Missing teeth in Ajax is a common problem and can affect you in different ways. It can impact self-confidence and make it tricky to eat properly. Luckily, dental implants are often a good solution.
If you are facing tooth loss in Clarington or have some gaps in your smile that you’d love to fill in, you might wonder if you are a good candidate. The answer is almost certainly yes, but below are a few factors we consider when assessing someone for dental implant treatment.
Gum Health
People frequently lose teeth to gum disease in Whitby, a bacterial infection that can destroy the gums and the bone surrounding teeth, eventually making them loose. If you wish to have implants, it’s essential to have healthy gums. Any signs of gum disease will require treatment first.
Jawbone Quality
The quality and quantity of jawbone available for dental implants is extremely important. An implant is a small titanium or zirconia post that is surgically inserted into your jawbone.
An implant must have a sufficient amount of strong, healthy bone surrounding it to hold it in place and allow osseointegration to occur. Osseointegration is a process in which new bone grows on and around the implant, fusing it within the jawbone.
A cone beam CT scan, a 3-D scan of your jaws and any existing teeth, accurately quantifies the amount of bone available for implants. If there isn’t quite enough, you may need a dental bone graft in Oshawa.
Overall Health
When you visit Durham Dental Solutions, we will want to review your medical history. This is because you need good overall health for healthy, strong implants in Newcastle. We want to make sure there aren’t any issues in your medical history that could affect the success of treatment.
Smoking
Using tobacco products or smoking can affect healing after dental implant surgery in Bowmanville. At the very least, be prepared to quit for the duration of treatment, and it can be a great opportunity to try quitting for good. Becoming a non-smoker will help protect your oral and overall health and enhance the chances of your implants being a long-term success.
Oral Hygiene
A commitment to good oral hygiene in Pickering is essential. It’s easy to forget that dental implants are artificial, yet they are surrounded by living tissue. Without a proper oral care routine, these tissues can become infected, increasing the chances of implant failure. Infection can occur soon after implant placement or years later.
Looking after dental implants is easy, and we can show you exactly how to care for them between regular dental checkups and hygiene appointments in Courtice. All you need to do is commit to properly looking after them.
Age
The children and younger teens are generally unsuitable for dental implant treatment. We need to make sure their teeth and jaws have fully grown and developed before placing implants. Usually, this is by age 18 or possibly slightly later.
One common question we hear is, “Am I too old for dental implants?” The answer is no, as there is no upper age limit for successfully placing dental implants. Some people have implants when they are well into their 80s or even later. For anyone suffering from multiple tooth loss, the results can be life-changing.
What If I Can’t Have Dental Implants?
We assess each patient carefully for suitability for dental implant treatment in Brooklin and will only recommend implants if we feel there is an excellent chance of long-term success.
Otherwise, other options include traditional dental bridges supported by natural teeth and removable partial and full dentures. We can work with you to identify the best solution for restoring missing or failing teeth.
