Who Is a Candidate for Dental Implants?

One of the many benefits of a permanent tooth replacement is that almost everyone is a candidate. To be a candidate for dental implants, you only need to meet three criteria. You must be:

  • Missing one or more teeth
  • An adult with a mature jaw
  • Healthy enough for surgery
  • Missing one or more teeth
  • An adult with a mature jaw
  • Healthy enough for surgery

Dental implants are a tooth replacement solution, so in order to get them, you either must be missing teeth or have one or more teeth that should be removed.

Although dental implants are very similar to natural teeth, they’re a little different in how they interact with growing and changing bone. It’s best to wait until after your jaw has finished growing to get dental implants.

Dental implant surgery is minor, but it’s still surgery. If we have doubts that you’re healthy enough for surgery, we might ask you to get clearance from your doctor.

There are also other factors that might affect your procedure and your results, including:

  • Gum disease
  • Low bone mass
  • Lifestyle factors like smoking
  • Medications
  • Medical conditions
  • Gum disease
  • Low bone mass
  • Lifestyle factors like smoking
  • Medications
  • Medical conditions

During your examination, we’ll talk to you about these factors and how they might affect your dental implant procedure.

Dr. Rodriguez talking to patient

Benefits of Dental Implants

In addition to being available for almost everyone, dental implants are the best tooth replacement option because they:

  • Function like natural teeth
  • Preserve your jawbone
  • Look natural
  • Are versatile
  • Are easy to maintain
  • Can last a lifetime
  • Function like natural teeth
  • Preserve your jawbone
  • Look natural
  • Are versatile
  • Are easy to maintain
  • Can last a lifetime

Through surgery, dental implants anchor in the bone, similar to natural teeth. This means that they can function like natural teeth. You can bite and chew normally, enjoying all the foods you ate with your natural teeth. In fact, if you’ve had gum disease or other dental problems for a while, you’ll find that you can again eat foods you might have given up in the past.

Dental implants are like your teeth in another way: they stimulate your jawbone. This keeps your body from removing what it sees as unnecessary bone in your jaw.

Dental implants can also look natural. Implants are compatible with the latest cosmetic dentistry restorations, giving you a smile in which people might not be able to tell your dental implants from your natural teeth.

Dental implants are a versatile tooth replacement. They can replace just one missing tooth with a single implant, up to an entire arch with all-on-X dental implants.

Dental implants are easy to maintain. Just brush, floss, and make your regular dental checkups. It might take a little while to get good at flossing around the implant–some people choose an interdental brush instead–but once you do, you’ll find your daily hygiene routine is about the same as before.

If you take care of your dental implants properly, they have the potential to last a lifetime. Long-term studies of dental implants show that more than 90% of them are still in place after 20 years or more. People have dental implants in place that were placed over 50 years ago. How long your implants will last depends on how well you care for them and whether you work with an experienced implant specialist.

PATIENT TESTIMONIALS

Don’t Put Off Replacing Missing Teeth

Often, if a patient loses a front tooth, there is a rush to replace it. However, when patients lose a tooth that is not visible as part of their smile, there is often not the same urgency to replace it. A missing tooth is not a condition that should be ignored, and replacement of any missing teeth should be a priority for your oral health and self-confidence.

Without the support of a tooth, you are at risk for a variety of negative health consequences including:

Loss of Bone Mass

Your bones might seem solid and set, but they’re dynamic and changeable. Your body will adjust them according to the stimuli it receives. Without teeth to stimulate the maintenance of bone, you may experience a loss of bone mass.

Shifting Teeth

When you’ve lost a tooth, the surrounding teeth will begin to gradually shift towards the opening in order to fill the gap. This can result in teeth becoming misaligned and gapped.

new dental implants home background

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Misaligned Bite

The results of shifting teeth can negatively affect the quality of your bite. This can cause difficulty with chewing or speaking and may even result in a misalignment of the upper and lower jaw, which can result in headaches and chronic jaw pain.

Poor Nutrition

It’s harder to chew food properly when you don’t have a full set of teeth. Some people respond to this by avoiding hard-to-chew foods, favoring processed foods low in nutrition but high in salt, fat, and sugar.

Loss of Additional Teeth

Your teeth work together as a team, and when one is missing, it means that those remaining have to work harder. This can lead to chipped, cracked, and broken teeth. Plus, shifting teeth can be harder to keep clean, increasing your risk of gum disease.

Every tooth in your smile is as important as the next when it comes to supporting bone density and excellent oral health. Whether you are missing one or several teeth, it is vital that you replace the missing teeth as part of an effort to protect your oral health.

Dental Implant FAQs

Dental implant surgery places a dental implant in your jawbone. If you have a tooth extracted during surgery, we can put the implant right where the natural tooth was. Most dental implants are like screws. We might either screw it directly into the bone, or we might predrill a hole first.

The cost varies depending on many factors, such as: 

  • Whether you need one implant or multiple
  • If the site requires bone grafting or other procedures before implant placement
  • The style and type of restorations

The total cost of the procedure can range from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. 

We’ll give you a detailed estimate and your treatment plan before agreeing to the procedure.

Most people are good candidates for dental implants. If you’ve lost teeth and you’re an adult who’s healthy enough for surgery, you’re probably a candidate for implants. 

You won’t be disqualified for:

  • Oral health
  • Prior smoking
  • Old age
  • Previous denture wearing

However, these might affect your procedure, your costs, and your odds of success.

Dental implants are the best tooth replacement option because they offer so many benefits, including:

  • Natural function
  • Natural appearance
  • Support of jawbone and gums
  • No damage to natural teeth
  • Ease of maintenance
  • Longevity

We talk about these benefits in greater detail elsewhere on this page. 

The dental implant procedure is short, often less than an hour per implant. Many people will have beautiful, functional replacement teeth immediately after the procedure. However, some people may wait weeks or months to enjoy the final results. 

During your consultation, we will give you an idea of when you will see the results.

Recovery after dental implants is generally easy. Take the rest of the day off. Return to non-strenuous work the day after. The discomfort lasts for a few days after surgery, but to most people, it’s less than from an extraction. You can typically control discomfort with over-the-counter medications. You will have minor diet restrictions and special oral hygiene instructions for a few weeks.

No. Treat dental implants like your natural teeth. Brush, floss, and make regular dental appointments. Flossing around implants is a little different than flossing around teeth, and some people adopt different tools, but once you get the hang of it, it’s not too difficult.

Insurance coverage for dental implants is spotty and depends on your insurance. We can submit a preapproval claim to determine the level of coverage your plan provides. In addition, dental financing is available for dental implants. 

In general, dental implant surgery is very safe. Complications are rare and tend to be minor. The most common complication is that the implant fails to integrate with the jawbone, which occurs in about 0.8% to 3% of implants, according to studies. Other risks include infection and damage to teeth, bones, nerves, or sinuses.

Traditional alternatives to dental implants include a dental bridge or removable dentures. You can also elect not to replace your missing teeth. Although these alternatives are less expensive than dental implants, they also have significant drawbacks. 

Get Dental Implants in Torrance, CA

If you’ve lost one or more teeth, don’t wait to replace them. Make your smile whole again, and enjoy a fully functional bite with dental implants, thanks to PermaDent.

Please call (310) 325-9969 or use our online form to schedule your appointment at PermaDent in Torrance, CA.

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