Who is a Candidate for Dental Implants?
Valencia, CA
 There are approximately 100 million Americans that are missing at least one tooth. If you are one of them, you might be thinking about getting dental implants for a replacement. Before making any decisions, it is a good idea to know if you are a good candidate. Copper Canyon Dentistry will be waiting to hear from you to talk about the next steps.
Who is a Good Candidate?
The majority of people who are missing one or more teeth will make a good candidate for dental implants. A couple of important factors to consider when determining if you are a good candidate are your gums, your jaw, and your bone density.
Having healthy gums will make you a good candidate, as well as having enough bone density to support and anchor the implants. Don’t worry if you have unhealthy gums or bone loss, that doesn’t mean you won’t be a good candidate, it just means you will need some extra work before getting the implants placed. Gum tissue and bone can both be grafted from another part of your mouth to cover the areas that may be lacking.
As for your jaw, it is important that you are old enough that your jaw has stopped growing. If your jaw needs more time to grow and an implant is placed, it could cause a misalignment in the future. Dental implants are best for adults.
Evaluation
Dental implant success starts with an exam on your jaw, teeth, mouth, and overall health. You will get an X-ray and possibly a CT scan. This will allow your dentist to identify any areas that might have bone loss. This will also let your dentist get a good look of the shape of your sinus and nerve location. These processes will help you get the most accurate treatment plan set up. The dentist will also perform a medical evaluation to determine your overall health and history. This is important for figuring out how well your implant will heal and fuse to your bone.
At Risk of Poor Results
There are a few pre-existing medical conditions that you may have that will result in poor results from this procedure. If you have uncontrolled diabetes, cancer, or uncontrolled gum disease, you might not get the best results. It is also possible to get poor results if you smoke or drink frequently.
You might still qualify for this procedure with one of the diseases or problems listed above, but you will need to have a thorough assessment of the situation, as well as work with our dentist and your doctor to increase your health for the procedure.
If you take any type of steroid or another drug that suppresses your immune system, you might not be the best candidate for this procedure. If you are someone who grinds or clenches your teeth, that may put too much pressure on the implants and can cause long term damage.
Dental implants have a very high success rate and patients are often incredibly pleased with their results. If you think you might qualify as a good candidate for implants, call Copper Canyon Dentistry at 661-775-8317 today! |
