Dental Implants Allen

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

The process begins when you contact us to schedule a consultation. During your appointment, Dr. Kar will get to know you and understand your goals for your smile. Then, he’ll review your medical history and inspect your remaining teeth, gums, and jawbone. If you’re not initially a good candidate for dental implants, he’ll work with you to plan any necessary preliminary treatments such as a bone graft, periodontal therapy, or tooth extraction. Then, he’ll work with you to determine which type of dental implant is best for you and plan your dental implant surgery.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have about the process, costs, and benefits associated with the procedure. We want you to commit to your treatment with confidence!

Dental Implant Surgery

Many practices in our area do not have anyone on-staff who is qualified to place dental implants; they must refer patients to other doctors for this portion of their restorative procedure. However, Dr. Kar is a certified prosthodontist and implant dentist in Allen, which means he has been specially trained in the replacement of damaged and missing teeth. A prosthodontist has at least three years of advanced training beyond dental school that enables them to help patients who have cases that require more advanced treatment.

During your placement surgery, Dr. Kar will create small incisions in your gums in order to insert the implants. You should be comfortable during this stage of your treatment because our on-staff certified anesthesiologist is able to administer IV sedation before the process so you don’t feel any pain.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment Placement

Once your implants are in place, a natural biological process known as osseointegration will begin. Your jawbone will fuse with the implants, enabling them to provide the strongest base of support possible for your new teeth. Osseointegration typically takes at least a few months.

With some types of implant procedures, it is necessary to place abutments after osseointegration. Abutments are small connector pieces that serve to secure your restorations. Placing them requires a second minor surgery. (In some instances, such as for patients who are receiving All-on-4 treatment, this second surgery is not necessary.)

Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations

As a prosthodontist, Dr. Kar specializes in creating crowns, bridges, and dentures that are the next best thing to natural teeth. When it is time to design your final restoration, our team will take impressions of your teeth, which will serve as the basis for creating your restored smile. A laboratory will create your restoration, and Dr. Kar will verify that its fit and color are just right before he attaches it to your implants. Then, you can go on your way and begin to enjoy all the remarkable benefits of dental implants in Allen.

Day-to-Day Benefits

Some of the day-to-day benefits of dental implants in Allen include:

• Improved self-confidence. Smile with confidence, knowing you have a beautiful, permanent set of new teeth. As a prosthodontist and experienced implant dentist in Allen, Dr. Kar is able to design amazingly lifelike restorations.
• Improved comfort. Dental implants function just like real teeth. This helps remove any discomfort caused by bulky dentures. You will look and feel great!
• Improved speech. It can be difficult to speak with traditional dentures, especially if they don’t fit just right. Dental implants can help restore your speech and make it easier to communicate.
• Improved convenience. Imagine no longer having to run to the bathroom first thing in the morning to put on your dentures. Morning, noon, or night, you will never have to worry about your dental implants looking and feeling anything besides great.
• Comfort while chewing. With dentures, some foods are just off the table. You can get back to eating the foods you love with permanent, sturdy dental implants. Once again, you will be able to bite into apples, corn on the cob, and steak with confidence!

Health Benefits

Dental implants support oral and overall health in a few different ways:

• Jawbone preservation. Dentures and traditional bridges can result in increased bone loss over time. Dental implants actually prevent bone loss and help your jaw to remain as healthy and strong as possible.
• Protection for natural teeth. Traditional bridges require that the abutment teeth be significantly filed down, but dental implants are self-supporting and are free of this issue.
• Overall health benefits. Tooth loss is often associated with gum disease, and gum disease is a risk factor for numerous health problems, including heart attack and stroke. Tooth loss is also correlated with a shortened life expectancy. Dental implants may help to mitigate these problems.

Long-Term Benefits

You will begin to benefit from dental implants shortly after you receive them, and they may continue to reward you for decades to come. Their long-term benefits include:

• Durability. Dental implants can stand the test of time. With proper care, they can last you a lifetime!
• Save money. The longevity of dental implants may make them a better long-term value than treatments that are cheaper upfront but that need periodic replacement, such as traditional dentures.
• Save time. Because you can treat dental implants similarly to natural teeth, you will not have to worry about spending a lot of time on things like denture maintenance.

Would you like to learn how dental implants may be able to help you personally? Contact us today to schedule your tooth replacement consultation.

Ali’s Smile Before Dental Implants

Before receiving treatment from Dr. Kar, Ali had 8 missing teeth, 5 cavities, and 6 defective restorations. Once one of his dental bridges collapsed at the gym, Ali simply had to come see us. As a prosthodontist, Dr. Kar specializes in cases just like this one.

During a consultation with Ali, he explained the health effects that missing and decayed teeth can have. Prosthodontists have extensive training and knowledge in the restoration of teeth, bone, and specifically the use of dental implants. When Ali made it clear that he was interested in fixed prosthetics, Dr. Kar knew that dental implants were the answer. Especially for Ali’s tooth loss and desired goals, dental implants will be able to preserve his jawbone while also keeping his remaining natural teeth intact.

