When Should A Patient Consider Getting Dental Implants?

Dr. Singh discusses the situations and circumstances when people should consider getting dental implants as a way to solve their dental health issues.

Dr.Singh:

A patient should consider getting an implant solution when they are missing a single tooth or multiple teeth because there are solutions for all types of situations where you have missing teeth. 

Dr.Singh:

Any patient can be a candidate for dental implants; the main thing that we need to investigate is where they have enough bone to support the implants. Earlier on, teeth were indiscriminately taken out without any thought of whether the underlying bone would suffer. In those situations, the jawbone may have resorbed (receded) so we would need to see how much bone is present to accommodate the implant. This is where 3-D Cone Beam CAT Scan imaging technology is very useful. We don’t need to perform surgery to see if there is adequate bone, or any surprises. Previously to advanced 3-D imaging techniques, an oral surgeon would need to explore the area with surgery. The third dimension (or plane) was not available to them. And when a surgeon operated, they might find that the width of the bone narrowed to the point where there wasn’t sufficient thickness to accommodate the implant. But at this point, the surgery has already happened.

Now, with 3-D Cone Beam CAT Scan imaging technology, we’re able to see everything ahead of time, including potential problems. If the person is not a candidate for implants, because of a lack of sufficient bone, then we would know that ahead of time. And in these instances, we have other options. Advancements in bone grafting, and bone augmentation technologies, allow us to rebuild and reconstruct the bone, in order to place the implants. So the bottom line is, that in almost any dental situation, dental implants are a viable option.