Find Out if You may be a Good Candidate for Dental Implants Success

Unlike bridges, dentures, and some other answers for tooth loss, dental implants provide a permanent solution. The best feature of dental implants is that they mimic the natural tooth in both looks and function. If properly cared for, dental implants will last throughout the patient's life.

Ideal Candidates
To be a viable candidate for dental implants the patient must meet certain minimum criteria. Some of this is included below.

The patient must be in overall good health. This includes their general physical health as well as the health of their gums.

The patient must have sufficient bone in the jaw to which the implants can be anchored. Patients who do not have enough bone may still be candidates for implants, but the treatment would involve building up the bone before the implants could be put in place.

Non-Ideal Candidates
Some factors that may exclude patients from being a good candidate for dental implants are listed below.

The patient is a smoker. Smoking tends to prohibit the healing process. This makes it less likely that the implant procedure will be successful.

The patient is very young. The jawbone and other structures of the mouth must be fully developed in order for one to be a candidate for dental implants.

The patient is non-compliant with dentist's advice. Because compliance is essential in the long term success of dental implants, it is imperative that the patient follow all directives from the dentist. If a patient is non-compliant, he is not a good candidate.

The patient has certain chronic health conditions. While not all chronic conditions would eliminate your chances of being a good candidate, all such health concerns need to be discussed with your dentist.

To learn if one is a suitable candidate, the patient needs to be examined in the office of a dentist who is experienced with dental implants.




If you don't have the perfect smile, dentistry treatments can help you get the smile you have always wanted. Using dental implants, laser dentistry, porcelain veneers, and other dental procedures, a skilled cosmetic dentist can transform your smile.