We offer a full range of dental surgery services in our Perth office, including dental implants. Dental implants are the most technologically advanced option for replacing teeth. They work exactly as your own teeth do and look like the real thing, too. Dental implants have allowed many Australians to keep their perfect smiles long into old age.
Dental Implants: How they Work?
A dental implant has a titanium post with an abutment and, finally, a prosthetic crown. First, the titanium post is placed into the jawbone by the dental surgeon. For the next few weeks, the patient and dentist wait for the surrounding bone to adhere to the titanium post. This turns the post into a permanent fixture.
After the post is secure, an abutment is attached to it. This allows the crown to be put in place. The post not only acts as a root but also stimulates the surrounding bone. This keeps the bone from “shrinking” any further.
Who Can Have Dental Implants?
There are two main requirements for dental implants. One is decent oral health. The other is enough bone for the implant to “take.” Gum disease and bacteria are very bad for implants, so we have to treat those conditions before performing a dental implant. This procedure is considered surgery, so a patient who cannot have surgery will have to consider other options.
If a person has a high level of oral hygiene and is in good health, age is usually not a problem. A 70-year-old in good health may be approved, while a 50-year-old with compromised oral health may not be eligible.
The only age-related contraindication could be bone loss which happens in older people, but even that can be remedied by a bone graft. Another option called “mini-implants,” which don’t require the same volume of bone as regular implants can often be surgically implanted.
About that Age Limit…?
Dental bone isn’t fully developed until one is 17 or 18. In other words, children can’t get dental implants.
To learn more, call us today: (08) 9361 1728.
