Can You Still Get Gum Disease With Dental Implants?

Gum Disease Dental Implants Dr Joseph Haddad

Dental Implants Are The Healthiest Solution for Missing Teeth

Dental implants are the best – meaning healthiest – tooth replacement option.

This isn’t only because dental implants help restore the appearance of your smile, it’s primarily because they improve the natural function of your teeth and prevent bone loss.

That’s the big one, bone loss.

Bone loss occurs when there is space left by a missing tooth, this is when the loss of jawbone structure can occur. When you lose a tooth – or teeth – your jawbone will naturally recede.

But just because dental implants are widely considered the best option to replace one or more missing or decayed teeth, you still need to pay attention to your gums.

Let’s take a look at a few of the most important things you need to know about gum health before & after getting dental implants.

Despite dental implants make cavities a thing of the past, many people don’t understand that you can still develop gum disease after dental implant placement.

Dental Implants Prevent Alveolar Bone Loss

The alveolar ridge of the jaw is the bone that surrounds the roots of your teeth. When alveolar bone is strong, your teeth, gums and connective tissue are healthy.

When you lose a tooth – or teeth – your jawbone is no longer being stimulated by that particular tooth and as a result, the body no longer uses or “needs” the jaw bone, so it deteriorates.

We’re referring to that sunken in look, like when you put your lips over your teeth.

Aside from making you look older, it results from the loss of jawbone when you are missing teeth and don’t replace them with dental implants.

While there are a number of different options to replace missing teeth – from temporary to long-lasting solutions – only dental implants actually preserve your alveolar bone.

This is because implants mimic your natural tooth roots and stimulate the bone to support the actual implant(s).

Can You Still Get Dum Disease With Dental Implants?

Yes, you can still get gum disease with dental implants.

You may have heard that with dental implants, you no longer have to worry about cavities, but you can still develop gum disease – and peri-implant disease.

If you don’t floss daily, brush twice a day for two minutes each time AND rinse with mouthwash, you can get gum disease with dental implants.

This is important because oral health issues like gum disease correlate with overall health issues like heart disease, diabetes, prenatal complications, and more. 

And if you’re considering dental implants, you will first undergo an exam to check for among other things, gum disease.

You need healthy gums before considering dental implants to shape up your smile.

So, you absolutely CAN get gum disease with dental implants, and you CANNOT get dental implants when you have gum disease.

Are Dental Implants Right for You?

A good candidate is anyone missing one or more teeth, or someone who is unhappy with their dentures.

Age is generally not a factor.

Since we already know that you will have to be free of gum disease, let’s look at some of the other factors that could affect whether dental implants are the right missing tooth solution for you.

Bone Health

As we touched on before, the adequate presence of alveolar bone is necessary to support the surgically implanted implant & accompanying dental crown.

For people who have worn dentures for years and experienced the resulting bone loss, all is not lost. You may still be a good candidate for dental implant surgery with the help of a bone graft or ridge augmentation.

X-rays of your jaw will be taken to evaluate whether you can accommodate dental implants. More detailed x-rays may also be required to determine if other tests or procedures are needed before undergoing the actual surgery.

Risk Factors

In addition to the necessary jawbone health, you may not be a good candidate if you:

  • have gum disease, diabetes, or other health issues
  • smoke or chew tobacco
  • are unable to receive a bone graft
  • have a history of radiation therapy to your mouth, head or neck area

These risk factors have been shown to lower the overall success rate of dental implant placement.

Are You Considering Dental Implants?

Missing one or more teeth can have a big impact on your lifestyle and your self-esteem, but you don’t have to live depriving yourself of the foods you enjoy.

And you certainly should never feel ashamed of your smile.

With modern technology advanced materials and proper care, dental implants can last a lifetime.

Somerset NJ Dental Implants: Advanced Dental Arts by Joseph Haddad, D.D.S.

Our patient’s comfort is our primary concern. We proudly provide quality implant dentistry care to Somerset, NJ. 08873, in addition to the surrounding areas of Bound Brook, Hillsborough Township, Readington Township, and Bridgewater.

We offer the most advanced technology in implant dentistry including surgery, bone-grafting, restoration, and we proudly offer several types of dental sedation for our patient’s comfort.

We’ll be glad to hear from you if you have any questions. The first step towards a beautiful, healthy smile is to schedule an appointment, please call us today at (732) 545-8111.

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