Am I a Candidate for Dental Implants?

Am I A Candidate For Dental Implants?

The answer to that is almost always yes.  Especially when your treatment is being performed by someone as highly trained as an oral surgeon.  There are, however, many conditions which preclude you from having elective oral surgery, which would include dental implants.  These conditions are:

• Recent myocardial infarction (within 6 months)
• Recent cerebrovascular accident (stroke)
• Advanced immunosuppression, such as low white blood cell count or platelet count due to chemotherapy or other systemic causes
• Psychiatric illness in which the patient is unable to make the decision whether implants are right for them
• Intravenous bisphosphonate use. These are drugs used to treat both severe cases of osteoporosis and bone malignancy (cancer)
• Active treatment of malignancy (cancer) anywhere in the body

While there are few absolute contraindications, there are several other conditions which can increase the risk of treatment failure or complications.

• Inadequate space or bone for dental implant placement. This can typically be corrected either at the time of implant placement or as a staged approach
• Uncontrolled systemic disease, such as uncontrolled diabetes. These factors can increase
• Advanced osteoporosis (very poor bone density)
• Tobacco use – can decrease the success rate
• Previous oral bisphosphonate use
• Pregnancy

Truth be told, there is a long list of local and systemic conditions that can adversely affect the outcome when placing dental implants, however most of these can be accounted for with right professional.  These are some of the reason why oral surgeons undergo such extensive training.  Our training allows us to evaluate complex patient conditions, determine which factors can be managed using our existing training and knowledge, and determine what needs further work up in order to proceed safely.  While many individuals can place dental implants, sometimes it’s knowing what to look for that makes all the difference.