Am I Eligible for a Dental Implant?
March 14, 2014
If you have a missing tooth, you may already know the benefits of implant dentistry, but you wonder if your smile is eligible. There are certain obstacles that can make your smile ineligible for a dental implant, however, most of these obstacles can be overcome with assistance from your dentist and/or oral surgeon. Lifestyle problems may be curtailed or worked around, a jaw can be strengthened, and oral health issues can often be addressed prior to the implant being placed. Let’s walk through what makes your with smile eligible for dental implants, and what may need to happen for your ineligible smile to turn it around.
You Do Not Smoke
If you are a smoker, you will probably need to give up smoking for awhile to make dental implant surgery successful. For the sake of your overall health and your oral health, it may be a good idea to just give up smoking altogether.
Your Jaw Is Done Developing
Dental implants can only be placed in tissue that is no longer developing. Your jawbone can continue to keep growing well into your twenties. Because everyone’s development is different, this issue is decided on an individual basis based on the development of your jaw tissue.
Your Jaw Is Strong and Healthy
Missing teeth can lead to a loss of bone density in your jaw. If your jaw tissue is in less than exceptional condition, it can impact your candidacy for an implant. Bone grafting may need to be done to fortify the site prior to the implant placement. Grafting may be done after an extraction to make sure the area is strong enough to support a future implant.
Your Gums Are Healthy
Gum disease can be problematic for implants. Regular management of gum disease can help to keep it from advancing into troublesome stages. If you have other issues with your smile’s health, they may need to be addressed prior to implant placement.
Is Your Smile Eligible for a Dental Implant?
A dental implant can help restore your smile’s health. To see if you are eligible, schedule a consultation with our experts by calling Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry of Kansas City, MO, today at 816-427-4018.