Facing the possibility of losing teeth as an adult can be overwhelming. Whether you have a broken tooth that can’t be repaired, periodontal disease that has progressed too far, or you’re just done struggling with traditional dentures, you may wonder if dental implants could work for you.
Dental implants are a permanent solution to tooth loss and restore full function to your bite. Plus, they look most like beautiful natural teeth of any tooth replacement option.
But how do you know if you’re a candidate for dental implants?
Do You Need Dental Implants?
Before we get into what makes an ideal candidate for dental implants, let’s look at why someone might need them.
1. You’re Missing Teeth
Obviously, dental implants are for people with missing teeth. The longer you leave your smile incomplete, the more strain it can put on the rest of your teeth. Without a balanced bite to share the pressure when you chew, your other teeth can become worn down or even cracked and broken.
If you’re already missing teeth for any reason, you may be frustrated with how hard it is to chew. If the gap shows when you smile, you may also want a natural-looking replacement that blends in with the rest of your teeth.
Some people are born with fewer teeth. Dental implants are a great way to give you a full set of teeth without working on otherwise perfectly healthy natural teeth. An individual dental implant is also easier to care for than a bridge because you can brush and floss it like a normal tooth.
People who are born with a full set of teeth could lose them for many reasons.
2. You Have Teeth That Can’t Be Saved
Periodontal disease is the number one cause of tooth loss in adults. Left untreated, gum disease damages the ligaments and bone sockets that hold the teeth in place. Localized periodontal disease could lead to one or a few teeth becoming too loose to stabilize, but many people lose all their teeth because of gum disease.
In other cases, extensive decay, infections, failing dental work, and severe wear may not leave enough healthy tooth structure to support other treatments like crowns or bridges.
Even if you’ve had perfect teeth your entire life, trauma from car accidents, slip-and-fall incidents, or sports injuries can damage a tooth beyond repair. To prevent worse problems like pain and infections, it may be best to remove injured teeth.
3. You Don’t Want to Deal with Dentures
Whether you’re already wearing dentures, or you might lose your teeth soon, you may worry about how traditional dentures can limit your lifestyle.
Because dentures are held in place with suction, they aren’t strong enough to handle tougher foods or biting with your front teeth. Dental implants put foods like fresh salad, juicy steak, and nuts back on the menu. With full mouth dental implants, you can even bite into an apple!
That alone makes dental implants a great investment in your overall health by enabling you to eat a full variety of nutritious foods.
Now that we’ve seen who can benefit from this amazing treatment, let’s take a closer look at who makes a good candidate for dental implants.
How Do You Know If You’re a Candidate for Dental Implants?
With modern techniques and materials, virtually anyone can benefit from dental implants.
Ideal candidates for dental implants have:
- One or more missing teeth.
- Good overall physical health.
- Plenty of healthy bone volume to support implant posts.
- Stable gum health with minimal inflammation or bacteria.
- Good oral care habits at home.
Dental implants have the best chance of long-term success for people who don’t smoke or use tobacco products because nicotine causes the blood vessels in the gums to constrict, which can interfere with the healing process.
If you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant soon, we may need to postpone your implant surgery until after you deliver.
What Could Prevent Me from Being a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?
There are a few issues that could mean dental implants aren’t the right approach for your specific situation. For many patients, they’re just not within budget. We proudly offer cost-effective alternatives, and our financial coordinator may be able to connect you with financing solutions to make dental implants affordable.
Medical Conditions and Physical Health
Some medical conditions can interfere with healing and prevent your implants from achieving full strength. These conditions include:
- Untreated diabetes
- Osteoporosis
- Bone disease
- Blood diseases like hemophilia
- Autoimmune disorders that affect healing
In many cases, we may be able to work around many medical conditions. However, if your physical health isn’t stable enough to tolerate the surgical process, we may need to find another option for you. For example, patients with very high blood pressure may need to talk to their doctor first.
Medications
Medications like immunosuppressants and certain steroids could create complications. Others like blood thinners could make surgery too risky.
However, just because you currently take these medications doesn’t mean you’re not a candidate for dental implants. We may need to discuss whether you can temporarily stop taking some medications around the time of your surgery.
Active Periodontal Disease
This is the catch-22 of dental implants. Periodontal disease is the main issue leading to tooth loss. And yet the inflammation and bacteria from active gum disease could cause your implants to fail.
In some cases, we may need to resolve your active periodontal disease to decrease inflammation and bacteria around your surgery sites to improve your outcome and increase your chances of being a good candidate for dental implants.
Not Enough Bone
This is one of the main reasons patients get turned away from the life-changing potential of dental implants.
However, bone grafting techniques like ridge augmentation and sinus lifts may put dental implants within reach for people with bone loss. In some cases, a periodontist may be able to use alternative surgical sites for your implant posts. Modern techniques and technology mean someone who was not a good candidate for dental implants in the past may be one now!
Tobacco Use
We mentioned it earlier, but it bears repeating: using tobacco significantly increases the risk of dental implant failure. Tobacco use can also increase your risk of infection at the surgery site and peri-implantitis (inflammation around an implant post) even after your implants have healed.
Because it interferes with the healing process so drastically, many surgeons require you to stop smoking at least two weeks before your surgery. It’s best if you don’t use tobacco throughout the healing process as well. An ideal candidate for dental implants is not a tobacco user.
The Only Way to Know for Sure: Talk to Us!
The only way to know for sure whether you’re a good candidate for dental implants is with a thorough examination with our state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment. Our 3D CBCT scanner allows us to take precision measurements of the exact dimensions of your bone tissue and take out the guesswork.
The Lake Baldwin Dental team partners with skilled periodontists in the Orlando area who perform advanced dental implant surgery, including bone grafts. Their proven track record ensures a smooth process.
Paired with our cosmetic dentistry expertise, you’ll get a renewed smile that will look gorgeous and maintain its strength for years to come.
Ready to start enjoying a strong, beautiful smile? Call us to schedule your consultation and find out if you’re a good candidate for dental implants in Orlando!
