How does a person decide if they are an ideal candidate for dental implants?

The best candidates for dental implants are non-smokers because smoking causes an increase of up to six times the chance that an implant may fail to integrate with the bone. Therefore, an ideal candidate will have healthy gums and bones so that the implants can integrate with the existing bone.

In addition, there are other considerations involved in having dental implant surgery. For instance, the mandible or the lower jaw also has a better prognosis than upper implants because of the type of bone and density of the bone in this area. Another risk is the sinus proximity and nerve/artery proximity to the area where the implant is to be placed. However, this risk can only be determined radiographically by a properly trained dentist or surgeon.

With any surgery, especially where one is getting foreign objects placed in the body, there is concern about discomfort and pain as well as a chance of rejection. However, with dental implants, that is not something to worry about because when implants are placed, the patient is locally numbed, and in many cases under IV sedation, which means there is very little discomfort during the procedure. The discomfort level when using dental implants are typically minor to none.

Also, in most cases the chances of an implant failing is very low. However, there are some situations where patients have a higher risk that an implant could be rejected due to various risk factors.

The best way to determine whether one may be at risk of an implant being rejected is to talk to the doctor at the implant consultation. During the consultation, the doctor will inform the patient of any possible risks, so that he or she can decide whether having an implant placed is the right choice.

Although very low, there is always a chance of dental implants being rejected. The doctor will inform the patient of the risk factors at the consultation appointment.