Perhaps you’re eager to get some dental implants. After all, these prosthetic teeth are highly effective at restoring grins. Still, do note that you may not qualify for them at first. Good implant candidates must meet specific criteria. As such, you may need preliminary procedures before getting dental implants. All that said, your local Weatherford dentist can give you the details. Here’s a summary of why implants have qualifying factors and procedures you might need before getting them.
You Have to Qualify for Implants
As it happens, implants only work when you have a healthy mouth. They depend on a solid jawbone and relatively clean gums for support. Without these things, the restorations will likely fail soon after placement.
You see, implants don’t work like dentures and bridges do. They’re directly placed in your jawbone and fuse with it over time. Consequently, they need healthy bone and gum tissue as a foundation. Implants don’t correctly fuse with your jaw otherwise. Instead, they can loosen, fall out, and require replacements.
Preliminary Procedures for Implant Surgery
Of course, it’s possible to make your mouth healthy enough for implants. It’s just a matter of receiving certain preliminary procedures first. Thanks to these services, your jaw and gums would be strong enough to handle placement surgery.
The most common preliminary procedures for implant surgery are:
Tooth Extraction
Sometimes, you may want an implant to replace a still-existing tooth. The former could be a healthier alternative if the latter is infected. The same idea even applies when several teeth are highly damaged.
Naturally, tooth extraction is needed in such cases. The procedure would remove the infected tooth (or teeth) to make room for the substitute(s). From there, you’d be one step closer to a healthy and restored grin.
Periodontal Therapy
If you don’t already know, gum disease is a major threat to dental implants. It tends to weaken the pink tissue, leading to less support for the prosthetics. The condition also erodes your jawbone when left unchecked.
Thankfully, periodontal therapy can resolve this disease. Its root scaling and planing treatment cleans below the gumline to remove excess plaque. In doing so, it helps your gums recover and regain the strength to support implants.
Bone Grafting
Sometimes, a patient’s jaw may already be too weak for implants. Namely, it might lack the bone density necessary to support the restorations. This is a common issue when tooth loss goes untreated for long periods. In those situations, the jawbone can erode due to a lack of stimulation from teeth.
Luckily, your jaw can regain the needed density with bone grafting. This service uses materials – often from your body – to build up your jawbone’s tissues. As a result, your jaw is made strong enough to support implants.
Indeed, you may need preliminary procedures before getting dental implants. So, talk to your dental provider about whether one (or more) of the services above is required.
About the Practice
Cosmetic & Family Dentistry is based in Weatherford, TX. Led by Drs. Mulkey and Decker, our practice strives for the best dental care possible. To that end, we offer preventive, cosmetic, and restorative services tailored to your smile. Our team also provides high-quality emergency services like root canal therapy and tooth extractions. For more information or to book a visit, reach us at our website or by phone at (817)-594-3806.