Are You a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?
December 28, 2015
For many people, dental implants are a great alternative to dentures. They last longer, don’t slip around, look more natural and allow you to eat more of your favorite foods. However, implants aren’t the right choice for everyone. There are a number of health considerations to take into account before deciding whether or not to get tooth implants. A periodontist in St. Augustine, FL can help you work through them, but you can also use these guide to decide yourself.
Is Your Health Generally Good?
Tooth implants are usually not a good choice for individuals who have chronic health problems, a suppressed immune system or difficulties clotting blood. While not considered a particularly invasive procedure, implants do require anesthetic and drilling into the bone, both of which can tax the system.
Do You Have Enough Bone Mass?
Implants need to be anchored into the jaw bone, which means individuals suffering from bone loss might not have enough surface area to serve as an anchor. This can be fixed with bone grafting to restore lost bone, but this is a difficult procedure that can take a long time to produce results.
Are You an Adult?
People under 20 who are not finished growing may not be good candidates for implants since their jaws may still have some growing to do as well. Additionally, pregnant women are not always good candidates for implants since the anesthetic used may be taxing for the fetus.
Do You Have Good Oral Health?
Tooth implants require cleaning and maintenance to stay in good shape. This means brushing and flossing every day, as well as avoiding unhealthy habits like smoking. If you already have good oral health then you are well on your way to being able to maintain your implants for years.
For more information about whether or not tooth implants are the right choice for you, contact Dr. Stephen Strout for a consultation today.