Implants in Pittston, PA

Dental implants are becoming more popular for replacing teeth that need removing or are already missing. Most people show interest in them because they look and function like natural teeth.

However, everyone who wants them may not be able to get them due to the condition of their teeth or jawbone. Fortunately, our dentists at Polit & Costello Dentistry have some solutions to help you get these replacement teeth.

Do You Qualify for Implants?

To find out if you can get implant surgery, our dentists in Pittston, PA will evaluate your teeth and jawbone. Having damage from dental decay or gum disease to the jaw can disqualify you from obtaining artificial teeth. When decay reaches the jaw, it can eat away at it as it does enamel.

Our dentists will measure your jaw’s length and density to determine if it can support the number of implant screws or teeth roots that you need. An implant needs six millimeters for the standard size tooth replacements. A standard implant is 10 or 14 mm long.  Damage from decay can also weaken the jawbone, making it too fragile to support the screws.

Solutions for the Jaw

Fortunately, there are solutions if you don’t qualify because your jaw doesn’t have the density it needs. If the jaw is too short, it’s possible to use smaller implants near you for the teeth that need replacing. In this type of case, an implant-supported bridge may be a better option.

There are two things our dentists near you can do to increase the jaw’s depth. They can use grafting material to increase the jaw’s depth or add a donor’s bone. After an extraction, the dentists can place bone grafting material along the jaw.

It takes between three to six months for the material to fuse to the bone and be ready for implants in Pittston, PA. A donor bone, which comes from a bone bank, takes about the same time to heal and fuse to your jawbone.

If you have an interest in getting implants, book an appointment to speak with our dentists at Polit & Costello Dentistry about them. They can explain the procedure and the time necessary to complete the process from start to finish.