Dental Implants Look Beautiful, but Are They Safe?

More than half a million dental implants are placed annually, and you have almost undoubtedly seen them in the smiles of people you know or media personalities. These remarkable prosthetic dental appliances replace lost teeth with beautiful and functional restorations that look, work, and feel just like the real thing, but are these devices safe? Here’s why the dental implant placement process is perfectly safe for most patients.

The Consultation Process Prevents Complications

The first step to receiving dental implants is to schedule a consultation with your periodontist. During this meeting, your oral health provider will carefully examine your mouth and evaluate your oral health to confirm that you can receive implants safely. While factors like oral infections or jawbone atrophy can preclude you from undergoing the treatment, your periodontist can address these issues with gum disease treatments and bone grafting.

While health conditions such as pregnancy, hemophilia, cancer, and diabetes can make placing dental implants more complicated, they do not necessarily mean that you cannot receive them. Just be sure to be clear about your medical history during your consultation so your treatment can be planned accordingly.

Dental Implants Are Incredibly Successful Over Time

While poor oral hygiene can lead to nasty oral infections that compromise your restorations, dental implants enjoy an incredible success rate of over 95% even ten years after placement. With excellent care, your implants may be able to last for decades or possibly a lifetime, meaning that you won’t have to worry about buying expensive replacement restorations like you would with traditional bridges and dentures.

Dental Implants Can Help Preserve Your Oral Health

Tooth loss leads to a host of oral health issues, and traditional restorations cannot completely address these problems since they do not directly interact with the jawbone. After a tooth is lost, the bone structure that supported it will begin to atrophy due to lack of exercise, and its recession can pull neighboring teeth out of alignment and make them more vulnerable to infection and injury. If this process is allowed to progress, the patient may experience further tooth loss and their jaw may develop a withered appearance.

Dental implants, on the other hand, are inserted directly into the jawbone, which means that they provide its tissue with the stimulation it needs to stay healthy and strong. This can help a person maintain excellent oral health as well as a pleasing facial profile.

About the Author

Dr. Justin Braga offers the finest periodontal services in Huntington Beach and the surrounding area. He graduated from the University of the Pacific at San Francisco and earned his certificate in periodontics at the University of Southern California. His office provides gum disease therapy, dental implants, and regenerative dentistry. To schedule your consultation for dental implants, contact his office online or dial (714) 587-9094.