Why Can’t Children Get Dental Implants?
You’ve probably heard lots about dental implants in Richmond and elsewhere in the UK because they’re currently considered the most effective method of replacing missing or damaged teeth. Although implants are a great way of restoring a person’s smile they’re only a suitable method of treatment for adults because children’s mouths and jaws are not fully developed. Let’s take a closer look at what this means.
Oral development throughout childhood
As children grow so their oral structures begin to take shape. The jawbones grow, palates expand, and teeth develop. In addition to all of these changes, children also go through a period of transition where all of their baby teeth are replaced by their adult teeth. This is a natural process and can take several years to complete. It’s because all of these changes are happening in a child’s oral development that dental implants make a bad choice of tooth replacement for children.
Why adults are suited to dental implants
A dental implant is made up of 3 main parts, the implant post which resembles a small screw, a porcelain crown, and an abutment which attaches the crown to the post. The titanium implant is placed into the jawbone during a surgical procedure where over time it fuses with the surrounding bone, which keeps it securely in place for years to come, and gives it the strength to support the prosthetic teeth. Since the implant must be placed into a dense healthy mass of developed bone tissue for it to be successful, this is the major reason why an implant isn’t suitable for placing into the developing jaw of a child.
If an implant were to be placed into the mouth of a child, then it could disrupt the transitional period when baby teeth are replaced by adult teeth and cause immense discomfort. Secondly, the implant would probably fail because the developing bone mass in the child’s jaw would be likely to cause the failure of osseointegration (the process where the bone fuses with the titanium post).
Most adolescents are able to have dental implants over the age of around 18 for boys and sometimes younger for girls, but everyone is different. Why not come along with your teenaged child to find out more about getting a dental implant in Richmond and to discuss their dental options and the possibility of an implant at a later date. A free consultation can be scheduled by ringing Sheen Dental on 020 8876 5277 or by visiting our website at www.sheendenalimplants.co.uk.