dental implants (i.e., bone loss, loose teeth). A hygienist will also remove any hardened plaque and tartar that can potentially cause gum disease, which can wreak havoc on your implants if left untreated.

Do dental implants decay?

Dental implants are not porous like traditional tooth enamel. Instead, they are creating using high-quality materials that cannot decay. While this may be an exciting thought, it’s important to remember that if you have any natural, healthy teeth, they can experience decay and cavities. Not to mention, you are still susceptible to gum disease if you do not take proper care of your gum health. You’ll need to maintain good oral hygiene with dental implants to ensure your smile remains healthy for a lifetime.

Can I get dental implants if I’m diabetic?

It is possible to receive dental implants even if you are a diabetic, but you’ll need to manage your blood sugar levels and keep up with a regular oral hygiene routine. Once your implants are firmly in place within your jawbone, osseointegration must occur. If your glucose levels are not within a healthy range, it can slow the healing process and put you at risk for dental implant failure. You’ll need to remain in touch with your physician to ensure you are eating the right foods, taking your medication, and being mindful of your oral health to keep your new teeth in place.

Will I have to take off work for dental implant surgery?

Yes, you will need to take at least 1-2 days off work to allow for proper healing. Although your recovery will technically last 3-6 months, you won’t need to take that much time off of work. Instead, much of your healing at home depends on how many teeth need to be replaced. If only one dental implant is required, healing time will likely only last one or two days; however, if you received multiple or an entire arch, you may benefit from scheduling your surgery with your implant dentist in Doylestown later in the week, so you can use your weekend to properly heal.

What can cause dental implants to fail?

Unfortunately, there are many things that can cause dental implants to fail. The most common is peri-implantitis, which is an infection that causes gum inflammation. Others include smoking or using tobacco products, teeth grinding (bruxism), or even certain medications to treat autoimmune disorders or certain health conditions. It is important that you stay on top of your oral hygiene routine as well as quit smoking if you want to increase your chances of enjoying your new teeth for years to come.