Who is a Candidate?
Beaverton, OR
 If you are in the market for replacement teeth, then you may have heard the buzz about dental implants and the many advantages that they offer over traditional options like dental bridges and dentures. You may have also heard that dental implants can be hard to qualify for. Our dental experts here at Beaverton Oral Surgeons decided to write this guide and clear up any misconceptions about who is a candidate for dental implants.
You Might Be an Ideal Candidate If…
If you are missing one or more teeth, then you can benefit from a dental implant. There are dental implants that can replace a single tooth, all the way up to implants capable of replacing a full arch of fourteen teeth, just like a set of dentures. Even if you still have all of your teeth, but one or more of them is severely damaged, diseased, or decayed, then a dental implant can help by immediately replacing the tooth following an extraction. While you do need to be in good oral health, which we discuss more below, this can often be easily achieved even if you are in poor health at the outset of the treatment.
You May Not Be an Ideal Candidate If…
If you are not in good oral health, then you are probably not eligible to immediately receive dental implants. But do not give up yet! While it is true that a number of common oral health conditions are disqualifying, it is also true that many of the people who need implants the most - those with severely diseased and damaged teeth - need implants in the first place because they are afflicted with those disqualifying conditions. That is why we developed treatments to restore and rejuvenate your oral health, so those who can most benefit from implants can still receive this life-altering procedure. Gum disease treatment, dental cleanings, and bone grafts are just a few of the ways that we have helped many patients improve their oral health so that they could have implants placed.
What to Do If You Are Not a Candidate
The truth is that no matter what we do, not everyone will qualify to receive dental implants. Fortunately, there are still viable, safe, and affordable treatments that can help restore your teeth. Countless individuals have used and continue to use options such as dental bridges and dentures. The upfront cost of these options is often less than dental implants and they are usually faster and easier to receive, meaning that you can restore functionality sooner than implants would.
If you have previously been told that you are not a candidate for implants, we believe that it is worth getting a second opinion from one of our dental experts. Often, eligibility can be improved with a regimen that promotes good oral health. Sometimes we can even save the affected tooth so that you do not need a replacement at all.
You Are a Candidate!
Chances are that even if you are not currently a candidate for dental implants, you can still improve your eligibility through the complementary treatments that we offer. To learn more about these treatments, and about dental implants in general, call Beaverton Oral Surgeons at (503) 646-7101 now! |
