Exploring Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures

2 Factors That Determine Your Eligibility For Dental Implants

If you have lived for a while with missing teeth, you may be thinking about asking your dentist about getting dental implants. Not only will these implants help rebuild your smile and help you eat, but they can also help with other affected areas of your life, such as improving your speech.

Before you can begin the process of getting the implants, the dentist will need to fully examine you. While performing their examination, they will be looking for a couple of factors that will determine whether you are eligible for the procedure.

1. Your Bones Must Be Strong and Healthy Enough to Hold the Implant Posts

One factor that is used to determine whether you qualify for implants is the health of your jawbone and upper mouth plate. Since the posts for the implants are inserted into the bones, you must have strong, healthy bones with no deterioration of the tissue so that they can take hold.

Even if you do not have enough or the bones are weak, the dentist may opt to do a bone graft to help strengthen them before the implant procedure. When making a decision on whether to do this, they will weigh the pros and cons of performing the grafts as well as review your need for the implants.

2. You Should Be Healthy Overall and without Any Chronic Conditions That Inhibit Healing

Another thing that the dental professional will review is your overall health. Ideally, you should be in good health and without any chronic conditions that could keep you from healing correctly. Such conditions include diabetes and autoimmune disorders.

Even if you do have one of these conditions, the dentist may not automatically disqualify you for implants. They will need to review your case to see if the benefits of getting the implants outweigh the risks involved with receiving the implants with your health condition.

When the dentist examines you to determine your eligibility to go through the procedure, they want to make sure that your bones are strong and your body is generally healthy to ensure the success of the implant procedure. However, they will also look at your individual case before making a determination based on these requirements. If you are interested in learning more or would like to be assessed to see if you are eligible for dental implants, make an appointment with a dentist in your area.