Procedures You May Need Before Getting Dental Implants

Dental implants are some of the strongest and most stable methods of tooth replacement—around 95% of them are successful at 20 years, and many last as long as 30. However, getting dental implants can also be a little bit demanding. While it’s possible for most people to get them, some preparation may be necessary before the procedure itself.

Here are a few treatments you may need before getting dental implants.

Tooth Extraction

While dental implants are designed to replace teeth that are already missing, they’re so strong that they’re often used proactively to replace teeth that are dying or in bad condition. This not only improves the quality of your smile, but also prevents the tooth from hosting infections that can spread.

In such cases, your dentist may recommend extracting the problem tooth and waiting for the extraction wood to heal. Once that’s done, the dental implant will be surgically placed in position.

Bone Graft

If you’ve been missing a tooth for a while, it’s possible that you may have experienced bone atrophy in the jaw due to disuse. If the jaw has shrunk enough, there may not be enough bone left to support a dental implant.

This is where bone grafts come into play. The procedure can make use of some of your bone tissue from elsewhere in the body or a synthetic bone-like material to supplement the jaw. Once the bone graft has healed, the dental implant will have much more stability than it could otherwise.

Sinus Lift

The sinuses are large cavities located across the face, and some of the biggest ones are located directly next to the upper jaw. If you’re replacing one of your upper teeth with a dental implant, there’s a risk that it could penetrate the sinus cavity, causing serious problems. This again becomes more likely if you’ve been missing a tooth for a while and have experienced bone atrophy.

Sinus lifts are a bit like bone grafts except that they also involve surgically moving the sinus cavity to make room for the dental implant to penetrate.

While these procedures can add a bit of time to the process of getting dental implants, the results are well worth it. Once the dental implants are in, you can expect them to last a lifetime if you maintain them well.

About Our Practice

At Marble Dental McKinney, we love being able to form close relationships with our patients based on integrity and trust. We are comfortable treating patients of all ages, and love being able to help entire families at once. No matter what kind of treatment you’re interested in, we’re confident in our ability to give you the care that you need.

If you have any questions about dental implants, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (214) 592-0441.