Center for Implant and Reconstructive Dentistry

Dental Implants: Are They for Me?

By Thomas D. Taylor, D.D.S., M.S.D., and William R. Laney, D.M.D., M.S.

If you have any of the following conditions, dental implant therapy may not be for you.

Crippling or Uncontrolled Disease
Conditions that affect the body's ability to heal and repair itself may have a negative effect on the placement and health of an implant. Persons with diseases (such as diabetes) that are not under control are not good candidates for dental implants because the uncontrolled disease keeps the body from healing itself normally. However, a diabetic person under proper control by a doctor could be treated successfully with implants.

Other diseases such as leukemia or hyperparathyroidism (abnormal activity of the parathyroid glands) also may affect the outcome of implant treatment. Persons who are undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy for cancer should not have treatment procedures that are advantageous but not urgent such as dental implants) until cancer treatment is completed and the doctor says it is safe to proceed. If you have any questions about how your general health might affect dental implants in your mouth, you and your dentist should discuss this with your doctor.

Pregnancy
Women who are pregnant should not undergo any treatment such as dental implants until after the first three months of their pregnancy. It is best to wait until after delivery to start dental implant treatment.

Psychiatric or Emotional Treatment
People with psychiatric disorders such as chronic depression or personality changes requiring treatment, or people undergoing severe emotional stress, should avoid situations that may complicate or disturb their lives. Dental implant therapy may place additional stress on persons who are unable to tolerate it. As with other diseases, open discussion of the problem should involve the patient, dentist, and doctor before implant treatment is considered.

Poor Motivation to Accept and Follow Needed Treatment
For dental implants to be successful, you must be committed to following all the necessary steps before, during, and long after treatment.  People who are not able or willing to undergo the necessary treatment, or to take care of their new teeth on a regular basis, should not consider implant therapy.

Lack of Muscular Coordination to Manage Oral Hygiene Procedures
To keep the bone and gums around dental implants healthy, you must carefully clean the implants. This means that you must be able to handle a toothbrush, dental floss, or other cleaning tools to remove food and plaque.  Persons with severe arthritis or other handicaps that affect the hands and arms may not be good candidates for implant treatment.

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Some health factors are important when considering dental implants:

Surgery or Anesthetic
Usual precautions associated with a local or general anesthetic must be taken. Sometimes an opening into the sinus cavity above the upper teeth or a nerve injury can occur. These incidents seldom result in permanent damage.

Psychological
People who experience abnormal psychologic stresses or are not motivated may have problems with surgery and may not be able or willing to follow oral hygiene instructions. However, persons who avoid contact with other people because they are concerned about their missing or unattractive teeth may be helped.

Medical
There are some temporary conditions that can result from implant placement: pain and swelling of gums, lip, or tongue; speech problems; and inflammation (heat, redness, swelling, and pain) of the gums. Possible long-term difficulties may include nerve injury, bone loss if the implants fail, overgrowth of gums, and mouth or general bacterial infection. For those people who have other body part replacements or heart valve problems, endocarditis (inflammation of the inside lining of the heart) or infection may be a risk.

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After you have been examined by your dentist and before you make any decision on implant treatment, you must consider cost. Just like any complicated and time-consuming medical or dental procedure, implant treatment is moderately expensive. You should be aware of all the costs involved. If you will be treated by a team of dentists, make sure that you receive cost estimates from each one involved. For example, if an oral surgeon will be placing the implants into your jaw and a prosthodontist or your personal dentist is going to make the restoration (prosthesis) to replace the teeth, you should get cost estimates from both.

If you have dental insurance, you or your dentist should contact the insurance company before you start treatment to find out whether or how much of the treatment might be covered. Insurance policies vary in their coverage of elective procedures such as implants. It is important that, before you agree to proceed, you fully understand how much your insurance company will pay and how much you yourself will have to pay.

All material is copyrighted by Quintessence Publishing Co., Inc. and reproduced with permission.

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