Dental Implants are extremely common if you need to replace missing teeth. With advances in dental technology, the success rate of implants lasting 10 years or more has soared to nearly 98%. Whether you have a single missing tooth or want to replace an entire arch of teeth, dental implants in Summerfield may be your best option. However, it is important to know what makes a person a good candidate for successful implant
Good Oral Hygiene Regimen
Good home care (including brushing twice daily and daily flossing) is very important to the success of your implant. Because replacing teeth with implants is a surgical procedure, your bone and gum tissue need to have a clean and healthy environment to properly integrate. Bacteria can disrupt the healing process and actually cause an infection to occur. Good home care is also needed to maintain the long term health of your implants.
Adequate Bone Level
Implants need to have enough bone to anchor and support them. When teeth are missing, this bone tissue begins to resorb. With time, this resorption can cause the bone to become very thin and brittle. Placing implants before this occurs protects the bone from resorption. Also, a good implant candidate needs to be old enough that the jaw bone is finished growing, so over 18 is best.
Healthy Gum Tissue
Not only is having good home care important to keeping your implants, but it is also very important to the prevention of periodontal disease. Since uncontrolled periodontal disease destroys the bone surrounding the teeth, it will also destroy the bone around implants, preventing them from fusing to the jaw properly. Periodontal disease must be treated before getting dental implants in Summerfield, FL.
Good Overall Health
Certain medical conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes, cancer or those taking medications that suppress the immune system are not good candidates for dental implants. Smoking and alcoholism will also prevent the fusion of the implant to the bone tissue resulting in implant failure. Dr. Patel will review your health history beforehand to ensure you’re a great candidate.
Take the First Steps
A complete exam at First Choice Dentistry, including a full mouth X-ray or CT Scan, is recommended to determine if you are a good candidate for implants. Call our Summerfield, Florida dental office today to reserve your exam with Dr. Patel.