Dental implants are a significant investment in your oral and overall health. They not only improve your appearance, but they also enable you to chew food and speak properly, all while helping to maintain the health of your gums and remaining teeth.
But despite these benefits, many people still have confusion or uncertainty about them. If you’re considering dental implants, here are a few important questions you should ask your dentist to put your mind at ease and help you decide if they’re the right choice for you.
What Is the Success Rate?
You may have heard that sometimes implants can fail, which is unfortunately true, however, this is very rare. In fact, about 95 percent of all implants are successful, thanks to improved implantation procedures and a better understanding of what condition the jawbone must be in for an implant to successfully integrate.
If your dentist believes that you are not a good candidate for dental implants, he or she will not take the risk of attempting the procedure on you. Instead, you may need to undergo a bone graft procedure first, or in some cases you may not be able to attempt the procedure at all.
What is Recovery Like?
While recovery times and comfort levels will vary depending on each individual patient, the healing process looks similar no matter how many implants you have. You will likely need a day or so to recover before returning to daily activities and you will be able to enjoy soft foods within several days of your procedure, but the overall healing process could take months. Your dentist can give you more details based on your unique circumstances.
Can I Get Dental Implants if I Smoke?
Smoking can cause many complications that could interfere with osseointegration (when the bone heals around the implant). It can also thin your blood, making you bleed more in the days following your procedure. Not only that, but it can also cause other oral health problems like gum disease that could cause your implants to fail. For that reason, it is recommended that you do not smoke and if you are a smoker that you quit before your dental implant surgery.
Why Are Dental Implants Better Than Dentures?
You’ve probably heard that dental implants are better than dentures for multiple reasons. In addition to being a permanent restoration, dental implants are also easier to care for (you can brush and floss them just like natural teeth), have a greater biteforce than dentures, look and feel natural, and even help to maintain the structural integrity of your jawbone. Plus, because they are permanent, they won’t need to be replaced every five to ten years like dentures do, so despite their initial cost they are a better overall value than dentures.
Don’t let confusion about dental implants stop you from getting your beautiful smile back. If you have any questions or concerns about the procedure or the implants themselves, don’t hesitate to ask your dentist at your implant consultation. The more you know, the better you’ll feel.
About Our Practice
At Chardon Smile Center, we believe oral health is a team effort. That’s why we not only work together to care for patients of all ages under one roof, but we strive to help each patient achieve their oral health goals by empowering them to make their own educated decisions.
If you are ready to take control of your oral health and start the dental implant process, schedule an appointment by visiting our website or call us today at 440-286-2474.