Getting dental implants are not for everyone. Certain conditions might mean the chance of success with dental implants is very low. Everyone is different so you should talk with an oral surgeon or dentist before you rule yourself out. After speaking with a dental professional, they will go over all of the options with you and determine if dental implants will be successful for you.
You may not qualify for dental implants if you are:
- Someone with overall poor health may not qualify for dental implants. Being unhealthy can have a major effect on your body’s ability to heal which can complicate the implant process.
- One of the biggest reasons why people don’t qualify for dental implants is because they don’t have enough jaw bone to support them. Without a healthy foundation, there’s nothing to hold the implants in place. Bone loss is usually the result of chronic gum disease (periodontitis) or going an extended period of time with missing teeth.
- If you’ve gone quite a while with missing teeth, the nasal sinus linings may have “dropped” where your tooth roots once were. If you were to place implants in this area, they could rupture your sinuses.
- Smoking can have a serious effect on your success before and after the procedure. Smoking impairs the ability of your gums and bone to heal and also changes the bacteria balance in your mouth, leaving you in danger of bacterial infection during healing. Smoking also greatly increases your chances for peri-implant disease, a condition much like gum disease that can lead to implant loss.
- If you’ve received radiation treatment for cancer in the past you may have a harder time getting dental implants. Your implants need to bond to the bone in order to work properly and chemotherapy can affect your body’s ability to bond with the implant. It also has an effect on your body’s ability to heal, potentially complicating the implant process.
None of these conditions completely eliminate you from getting a dental implant. They might pose problems but many of them can be overcome with good planning and discussion between our dental team. If you have any of these conditions you should still come and see us.
It’s important to discuss dental implant options available to you with your dentist or oral surgeon, this is the best way to determine the best treatment plan, budgeting, and possible long-term options to spread out the costs of implants if needed.
