Am I A Candidate for Dental Implants?

Unfortunately for those patients looking for dental crowns to provide a solution to their tooth loss problems, not every patient is considered a good candidate. The need for good oral hygiene and oral health along with a high level of general health is important and can preclude patients from the procedure. The biggest factor however is the need for strong supportive bone structure so the dental implants can be properly secure to your jawbone. There can be no trace of any gum disease either as this can compromise the dental implant placement.

Implants are utilized in numerous dental procedures and are a very common practice within dentistry. Securing dentures, dental bridges, and dental crowns are one of the most widely used dental surgeries. If you have always wondered about dental implants or have considered getting them, please contact us at Distinctive Dentistry to find out more.

Some risk factors cannot be ignored when it comes to dental procedures which can create problems. Some of the factors include being over the age of 60 and if the patient has had radiation treatment for cancer. Both of these can be indicators for lowered bone density which is an absolute requirement for proper support of a dental implant.

Certain types of medication can interfere with proper bone growth and those patients with lowered estrogen levels because they are post-menopausal are not good candidates. If patients have serious gum disease or smoke and abuse alcohol will be precluded as well. Diabetes can also create issues for patients looking to have dental implants.

While these factors can lend themselves to a patient not being a good candidate for dental implants it is not arbitrary. It simply means if the procedure moves forward there may be additional complications to consider.

Some alternatives patients might not know about include mini-implants which are considerably smaller than traditional dental implants. Due to their smaller size, less bone mass is required for them to be successful. This means that even if the patient has low bone mass, they could still reap the benefits of these dental implants.

The revolutionary procedure known as the All-on-4® Treatment Concept is another alternative. Requiring only four implants, they can support any and all dental appliances.

Many patients fail to realize there are noninvasive options as well. These do not require any implant or surgery. One such option is a tooth-supported denture. As it suggests, this simply means the denture is secured to the existing tooth structure rather than an implant to secure it in place.

It should be noted a significant disadvantage of this design is greater erosion of the teeth where the dental bridge or denture is secured. Because they are under significantly more pressure than normal, they can wear out much faster.

As always, if a patient has questions or concerns about a procedure, they should always reach out to us at Distinctive Dentistry. We are available by phone too at (425) 771-3266.