Completing Ali’s Smile

After we developed a personalized treatment plan for Ali, Dr. Kar replaced his consecutive missing teeth with implant-retained bridges. Unlike his previous dental bridge, these are secured by dental implants for extra strength and stability. His additional missing teeth were replaced with implant-retained crowns and an implant-retained partial denture. This combination of customized treatments allowed Ali to receive permanent, fixed restorations with the health and aesthetic benefits of dental implants.

In addition to these replacements, Ali had 4 of his old and defective crowns updated with our beautifully personalized dental crowns. These seamlessly blended into his smile to create a beautiful and functional set of teeth.

Who is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?

Virtually any adult who has lost one or more teeth can become eligible for dental implants. Here are some traits of an ideal candidate:

• Fair overall health. You should be well enough to recover from minor surgery. You should not be pregnant, and any chronic conditions (like diabetes) should be well-managed.
• Good overall health. It is important that you are free of active gum disease and other oral health problems that might interfere with your implants’ success.
• Adequate jawbone density and volume. Since your implants will fuse with your jawbone, it must be strong enough to support them.

Even if you do not qualify for dental implants right away, your dental implant dentist in Allen, Dr. Kar, may be able to help you qualify after some preliminary treatments, such as gum disease therapy or a bone graft.

Missing One Tooth

Instead of altering the two healthy teeth on either side of the gap in your smile to make room for a dental bridge, one missing tooth can be replaced by a single dental implant. Dr. Kar will place a dental implant where the root of the missing tooth used to be. Later, he will top it with an abutment and a beautiful, custom-made crown. Not only does this replace your missing tooth without damaging the surrounding teeth, but it also promotes a healthier jawbone and provides you with the most natural-feeling tooth replacement possible.

Missing Multiple Teeth

Multi-teeth implants are also known as an "implant bridge." The basic form of this procedure involves placing an implant at each end of the gap, then restoring them with crowns and the appropriate number of pontics (artificial teeth) between them. Rather than replacing multiple teeth separately, an implant bridge requires less time and is extremely effective in preventing bone loss and restoring your smile.

If your missing teeth at different places throughout the mouth, an implant bridge may not be right for you. Instead, you may qualify for a partial denture or a few separate implant-supported crowns.

Missing All Teeth

Do you have an uncomfortable or unreliable denture that you just can’t trust to stay in place? With an implant denture, you can finally get a set of teeth you can rely on. The prosthetic teeth are anchored in place using multiple dental implants positioned within the jawbone, and not only is the fit extremely secure, but you can trust it to last as well. Plus, implant dentures restore much more bite strength than traditional ones, enabling you to enjoy a wide variety of foods with ease.

There are a few different types of implant dentures, including permanently fixed All-on-4 prosthetics and implant overdentures. Learn more about them by following the links below.

Learn More About Implant Dentures

Learn More About All-On-4 Dental Implants

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

Many patients require gum disease therapy, tooth extractions, or other procedures before they are eligible to receive dental implants. Each of these services comes with its own fee. The dental implant placement surgery incurs a separate cost. Dr. Kar is able to perform this procedure in-house, so you will not have to worry about dealing with the pricing policies of an outside practice for this part of your tooth replacement journey.

The Parts of Your Dental Implant

There are a number of different types of dental implants and dental implant procedures. For example, a single tooth implant costs less than an implant-supported bridge or full mouth replacement. All-on-4 dental implants have a different price than a traditional implant-supported denture. Dental implants can also be made out of various materials and come from a range of manufacturers, both of which can affect cost. If more than one type of implant treatment might work for you, our team will help you compare the pros, cons, and price of each option.

How Dental Implants Can Save You Money

The vast majority of individuals who invest in dental implants have no regrets about their decision, especially when they see how their new teeth save them money over time. Not only will your final restoration be functional, strong, and stable, but it will also spare you from having to spend money on treatments like denture relines. Additionally, because dental implants last so much longer than traditional tooth replacement methods, they may cost less over time.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Dental insurance policies vary widely with regard to dental implants, but more and more companies are choosing to provide coverage for this procedure. Even if your plan doesn’t cover the implants themselves, it might cover related treatments, such as a bone graft or your final restoration. Dr. Kar is in-network with many PPO insurance plans as well as with BCBS Medical, and our team will be happy to help you understand, use, and maximize your benefits.

Making Dental Implants Affordable

As your implant dentist in Allen, we want to help you afford your treatment. In addition to assisting you with insurance, we offer a few other provisions that can help you manage the cost of your new teeth:

• Special offers. Enjoy a FREE implant consultation. For a single implant, abutment, and crown, pay only $3299.
• Financing. We work with CareCredit, Sunbit, and Cherry. These third-party lenders offer a range of flexible plans to qualified patients.
• In-house savings plan. Our membership plan provides discounts on most of the services we offer.

