Dental implants are the number one choice to restore your ability to eat, speak, and smile with renewed comfort and confidence if you’re struggling with tooth loss, failing teeth, or ill-fitting dentures. Although most patients with missing teeth qualify for dental implants, certain issues can hinder a successful outcome.
To qualify for dental implants in New York, NY, it’s necessary to have good oral health and sufficient jawbone density before implant surgery. Even if you have active gum disease and/or bone loss, you’ve found the right practice to make your smile whole again. The experienced implant dentists at Rising Tide Implant Centers have the advanced skills and technology to help most patients with missing teeth become suitable candidates for dental implants!
Just as teeth require healthy gums to prevent bone loss, dental implants do, too. Dental implants are most vulnerable to failure in the early stages. Any bacterial build-up or food debris can lead to surrounding soft tissue inflammation, thereby increasing the risk of implant failure.
As such, any preexisting gum disease must be resolved before implant surgery. Following good oral hygiene after you get implants is imperative to prevent infection and a progressive inflammatory condition called peri-implantitis.
If you have missing teeth, it’s inevitable to experience deterioration of your underlying jawbone. Conditions such as osteoporosis can also lead to diminished jawbone health. Your bone structure must be strong enough for dental implants to properly fuse and withstand the daily pressures of biting and chewing. Digital X-rays provide an accurate overview of the quantity and quality of bone. At the same time, a cone-beam computed tomography scan yields a more detailed analysis of your underlying bone structure and density.
The height of the bone needs to be sufficient to ensure the implant remains securely in place, while adequate bone width provides stability for the implant so it doesn’t move or shift in your jawbone. Bone grafting is a preliminary technique to treat bone loss that increases the amount of bone in an area with insufficient density or volume to prepare it for dental implant surgery. A sinus lift is a specific type of bone augmentation that enhances bone volume and quality in the upper back jaw, which is problematic due to close proximity to the sinuses.
Certain systemic health conditions can increase the risk of implant failure. For instance, uncontrolled diabetes can impact the bone fusion (osseointegration). Other conditions, such as an irradiated jaw after a cancer diagnosis, may make implant placement difficult; therefore, extra precautions need to be followed.
We encourage you to disclose any health conditions during your initial consultation because our team may be able to devise a workaround. After properly regulating diabetes, the bone tissue growth rate may return to normal, increasing the chance of a successful outcome.
If you clench or grind your teeth (bruxism), especially during the healing phase, this can hamper proper osseointegration. In addition, multiple studies show smokers have a higher risk of implant failure because smoking affects oral and general health, including low infection resistance and delayed wound healing. If you smoke, we recommend quitting several months before implant surgery and until the implants have completely fused to prevent complications.
Finding a reputable implant surgeon is essential for accurately assessing your oral health and bone quality, determining the best approach, and delivering a successful surgical outcome. Our highly qualified implantologists have the right skills to determine if dental implants are the best option for you. In-depth diagnostics and a discussion of your oral health, lifestyle factors, and any preexisting health conditions are important to uncover issues that can be a barrier to a successful outcome.
In addition to performing bone augmentation procedures to help patients become good candidates for dental implants in New York, NY, we offer advanced implant protocols specifically for severe bone loss in the upper back jaw. When you entrust your missing smile to the Rising Tide Implant Centers team, you’ll benefit from state-of-the-art implant care customized to your unique clinical needs!
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