Tips for Successful Dental Implants

Learn what you need to do to support the high success rate of dental implants.

Though dental implants have enjoyed a surge in popularity in the US in recent years, this is by no means a new dental treatment. In fact, dental implants are backed by decades of research and the procedure has an overall success rate above 90 percent.

Of course, even with this excellent success rate you will still want to do everything in your power to give your dental implant procedure the best possible odds of getting done without any complications. Here are the top tips to follow.

Choose the Right Dentist

Technically, any dentist can place dental implants. But if you want the best possible care, naturally you will want to choose a dentist who has special experience and training in this procedure. You can start by looking for an implantologist, as this designation describes a dentist who has completed special training in dental implants. However, if your case is complicated, you may wish to consult a periodontist (for complications related to the gums) or an oral surgeon.

Don’t Rush Your Treatment Timeline

Often, patients are very eager to get their dental implants as quickly as possible. While this is understandable, it is important not to let your eagerness for your new teeth lead you to take risks or shortcuts in your treatment. Typically, the most important factor for your treatment timeline is bone density. Bone density is graded from 1 to 4, with 1 being the best and 4 being the weakest. If your bone density ranks towards the bottom of the scale, this means it will not provide a very strong foundation for your dental implant. You may need to add an additional 6 months to your treatment timeline for bone graft surgery.

Be Willing to Wait for your Permanent Crown

Depending on the type of implant you have chosen, you may get a temporary crown or no crown on the day your implant peg is placed. Expert implant dentists do this to help make sure your implant has ample opportunity to heal before you start putting pressure on it with normal biting and chewing. When permanent crowns are placed on the same day as the implant peg, success rates for treatment drop by about 10 percent.

Maintain a Healthy Mouth

As your implant pegs heal and for the rest of your life, you will need to keep your mouth healthy to avoid having your implants fail. During recovery, it is important to avoid smoking because this impedes healing. If you have diabetes, you will need to keep your blood sugar well-controlled so that you do not risk getting gum disease around the new implant. Going forward, you will need to brush and floss around your implants just as if they were real teeth to keep your gums healthy and your implants stable.

Want to Learn More about Dental Implants?

If you would like to learn more about getting dental implants at California Dental Group, please contact one of our clinic locations today.