Am I Able to Get a Dental Implant After Ten Years in Dentures?
Posted by writeradmin
I am hoping I haven’t waited too long to get dental implants. I’ve been in dentures for ten years and have been saving up for implants. It was taking me a lot longer than I anticipated. I recently inherited some money which makes this possible for me. What should I be doing if it is not too late?
Devin
Dear Devin,
Technically, it is never too late to get dental implants. However, that being said, you may be in need of an additional procedure. When your teeth were first removed, your body instantly recognized that you no longer have teeth roots that need to be supported. As a result, it begins to resorb the minerals in your body in order to use them elsewhere so those resources can go where they are most needed. While efficient, it does have the unfortunate side effect of shrinking your jawbone as those minerals leave. Eventually you will not have enough of your jawbone left to even retain your dentures. In dental circles this is known as facial collapse. While your upper dentures are held in place by suction, your lower dentures rest on the bone and are completely dependent on that ridge to stay in place.
Bone and Dental Implants
That bone is important for dental implants as well as dentures. If you look at the image above, the implant is surrounded by bone. It is imperative that the bone structure in your jaw is sufficient enough for it to integrate with the implant. This is what keeps the implant in your jaw. Without that, you will be looking at dental implant failure.
The first thing any dentist should do when planning a dental implant procedure is a serious of diagnostic tests. This should include a 3-dimensional diagnostic, such as a CT scan. These will not only determine if you have enough bone in place to move forward, but will also help the dentist to determine the best placement of the implants.
If you don’t have enough bone structure to move forward, that does not mean you can’t get the dental implants. It simply means you will need to have some bone grafting done in order to build that support structure back up.
Finding the Right Implant Dentist
Dental implants are advanced procedures. Unfortunately, the ADA does not recognize implant dentistry as a specialty so any dentist is allowed to do the procedure. There are horror stories of patients who went to a dentist who didn’t have adequate training and ended up with a lifetime of pain because of nerve damage or even lost part of their jaw as a result of a botched procedure. This is one of those cases where dental school will not be enough training. Instead, it is absolutely imperative that you get a dentist who has completed post-graduate training in dental implants.
Even more ideal would be if the dentist has the surgical training to do both parts of the procedure instead of referring you out to an oral surgeon. This will eliminate the possibility of any miscommunication between the dentist and the surgeon.
If you don’t have a dentist within a reasonable distance that can do both, make certain that it is the dentist who determines the placement of the implant fixtures and NOT the oral surgeon.
Once you have your implants in, you will need a time for healing and for the bone to integrate with the implants themselves. After that is complete, you are good to go on having your dentures anchored to them. These implant are known as implant-supported dentures.
You will find your quality of life jumps up dramatically. You will be able to eat what you want once again. No more slipping and sliding. It will be much closer to having healthy, natural teeth in your jaw once more.
This blog is brought to you by Birmingham, AL Dentists Drs. Dudney and Abrahante.
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