Are You The Perfect Candidate For Dental Implants?
Here at Sheen Dental we’ve been fitting dental implants in Richmond for decades and over the years we’ve had many people ask us whether they’re the right candidate for dental implant surgery. Surprisingly it’s not the patient’s age that determines whether or not they’re a good fit for implants as implant surgery has successfully been performed on people well into their70’s and 80’s. Instead, what’s really key is the patient’s overall health. Let’s explain
Firstly a dental implant is never guaranteed to be 100% successful and like any surgery it carries an element of risk. However in order to limit that risk the implant needs a good environment in which to flourish. Just like a shrub, if you plant it in poor soil, it might not thrive, and the same goes for a dental implant. The perfect ‘environment’ in this case is a healthy mouth. This means no gum disease and sufficient and healthy jaw bone. If this isn’t the case (and in many patients it often isn’t) these situations have to be dealt with firstly, before implants can be placed.
Health risks
Aside from oral health, a patients needs to be in relatively good overall health too. Problems such as uncontrollable diabetes, osteoporosis, heart conditions, certain cancers or previous radiotherapy, especially around the neck and face area might be too much of a risk. Osteoporosis for example can alter the way that the bone merges and fuses with the implant as can uncontrollable diabetes. Heart conditions can also be a concern because although it’s not a painful process, there’s still a surgical procedure involved. Finally cancers and radiotherapy around the face and neck area can also affect the structure and make up of the bone tissue which is vital when placing dental implants.
Lifestyle choices
Surprisingly, lifestyle choices such as smoking and excessive drinking can also affect the success rates of a dental implant. In Richmond for example, here at Sheen Dental we are realists and we understand that when it comes to smoking it might be hard for a potential patient to stop smoking altogether. However we know that there are chemicals in smoke which are harmful to newly placed implants. In addition smoking is also known to dramatically slow down the bone fusion process. For these reasons we ask that at the very least, a patient stops smoking before surgery and continues in this way until after the implants have properly settled in. This could be 6-9 months or longer. Although alcohol doesn’t carry bacteria such as those found in smoke, it does slow down bone growth which is vital to implant success. So again we would ask those that drink heavily to stop for the duration of the process.
All that said, at Sheen Dental we like to consider each case on an individual basis. If you’d like to know whether you’re a good candidate for dental implants in Richmond, then contact us on 020 8876 5277 and book yourself a free, no-obligation consultation. Alternatively if you’d like to find out more to help you make an informed dental decision then visit our website at www.sheendentalimplants.co.uk where you can check out a whole array of information on the subject.