If your patients are in need of and or are considering getting a dental implant, they should know that implants can actually be beneficial to their health. Keep reading to learn more about what your patients should know about dental implants and the positive impact on their health.
How a Dental Implant Works
Dental implants are essentially anchors that get surgically placed in your jaw. These implants are usually accompanied by titanium and a couple of other materials to make up the anchor.
These implants are completely safe for your body, as your own bone will grow and support the implant to join your jaw.
Are Dental Implants Right for You?
Dental implants have been around in the United States for decades and continue to be improved and perfected. According to The American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID), about five hundred thousand adults have gone through some type of dental implant surgery every year.
This procedure has a 98 percent success rate if the placement is proper and the proper oral hygiene regimens are followed. In most cases, your patient is likely a candidate for a dental implant, but there could be some caveats.
There are a couple of things your patient should consider before getting a dental implant, such as the value of an implant, the patient’s medical history and the costs involved.
If your patient suffers from any chronic illnesses such as diabetes or leukemia, they would not be good candidates for this type of procedure. This is because these conditions make it harder for the body to heal and the jaw to grow around the implant.
If your patient has been treated with the chemotherapy drug bisphosphonates or popular bone-building drugs like Boniva and or Fosamax and Boniva, dental implant surgery might not be right for them. If a patient is a smoker and or has poor mouth health, it will also be suggested to stop smoking before the procedure.
Dental Implant Procedure and Costs
Because of the type of procedure dental implants are, there are a series of steps your patient will have to take before getting an implant. First, they will have to get care from a dentist that specializes in implant placement. A general dentist should be able to refer your patient to one of these specialists who tend to practice periodontology or oral surgery.
Once the patient has a specialist, that person will examine the patient and run tests on what needs to be done before placing the implant. These tests will determine how much tooth is missing, how long the tooth or teeth have been out and if the implant is going on the top of the bottom jaw.
These tests can include, extractions of failing teeth, bone grafts or sinus lifts, full mouth x-rays and or temporary prosthetics or teeth replacements.
A single implant usually costs anywhere between $1000 to $3000, but this cost might increase if there is more than one tooth involved.
Get Your Implant Today
A Dental Implant can really make your patient’s life so much easier and even improve their oral health. Tell your patient to look into getting an implant today. Don’t forget to keep checking back for more posts like this.