If you experienced tooth loss, you may already be aware of how it affects your everyday life. You might feel self-conscious about showing your grin or have trouble eating your favorite foods. One popular treatment to restore a smile is dental implants! They are durable and reliable, but not everyone can get this treatment immediately. There are some factors that affect your eligibility. Keep reading to learn three key qualities you need beforehand.
1.) Live a Healthy Lifestyle
It may seem obvious, but for dental implants to be successful, you need a mouth that’s healthy. Following a good oral care routine will help get rid of harmful bacteria that can cause trouble for your tooth replacement. For instance, not cleaning your smile can lead to gum disease, which can attack the soft and bone tissue around the implant, leading to failure.
Not only that, but bad habits like using tobacco can bring bad news. Smoking or chewing it can cause an unstable implant through bone loss or by slowing down the healing process.
2.) Have Good Overall Health
Your oral health also comes into play when it comes to this restorative treatment. That is because many systemic conditions, like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, can cause unwanted complications when unmanaged. The good news is that you can still get dental implants despite these; all it takes is ensuring they are under control to avoid any risks.
3.) Your Jawbone is Dense
The thing that makes this treatment the gold standard of replacing missing teeth is that it restores the entire dental structure. An implant post is placed into and fuses with your jawbone. This gives it the reliability that many people love them for. Additionally, it even prevents bone loss, which is common if you’ve been missing a tooth for a while.
However, your jaw has to be dense enough to support the dental implant. Without a solid foundation, the treatment can fail or feel wobbly. Thankfully, there is still a possibility you can get this tooth replacement option despite having a weaker jawbone. Your dentist can give you a bone graft, which helps rebuild the areas of your jaw that need some extra reinforcement.
In this service, your dentist takes bone tissue (from another part of your body, a donor, an animal, or a synthetic substitute) and places it into the spots that need it. Your body takes the material and uses it to strengthen your jawbone. Once it heals, you may be ready to get dental implants!
In short, the best way to tell if you’re a good candidate for this tooth replacement option is by a consultation with your dentist. They will examine your mouth and take X-rays to ensure that you have results that last a lifetime. Even if you aren’t a good candidate right away, your dentist can help you get closer to having the full smile you want.
About the Practice
At JL Dental, you benefit from a dedicated husband-and-wife dentist duo who want the best for you and your oral health. We understand how missing teeth can take a toll on you, so we are proud to offer dental implants. We can place them in-house; that way, you stay with a team you trust and are comfortable with. If you have gaps in your smile you want to fill, schedule an appointment or call us at (636) 464-6668.