What should you do if you have a missing tooth or teeth? One of the most popular ways to handle this is to get a dental implant surgically anchored into the jaw. It’s a one-time procedure that lets you maintain your normal eating and drinking habits and restore your smile. But while this sounds like a beneficial solution to tooth loss, you should be sure that you are the right candidate for such a procedure. Most individuals can likely have successful dental implantation, however, there are some things to consider before you have this surgery. A good candidate for dental implants will meet the following standards.
Proper Bone Support
The implant is anchored into your jaw, which means you need to have a sufficient amount of bone for placement of the post. If you lost any bone mass when you lost your tooth or teeth your dentist will need to determine if there is enough left in which to implant the device. If there’s not good bone support this doesn’t mean you can’t have the surgery, you may just need to get some reconstructive surgery on your jawbone before the implantation occurs.
Gum Health
Another very important facet of dental implants, healthy gums will ensure full recovery from the implant surgery and a tight grip around the post to ensure that it stays in place. Good gum health will also help to prevent an infection from developing around the implant. Patients at risk of gum disease typically find that the surgery was not successful. So your dentist will need to do a full check up to determine if your gums are in good shape before the procedure.
Patient Age
Although many dentists may refrain from installing a dental implant in a child whose jaw is still growing, almost anyone of any age is a good candidate for a dental implant. Age is not as important as whether the patient is in good health and committing to practicing proper dental hygiene. This means daily brushing and flossing, routine dental visits and refraining from smoking.
Commitment to Follow Up
Once a patient is given a dental implant, he or she must be prepared to make follow up visits so the dentist can ensure that the implant has been successful and the gums are healing properly. If there is a problem, it can be identified early on and corrected if need be. Without following up, you could develop serious problems and experience pain.
