Are Dental Implants For Me?
It isn’t uncommon for many patients today to have one or several missing teeth. For many, their diet consists of fast food, chocolate, fizzy drinks and other harmful foods. These can cause tooth decay and ultimately lead to tooth loss. Other reasons people may have missing teeth could be due to an accident or injury, or perhaps the tooth has been extracted.
There are a number of missing teeth treatments available and before seeking any of them it is important to look at all the information available. Besides dental implants other missing tooth treatments include dentures, which act as false teeth, and a dental bridge, which is a false tooth, attached to two crowns, which fit over the teeth either side of the missing tooth, thus creating a “bridge”. Both these treatments are very popular and successful, but dental implants provide a more permanent solution to missing teeth.
If a patients has missing teeth they are most likely to be a suitable candidate for dental implants, but first a consultation would be needed. During the consultation our Edinburgh dentist will give a thorough examination of the teeth and take X-rays to look at the bone density in the jaw area. This is important because there needs to be a healthy amount of bone in order for the implants to fuse and provide a strong foundation, just like a natural tooth root.
To be considered for dental implants patients need to be in good overall health as certain diseases can mean that patients may not be suitable for dental implant treatment.
These include;
- Diabetes which is not controlled
- Cancer
- Smoking
- Alcoholism
- Periodontal disease
These illnesses/addictions could mean that the implant will not successfully fuse to the jawbone. But we will look at each individual patients mouth and jawbone to ascertain whether implants would be successful. If the patient is deemed unsuitable for treatment there are other treatments that could be more appropriate.
Surgery is required
Patients also need to consider that having dental implants means they will undergo surgery, and will have long periods of time where the mouth, and gums need to heal. Dental implant treatment does not work overnight; it takes a number of appointments and procedures to finally achieve the end result, which patients need to bear in mind before deciding on dental implant treatment.
Dental implants are considered the best permanent solution for many patients with missing teeth because they are long lasting and provide a strong, stable foundation for a crown, denture or bridge. For more information on dental implants get in touch with our Edinburgh practice today.