Are You a Good Candidate for a Dental Implant in Silver Spring, MD?

In the past, most dental patients in Silver Spring, MD were choosing dentures or partial dentures to fix missing teeth. Today, dental implants are becoming more and more popular for those dental patients who come to Dr. Rezaiyan at Spring Dental Associates. Sometimes when choosing a partial denture, you might have to remove surrounding teeth to accommodate a partial. So if you are only missing a few teeth, dental implants from your dentist in Silver Spring, MD may be a better choice.

Your Silver Spring, MD dentist will first have to exam you to see if you are a good candidate for dental implants. You must have a strong jaw bone that can hold the anchoring post in place. Proper care and maintenance are what will extend the life of any dental implant.

Are You a Good Candidate?

Gums—you need to have good gums because the dental implants are connected with the gums in the mouth. Some people who have gum disease or periodontal disease are not ideal candidates.

Bone Density—a sufficient amount of bone density is needed to adequately support the dental implant.

Oral Health—you still need to maintain dental implants as your own teeth by brushing and flossing twice a day.

Patience—the mouth can take a long time to heal when you have a dental implant from your local dentist in Silver Spring, MD. It can be as long as six months. The whole entire process may take anywhere between four months to a year to be completed. Implants should only be placed once the site where the bone was grafted has completely healed. After placing the implant, it may take an additional six months for your mouth to heal before the permanent crown can be placed. So as you can imagine, patience is of the utmost importance. However, the end result will be worth the extra patience.

Smokers—it is to your best interest if you want your dental implant surgery to be successful that you quit smoking, especially during the implant process. Smoking is one of the reasons dental implants are not successful for some patients in Silver Spring, MD

Oral Cancer—for those who have been treated with medications for oral cancer may not be good candidates for dental implants.

Even if you think you might not be a good candidate, check with Dr. Rezaiyan at Spring Dental Associates in Silver Spring, MD. Sometimes you might have to improve your oral care habits to be a good candidate for dental implants.