Who is a candidate for implants?

Candidates for dental implants are people that are missing one or multiple teeth. The most basic candidate for a dental implant would be somebody that has lost a single tooth. We can replace the single tooth with a single dental implant, a dental implant abutment, and a dental implant crown. In cases where a large amount of bone is missing in the area due to either infection or a long period between the extraction and implant placement we may need to graft the area with free dried bone and soft tissue before we place a dental implant. We do this so that there is an adequate amount of bone and soft tissue(gums) to stabilize the implant and to mimic the gingiva of the surrounding teeth.

Another candidate for dental implants would be somebody missing all of their teeth. We have multiple different options for the people missing all their teeth. One option would be to place a denture on four or six implants, stabilizing the removable denture, giving the individual confidence to speak and eat without worrying about the displacement of their prosthesis.

For people missing all of their teeth, there is also the option of creating all new teeth with placement of dental implants. For this we place implants throughout the maxillary and mandibular arch and create fixed (not removable) bridgework connecting the implants. This bridgework connects the implant abutments together recreating a natural dentition. The process usually requires eight to ten implants in each arch with a bridge connecting them recreating a beautiful, confident smile.

People with gum disease are also great candidates for dental implants. Implants allow us to replace teeth that are becoming loose because of gum disease. Another candidate for implants is a person with bridgework that is failing or bridgework they are having trouble keeping clean. Bridgework is when you connect multiple teeth together to replace teeth that are missing. This is the only alternative that is fixed, (doesn’t come out) that we have had in the past. Bridgework can be replaced with dental implants very easily. This allows the patient to floss the area, improving hygiene while giving the patient a great long term solution.



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