Dental Implants And Younger Patients

At what age are patients suitable for dental implants?

As you will probably have noticed from reading previous blogs, we firmly recommend dental implants as an excellent way of replacing missing teeth for those who are suitable. Generally though, when we think of losing teeth, this tends to be in our adult years, typically through neglect or accident.

However, younger patients are also at risk of tooth loss, and, to some degree, at a greater risk when it comes to tooth loss through accidental damage, whether through organised sports or even playground accidents.

So when a younger patient loses a tooth, can dental implants be used to replace it?

Facial development

The key to this question lies in the facial development of the patient involved. For example, it would be ill-advised to place a dental implant for a young teenager as their facial features are not yet fully developed. No dentist in the UK would perform the procedure in this case.

Placing a dental implant too early means that as the face develops, the implant would be incorrectly placed and may not only look unsightly but could cause serious discomfort too. There is no set age for implant placement and in these cases, an assessment will be made by our experienced implant dentist as to whether it is a suitable procedure or not. As a general guideline, males will not be able to have implants until they are eighteen whilst females may be able to have them a little younger.

Interim tooth replacement methods

If a patient hopes to have dental implants but is too young, or perhaps if they feel unsure, there are a couple of procedures that can be used as a temporary replacement until such time that the implant can be placed. For example, a dental bridge may be considered. This offers a stronger, more secure option than a denture but has a disadvantage in that the teeth on either side of the gap typically need to be prepared to support the bridge structure. Consequently this procedure is possibly better suited to patients who are sure that they do not want dental implants later on.

Although not the most secure option, dentures are available at our local Bedford dental clinic which offer a comfortable and functional means of tooth replacement until such time that dental implants can be placed. This is a non invasive procedure which may also beneficial if the patient is quite young and potentially nervous.

Bone grafts

Where implant placement has been delayed for some time or if an accident has caused bone damage, there may be a need for a bone graft prior to an implant placement when the time arrives. Any bone which has degraded will be replaced, creating a firm base into which the implant can be placed. This is not always required however, and our implant dentists will take x-rays and scans to determine what is needed on a case-by-case basis.

For more information about dental implants and other alternative tooth replacement procedures, please call the The Dental Centre Bedford today on 01234 819868.