Am I a Candidate for Dental Implants?
Rochester, NY
 Dental implants are one of the most popular methods of replacing missing teeth. Using a titanium post that is embedded into the jaw, below the gum line, with an artificial tooth (crown) attached, they look, feel, and function exactly like your own teeth. Dental implants can replace single teeth, multiple teeth in a row, or even the complete upper or lower arch of teeth.
A dental bridge was the preferred method of replacing teeth before dental implants came along. A bridge is simply a replacement tooth (or teeth) secured to the teeth on either side of the gap created by the missing teeth.
Full dentures are used to replace all of the teeth, while partial dentures are used to replace several teeth. Some dentures can also be fully supported by dental implants.
Qualifications for Dental Implants
A thorough dental exam will first be needed here at our Thomas P. Rafferty, DDS office. We will examine your mouth, and based on the number of missing teeth that you have, and their location, we will recommend to you the best type of implants that we feel will suit your dental needs.
A good candidate for dental implants will be an individual with good overall health, as well as oral health. Dental implants require oral surgery, so you need to let us know your full medical history and if you have any medical conditions or take any medications that may prevent you from undergoing surgery.
At Thomas P. Rafferty, DDS we believe in helping all of our patients become suitable candidates for dental implants or whichever type of tooth restoration they would like to undergo. It is important to have a healthy mouth, and that means a full set of teeth for both function and aesthetics.
Reasons You May Not (Yet) Be a Candidate for Dental Implants
We find, in general, there are two common causes of patients not initially being best suited for dental implants. This includes gum disease and a reduction in bone support. Fortunately, both of these conditions can usually be remedied with additional procedures, such as bone grafting, in order to prepare the patients for dental implant work.
If you are suffering from gum disease, our dentists will want to make sure you have the proper cleanings done in order to ensure you have healthy gums first, in order to sustain your dental implant. Early gum disease is curable and can be maintained with regular brushing and flossing and regular dental cleanings. Advanced periodontitis is treatable, but not curable.
Ridge augmentation is a procedure that restores damaged gum and bone tissue lost in the destruction or deterioration of a tooth. This modern technique recreates ridge at the site, so that a substitute tooth can have enough support, as well as be aesthetic and natural-looking. Substituting teeth without making sure to have adequate bone and tissue density leads to unnatural, unappealing, and uncomfortable replacements.
Schedule a Consultation with Us Today!
There are, of course, other factors that can sometimes prevent a patient from being a good candidate for dental implants. The best way to find out if you are a good candidate for dental implants is to give our Thomas P. Rafferty, DDS office a call at (978) 720-9009 today to schedule a consultation appointment. We'll help you understand if dental implants are affordable for you.
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