Common Questions Before Considering Dental Implants

Losing a permanent tooth can cause a negative impact on your life. For instance, your self-esteem can quickly decrease. You may also be unwilling to smile or put yourself in social situations. Thankfully, dental implants can restore your smile with some time and patience.

Dental implants are placed surgically and are a permanent solution for missing permanent teeth. Getting implants is quite an extensive process, so you may have some questions about them. Here are some answers to a few of the more common questions you may have about getting dental implants:

Will You Qualify for the Procedure?

Before you seriously consider getting dental implants, you must first find out if you are a good candidate for the procedure. Your oral surgeon will examine you to determine if you should have the procedure, but there are some good indicators that the implants will be the right solution.

First, you need to be in good health overall. If you have more than one missing permanent tooth, you should be able to qualify for implants. Those who wear poorly fitting dentures are also ideal candidates. However, it may be more difficult to get the implants placed if you have poor bone structure. It is not impossible, but the procedure may be more complicated.

What Can You Expect?

There are a few different types of dental implant procedures, so the answer will highly depend on the implants you choose. Some dental implant procedures do most of the work in a single day, while the more traditional procedures take several months to complete. You and your doctor will discuss which option will be best for your needs.

If you go with a more traditional dental implant procedure, it will take a few months for the whole process. Generally, the implants are placed into the jawbone. The posts must go through a healing process that allows them to adhere to the bone. During this time, you will wear temporary crowns on the posts. Once the implants are healed and fused to the bone, the permanent crowns will be placed.

Are Dental Implants Really Permanent?

In general, a dental implant is a permanent fix for a missing tooth. The implants are designed to last the rest of your life. However, there may be some situations in which an implant needs to be repaired or replaced. A crown could break in an accident or with any type of trauma to the mouth. Certain health conditions could also have an impact on your implants. Ideally, however, dental implants should last you a long time.