Dental implants are used for replacing single or multiple missing teeth and also to support dentures, crowns and certain kind of bridges. Hence, the need to get a dental implant is connected to needing one of these oral procedures done. The most common cause for needing single or multiple implants is tooth loss.
When an adult tooth is lost, it is permanent. Hence, the only way to fix it is to use an artificial tooth in its place. But teeth held in place by special ligaments that join them to the jawbone through the gum. Since there is no way to replicate that bond artificially, dental implants are used to hold the artificial tooth and similar things in place.
Dental implants of every kind have one common feature — they go into the jawbone to lend a strong base to the tooth or some other fixture that is being used. This support is utterly necessary because teeth go through extremes of pressure doing their daily work. The most modern dental implants mimic the root of a tooth in order to be more suited to the procedure. However, it is still a complex procedure and a delicate one.
A person who has recently lost one single or multiple teeth might opt for artificial teeth via an implant. But to be a successful candidate, the person has to meet multiple criterions. The dental implant being an artificial insertion into the jawbone is not inherently strong and stable. It needs to sit inside the jawbone for a long period while the bone and gum tissue heals itself around the implant, making it a part of the body. For this, the person needs to have jawbones that are accommodating enough to go through the surgery.
Also, the person cannot be suffering from some periodontal disease that affects the gums. That could affect the healing process and make it impossible for the implants to get settled.
For multiple teeth replacement, the person needs to go through multiple implants. One for each individual tooth that is to be replaced. This makes the procedure that much more complex and hence it is very important for the person’s oral structure to be conducive to such actions. That includes jawbone shape, gum strength and health and other things.
So the ideal candidate for a dental implant has a high degree of oral health along with an accommodating jawbone to work with. Age usually does not matter here. People of all ages can go through implant procedures with the due exception of children who are too young and people suffering from certain advanced health problems like heart diseases where a sudden shock of sharp pain might cause complications.
Implants are also used for setting up special bridges and crowns. Sometime for multiple teeth loss cases, implants are not used or individual teeth but for clip on dentures. These are often a much better option than individual implants because they tend to be much more stable.
Hence, if you are looking in to dental implants, make sure you talk to your dentist and decide what suits you the best.
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