Unlike other restorative procedures, the ideal candidates for dental implants are those still in good general and oral health. For this reason, before undergoing the procedure, the dentist should check if the patient has adequate bone in his or her jaw. This is needed to support the implant. Hence, the best candidates should be free of any periodontal disease.
In the line of treatment, you and your dentist will discuss with you where and how your implant should be placed. Here is some information for you to better understand why and how the treatment is done.
Most dental implants are done for replacing a tooth or several ones. If you are missing a tooth, your dental team will advise you to an implant and a crown. If you are replacing several teeth, they will do implant-supported bridges. However, if you are going to replace all of your teeth, then you are going to need an implant-supported full bridge or full denture to replace them.
For successful dental implants, the patient may also request for sinus augmentation or ridge modification. Sinus modification is done by raising the sinus floor and developing bone for the placement of dental implants. This is frequently done if the implants are to be placed on the upper jaw. On the other hand, ridge modification is being done when there are deformities in the upper or lower jaw which leave you with inadequate bone in which to place dental implants. Consequently, to correct the problem, the gum is lifted away from the ridge to expose the bony defect. Then, the defect will be filled with bone or bone substitute to build up the ridge. This procedure can greatly improve the appearance and heighten the success of implants.
