In Which Condition Should You Have Implant?

Dental implants are surgically placed in your jawbone, where they serve as the roots of missing teeth. Because the titanium in the implants fuses with your jawbone, the implants won’t slip, make noise or cause bone damage the way fixed bridgework or dentures might. And the materials can’t decay like your own teeth that support regular bridgework can.

In general, dental implants may be right for you if you:

• Have one or more missing teeth
• Have a jawbone that’s reached full growth
• Have adequate bone to secure the implants or are able to have a bone graft
• Have healthy oral tissues
• Don’t have health conditions that will affect bone healing
• Are unable or unwilling to wear dentures
• Want to improve your speech
• Are willing to commit several months to the process
• Don’t smoke tobacco

What you can expect

Dental implant surgery is usually an outpatient surgery performed in stages, with healing time between procedures. The process of placing a dental implant involves multiple steps, including:

• Damaged tooth removal
• Jawbone preparation (grafting), when needed
• Dental implant placement
• Bone growth and healing
• Abutment placement
• Artificial tooth placement