Are You a Good Candidate For Dental Implants?

Dental implant is a great treatment option for those who need restorative treatments to replace or repair lost or decayed teeth. There are a number of reasons for the shift in philosophy by most dental professionals in utilizing dental implants as a more promising solution than crowns or bridges. They offer a lasting solution for tooth repairing and restoration, which avoid several problems encountered with other restorative dental procedures.

One of the chief reasons for having dental implants over other alternatives for tooth restoration is its longevity.

It is important to replace the missing teeth, as they play a very big role in supporting the lips and cheeks, as missing teeth can cause a change in facial appearance of an individual. A good way to avoid this change is certainly to have dental implant, as this will protect against bone loss in the jaw (upper and lower), which consecutively provides support to the facial appearance of the patient.

This solution is a perfect treatment for almost everyone with ill-fitting prosthetic or missing teeth. With the countless implant dentistry solutions and different types of dental implants available, you have to ensure the best solution to best address your specific needs.

So, to discover whether the dental implants are right for you, respond to the following questions:

1.       Do you have one or more teeth missing?

2.       Are you worried about the health of your jawbone due to missing teeth?

3.       Has your bridge caused the teeth to decay?

4.       Is your denture painful?

5.       Are you sick of using denture adhesive?

6.       Do you hate to remove your teeth to clean them?

7.       Is it hard to chew food?

8.       Are you still waiting to relish your food to the full extent?

9.       Are you embarrassed of your smile?

If your responses to the above questions are ‘yes’, then you must seek the benefits of getting dental implants.

Determining Candidacy

Preferably, the patients should possess good oral and overall health. So, your dentist will review your medical history, perform a thorough dental exam and discuss the medications that you may currently be taking. An X-rays or a CT-scan of the jaw area will provide dentist the information regarding bone density, depth and mass. Gum disease must be addressed in advance to the implant surgery to get optimal results.

Certain lifestyle choices and medical conditions that may impact the success rate of dental implants are:

1.     Having diabetes, as it slows down the healing response of body. Delayed healing in implant surgery may hinder its chance of success.

2.       Smoking interrupts in healing process and decreases the quality of bone.

3.       Oral bisphosphonate drugs used in the treatment of osteoporosis may also hinder in the success.

4.       Bruxism (teeth grinding) may also injure the implants during healing

5.       Maintaining good oral hygiene is also a critical success factor.

Dr. Shahin Safarian and his staff offer many options for Implants in San Diego. Patients with their teeth missing can get advantage from dental implants. Success rates of implants differ from patient to patient. But, an experienced dentist can help you in this.