How to Know if You Need Dental Implants

The American Dental Association recently found that 5.5 million dental implants are performed by trained dental and implant professionals in the United States every year.

That number is only going to grow since there are an estimated 35 million Americans missing all of their teeth in one or both jaws. Age in itself is a serious predictor of how many teeth someone is likely to be missing and as Americans, our nation is getting older.

Fortunately, there’s a way to seriously take control of your dental health with amazing cosmetic procedures like titanium-supported dental implants. The American Academy of Implant Dentistry says that an increasing share of dentists are undertaking training to learn this exciting new technique and share it with eligible patients.

What you should know is that implants are safe, relatively affordable, compatible with dental sedation, and continue to have an amazing track record. The American Academy of Implant Dentistry reported well over 98% of implant procedures are an unqualified success.

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Dental Implants? See Dr. Sevor for a Special Evaluation!

To get outfitted with titanium-supported dental implants that work with and actually stimulate your jaw bone in a process known as osseointegration, you should consult with Dr. Sevor and his staff today.

Only a special evaluation process can determine whether implants would be the right fit for you. It might be the best decision you ever made.

Dr. Sevor and his friendly staff will look at your medical history and determine whether you’re a good candidate.

A key consideration is whether your supporting jawbone is robust enough to support your implants. That’s the reason that your special evaluation with Dr. Sevor features a radiologic exam—so that Dr. Sevor can detect what’s going on under the tooth in the jaw bone (a.k.a., the mandible).

  • Two types of dental implants: endosteal and subperiosteal

The prefix -endo means “within” and the prefix “-sub” means below. In this case, endosteal dental implants are implants that are inserted into the jawbone itself—this is the most popular kind of dental implant since it provides you with such stability and reliability for years to come.

The other kind of dental implant, subperiosteal dental implants, are placed under your gum line yet above your jawbone. This kind of dental implant is far less common and used for implant candidates who come to Dr. Sevor with a shallower jawbone that can’t be fortified to support endosteal dental implants.

  • Healthy gums and a strong jawbone are huge pluses

So, a strong jawbone and compatible medical history are definite pluses on the road to receiving your implants. Healthy gums are also important because your gums support your teeth.

Inflammatory conditions like gum disease or more progressed periodontal disease can create barriers to candidacy.

Why? Because the gum tissue might not be healthy enough to fully support your implants and your recovery time could be impaired if you’re suffering from other medical conditions. (Gum disease and medical conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure can often go together.)

  • General health is also very important

The American Dental Association says that if you have healthy gums, a strong jawbone, and robust general health then you very likely should be a candidate for titanium-supported dental implants.

Candidates should ideally be free from major diseases since this can affect your healing time following the first stage of your implants. Conditions like diabetes or immune system disorders can adversely affect your body’s ability to heal and integrate your new implants.

The good news is that a high percentage of candidates check off all three boxes and are ready to reap all the benefits.

If you’re ready to find out if you’re a good candidate for dental implants, reach out to us at Central Florida Periodontics today!