Can I Get a Dental Implant?

Most people in good health who are missing a tooth or several teeth are considered the best candidates for dental implants. There are a few conditions, though, that may not make you a good candidate for receiving dental implants.

Uncontrolled gum disease is one issue that will prevent you from being able to receive an implant. In order for the implant to be successful, the implant must be able to fuse with the jawbone in a process called osseointegration. Having uncontrolled gum disease means there is an infection present in your gum tissue, which will make it hard to heal properly from the implant surgery. As a result, the implant will not fuse properly with your bone. That being said, if the gum disease is treated and brought under control, that same person may once again be considered a good candidate for receiving an implant.

Certain systemic disorders such as uncontrolled diabetes and cancer may also prevent you from being able to receive an implant. In these cases, too, the main reason for this is that you may not be able to heal properly or in such a way that the implant will be able to fuse with the bone. Smoking and alcoholism may also disqualify you for the same reasons.

The only other issue that may be standing in your way is not having enough strength and density in your jawbone to be able to support the implant. In this scenario, a bone graft surgery can give your jawbone enough strength and density to be able to support an implant, but it can take up to nine months to heal from the bone graft surgery before the implants will be able to be placed.

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