Dental implants look and function almost like natural teeth, but some people can benefit from implants more than others can. Here are some factors that mean you can benefit from dental implant treatment.

Missing or Damaged Teeth

Dental implants are great, but they are not as great as your natural teeth. You can only benefit from a dental implant if you have a missing tooth or a damaged tooth that the dentist cannot salvage. If you don't like a tooth for other reasons (say you don't like its shape), consult the dentist for alternative treatment other than tooth replacement.

Mature Jawbone

Your dental implant should maintain its position in your jawbone forever - implant movement during the healing period is particularly worrisome. Unfortunately, the implant might not remain in position if the jawbone is not fully developed.

The maturity of jawbone varies by age, but most people don't have mature jawbone until after their adolescent years. Still, only the dentist can confirm the maturity of a jawbone. Alternative tooth replacement methods, such as dentures, may be best for the immature jawbone.

Adequate Jawbone

The jawbone shouldn't just be secure - it should also have adequate density and thickness. The jawbone should be dense enough to hold the implant in place until it heals. The jawbone should also be thick enough to hold the implant.

When you get an implant, the dentist can match your implant's length to the depth of your jawbone. However, most implants range from 7 mm to 16 mm, so your jawbone should be thick enough to accommodate the smallest possible implant.

Some of the causes of inadequate jawbone density include:

• Diseases, such as osteoporosis
• Long-term tooth loss
• Severe periodontal disease

As for inadequate jawbone thickness, the most common causes include enlarged sinuses, damaged bone, and congenital bone defects.

Good Health

You can only benefit from a dental implant if it can integrate into your jawbone in a process dentists call osseointegration. Your overall health is one of the factors that affect osseointegration.

For example, dental implant success decreases if:

• A disease has weakened your immune system, which means your wounds heal slowly, and you are highly susceptible to infections.
• You have uncontrolled diabetes, which affects your body's regulation of calcium and phosphorus that osseointegration requires.
• Your medical condition requires the administration of intravenous bisphosphonates, which hinders osseointegration.

The above diseases are just a few examples. The healthier you are, the higher the chances of dental implant success.

Commitment

You should also be ready to care for the implant during the healing process. You know you are committed to the process if you can follow the dentist's instructions to the letter. Here are some of the instructions the dentist may prescribe:

• Regularly clean the implant area to reduce the risk of infections.
• Avoid strenuous activities that might destabilize the implant before it heals.
• Maintain regular dental checkups so the dentist can monitor the recovery process and make necessary interventions.

In addition to the dentist's instructions, you should also contact the dentist if you suspect an implant complication, such as an infection.

No Tobacco Use  

Lastly, your chances of benefiting from the implant go up if you are a non-smoker. Tobacco affects implant success rates because:

• It lowers bone quality.
• It has nicotine, which gets into the bloodstream and affects the healing rate.
• It triggers inflammation of tissues around the implant.

Indeed, tobacco has negative effects on most therapeutic procedures in the mouth.

If you are not an ideal candidate for a dental implant, you may need some pre-treatment procedures first.

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