DENTAL IMPLANTS

Uses for Dental Implants

Dental Implants replace lost teeth. If you have had teeth extracted, you can replace them with dental implants.

If you have lost teeth due to an accident, you can replace them with dental implants. Even if you have bone loss and have lost teeth due to lack of bone support, you can still replace them with dental implants in some cases.

Another way dental implants are used is to stabilize dentures. If you or someone you know has full dentures, you can see firsthand what a big pain the dentures can be. It can be hard to eat with them and they move around all over the place. They can rub on your gums and cause sores in your mouth.

Yes, you can keep getting a new set of dentures every few years or you can “tighten” them by using dental implants.

Sometimes just two dental implants are enough to give stability to a lower denture. The procedure is fast and the cost can be very affordable.

Benefits of Dental Implants

Dental implants have many merits which makes it the most convenient solution for teeth replacement.

It comes with improved comfort. This is so because it makes the replacement teeth very strong, firm and enable it work just like a natural one.

Dental implants have good appearance and look natural. This has also been improved with the fact that they are made to fuse with the bone and create permanent and reliably stable bonds.

Another good thing about dental implants is that they do not use other teeth as support. They stand alone and prevent any alteration of the nearby teeth. This has great advantages to the oral health of the teeth.

These dental implants have perfect fitting that do not interfere with your speech or use additional adhesives just to keep your teeth intact.

They also last long, with many years of life-time and are generally easier to eat with.

Important Considerations

Gum Health

Since the dental implant has to be anchored into the gum tissue and jawbone, people who have extensive gingivitis or gum disease will have to receive treatment before their dentist could start the dental implant procedure. Bone augmentation or bone replacement may be necessary depending on the extent of the gum disease.

Immune System

The dental implant procedure is very invasive and involves cutting out gum tissue as well as drilling into jawbones. While the pain aspect of the procedure can be effectively addressed with the help of anesthetics a person’s ability to heal properly should also be part of the criteria for selecting good candidates for dental implants. For instance, immunocompromised individuals, i.e. those with HIV or taking immunosuppressants, may have an impaired ability to heal the wounds generated during the procedure, which could lead to high propensity for infections.

Lifestyle

The lifestyle of some patients may also make it more difficult for them to recover from a dental implant procedure. For instance, people who have excessive consumption of alcohol could have an impaired healing ability. This is also the same case with people who smoke heavily.

Medications

People who are being medicated for stroke and high blood pressure may be ingesting anticoagulants, which can impede with the natural clotting ability of the patient. It is important, therefore, for patients who are undergoing dental implant procedures to disclose the list of medications which they currently are taking.

Bleeding Tendencies

People with hypertension and those with haemophilia are susceptible to bleeding and any invasive procedure could be potentially fatal unless done in an actual hospital facility where emergency treatments are readily available.