Screening Smiles: 3 Traits of Good Dental Implant Candidates

Tooth loss can significantly impact your daily quality of life because tasks that once seemed so simple, like speaking, eating, and grinning confidently, suddenly become much more challenging. Fortunately, your dentist can replace missing teeth with dental implants to restore your smile’s appearance and functionality.

Although many experts consider this the ideal treatment, it’s not the best solution for everyone’s unique circumstances. Before proceeding, you’ll need to consult your provider to ensure you’re a good candidate. Continue reading to learn 3 things they look for during your initial appointment!

Trait #1: Good General Health

There are several potential ways to refurbish your grin, but dental implants are the only treatment that involve oral surgery. That means your dentist needs to verify that your body is healthy enough to withstand the procedure and recover effectively afterward.

When you arrive for your visit, they’ll update your medical history to reflect any more recent diagnoses, medical procedures, prescriptions, or supplements to ensure they don’t do anything that could negatively interfere. If you have diabetes or other more serious health problems, those will need to be well-managed and under control before getting dental implants.

Trait #2: Sufficient Jawbone Density

These restorations include a titanium rod that’s embedded directly into your jaw, so they’re usually stronger and more resilient than alternatives like dental bridges or dentures. Then, it usually takes about three to six months to recover because your mouth must produce enough new bone growth to fully encompass and fuse with the metal material in a process called osseointegration.

If your jawbone is too thin to begin with, your body might not be able to successfully complete this stage of recovery. Because of this, your dentist will take X-rays or other scans as needed to measure your jawbone density before approving your treatment. There’s still hope if yours is deemed too thin; in many cases, an additional bone graft surgery can bulk it up enough to proceed.

Trait #3: Dedication to Oral Hygiene

Your dental implant will be capped with a tooth-shaped crown made of resilient porcelain that’s customized to look just like your natural teeth for seamless results. This material can’t get cavities like your enamel, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to worry about cleaning your mouth consistently.

The number one leading cause of implant failure is a form of gum disease (peri-implantitis) that erodes the bone and connective tissue around your restoration. You must demonstrate that you’re committed to brushing and flossing twice daily to preserve your dental condition.

If you’re unsure whether implants are right for you, contact your dentist to find out!

About the Practice

At Dental Center of Huntington, you and your family benefit from two dentists with more than 20 years of combined experience improving people’s smiles. Dr. Graber and Dr. Tyler prioritize patient comfort and take the time to get to know you so they can anticipate your needs. They offer a complete menu of services at one convenient location, including dental implant placement and restoration. They have the advanced training and state-of-the-art technology to be with you for the entire process from start to finish, so you can trust that you’re in good hands. If you need to replace missing teeth, you can request an appointment on the website or call (203) 925-1911.