3D Cone Beam Imaging

Digital X-rays capture enough information for diagnosing cavities and measuring jawbone density, but 3D cone beam imaging reveals much more detail. Compiling hundreds of images together, the 3D model on the screen gives a more comprehensive view of the oral cavity, showing blood vessels, nerve endings, and other structures that must be considered when planning the complex placement procedure. With this information, Dr. Kar can precisely plan where to put the implant successfully and keep complications to a minimum.

Bone Grafting

If your jawbone doesn’t have the density to successfully support dental implants, a bone graft can help strengthen it. Often, the bone that is used for the graft comes from a patient’s own body. However, it may also come from a bone bank. In some cases, synthetic material is used. Once the new bone material is grafted onto the weaker parts of your jaw, it will encourage the growth of new bone tissue.

It might be possible for Dr. Kar to place your implants at the same time you receive the bone graft. However, in most cases, you’ll have to undergo a healing period of at least a few months before you can receive implants.

Sinus Lifts

If you are going to receive implants to replace your teeth in the upper jaw, you may need to undergo a sinus lift. Following tooth loss, the sinuses may collapse into the space where the tooth roots once were, leaving just a thin layer of bone between your mouth and the sinuses. The sinus lift procedure gently repositions the sinuses so you can receive a bone graft and eventually experience all the benefits of implants from your dentist in Allen.

What to Do Directly After Dental Implant Surgery

Blood clots should form at your surgical sites. Since these are a key part of your body’s healing process, you should do all you can to avoid disturbing them. Here are a few tips to that end:

• Do not spit. Instead, swallow excess saliva or use tissues to absorb it.
• Do not use drinking straws or smoke cigarettes. The suction action could dislodge the blood clots.
• Do not touch your surgical sites. You might be tempted to feel your incisions with your tongue or fingers. However, you should avoid doing so.

Common Side-Effects

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

• Intermittent bleeding. This can usually be controlled with clean gauze and light pressure.
• This may worsen over the first 72 hours. However, you can keep it to a minimum by using cold compresses.
• General discomfort. Pain medication, as well as getting plenty of rest, may alleviate this.

If you experience any severe or unusual side effects, call your implant dentist in Allen right away.

Diet

At first, you should stick to a no-chew diet. This may encompass things like applesauce, mashed potatoes, smoothies, and brothy soups. After some time, you may progress to fork-tender foods, such as scrambled eggs, meatloaf, soft breads, and other items that are easy to cut with the side of a fork. Once your soft oral tissues have recovered fairly well, you may be able to resume a normal diet. You should abstain from alcohol for as long as you are taking pain medications (or as long as Dr. Kar recommends).

Health & Oral Hygiene

It is fine to brush your teeth the day after your surgery, but you should be extra-cautious around your surgical sites. Rinsing your mouth a few times each day with salt water can help to manage inflammation and swelling. If you have a prescription mouthwash, be sure to use it as directed.

What to Do After Your New Teeth are Attached

After your prosthetic teeth are attached to your dental implants in Allen, you might notice some gum tenderness and sensitivity. However, you should not experience any significant bleeding or swelling. No downtime will be required. At first, your new teeth may feel strange in your mouth, but you can expect to adjust fairly quickly.

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Proper oral hygiene plays a large role in dental implant care in Allen. Not only does it help to keep your mouth fresh, but it also reduces your risk of dangerous infections. You should:

• Brush your teeth twice a day with a soft-bristled brush.
• Floss at least once daily.
• Follow any hygiene instructions that are specific to your restoration. For example, if you have a removable implant denture, you should take it out of your mouth for regular cleaning.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Dental implants can enable you to eat virtually any food, including all of your favorite treats. However, just like natural teeth, some foods are better for them than others. For example, it would be wise to avoid overindulging in hard, sticky, or sugary foods. Instead, try to enjoy a diet that consists of plenty of foods that support oral health, including those that are rich in calcium and vitamin C.

Break Bad Habits

Some bad habits that can adversely affect dental implants include:

• Smoking and chewing tobacco. These can slow down healing after oral surgery and increase your risk of implant failure. Admittedly, breaking free from tobacco addiction can be challenging, but all of your efforts will be worth it when you finally succeed!
• Chewing on ice or other hard objects. You might accidentally break your implant restorations. You also run the risk of injuring your gum tissue.

Protect Your Dental Implants

If you play sports, you should always wear a mouthguard to prevent injury both to your oral tissues and your dental implants. A custom mouthguard from a dentist is more effective than any that you could buy over the counter.

Similarly, you should wear a nightguard to prevent bruxism if you tend to grind your teeth at night. A nightguard will prevent your top and bottom teeth from contacting one another and causing mutual harm.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

Scheduling an appointment with your implant dentist in Allen, Dr. Kar , every six months or so has some remarkable benefits. Not only will Dr. Kar check your implants for signs of developing problems, but he will also give you personalized advice to help you protect them for the long haul. Additionally, our team will thoroughly clean your mouth; we will likely remove your implant restorations so we can clean your abutments.