Smiling with a loose, damaged, or missing tooth can be uncomfortable or embarrassing. While dental implants are a viable teeth replacement option, not everyone can benefit from them. If you want to restore your healthy, beautiful smile, you must understand who makes good candidates for dental implants, explore other dental options, and make necessary changes. A visit to a New Bern dental office can help you get the information you need to know if you can benefit from the implants.
How are Good Candidates for Dental Implants
Dental implants are beneficial for people whose tooth needs to be removed soon or those who have missing teeth. But generally, dental implants are good for you if you don’t have gum disease, have sufficient jawbone to support the implants, have adequate health, and do not use tobacco. If you do not meet these qualifications, you can still take steps to improve your oral health and increase your chances of successful implant surgery.
What You Can Do to Be a Good Candidate for Dental Implants
You may be able to get dental implants if you take the following steps:
- Stop using tobacco. Smoking or tobacco use is harmful to your overall health, including your oral health. It increases your risk of gum disease and implant failures as well as affects bone healing. Dental implants in people who smoke can fail as the body makes fibrous tissue around the dental implant rather than the bone. Such tissue is not strong enough to support the implant.
- Treat gum disease. With gum disease, infection attacks the gums, ligaments, and bones that keep your teeth in place. Also, gum disease can cause implant failure if the bone around your implant is attacked by bacteria. If you currently have gum disease, you will have to get it treated first before you can get a dental implant.
- Improve your overall health. Dental implant surgery can pose a few risks for those who have good overall health. But for those with conditions such as sleep apnea or heart disease, there is the risk of issues related to the administration of anesthesia during the procedure. If you are unsure about your overall health condition, consult with your doctor first before you see a dentist for dental implants.
- Explore bone support options. If you are currently not a good candidate for implants because of limited bone support, you can consider options like a bone graft. Your dentist can place the bone grafts during the implant procedure or before the surgery.
