Am I the Right Age for Dental Implants? - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Am I the Right Age for Dental Implants?
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Dental implants can be truly life-changing for those elderly patients who have lived years or even decades with inferior solutions such as dentures. Suddenly they are able to eat a richer and more enjoyable diet (something they had long ago given up on), talk without feeling insecure about people seeing their dentures moving about, and most importantly, they are back to stimulating and preserving the jawbone to prevent any further bone loss. – PowerPoint PPT presentation
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Title: Am I the Right Age for Dental Implants?
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Am I the Right Age for Dental Implants?
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Am I the Right Age for Dental Implants?
- Tooth decay affects people of all ages almost
100 of adults worldwide and a staggering 76 of
children in the UAE alone. But what happens when
this decay leads to tooth loss? Is there a
right treatment depending on age? - While there can be barriers to implants for
younger patients, age in and of itself doesnt
stop anyone getting them done. The determining
factors are the overall state of health of the
individual, the quality and quantity of
surrounding bone in the jaw, and for younger
patients whether their jaw bone is fully
developed or not. - To be clear, then, at the higher end of the age
scale there really is no upper limit. No matter
how old you are, you are likely able to replace
any missing teeth with implants. On the lower
end, however, there can be limitations that would
make it very inadvisable to undergo an implant
procedure.
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Implants And The Elderly
- The most common replacement for missing teeth
among the elderly are dentures, and one of the
most common complaints I hear from my elderly
patients concerns those dentures. While dentures
are perhaps perceived to be a less invasive
solution for tooth loss (as compared to
implants), as time goes on dentures become loose,
cause discomfort, and interfere with eating and
speech. But the most serious disadvantage is that
they fail to prevent further bone loss, as they
do not stimulate the jawbone. - There are several reasons for the prevalence of
dentures among elderly patients. Firstly, it is
the traditional method and many elderly patients
consider it the only option secondly, there is
a common misconception that elderly patients
dont respond well to implant procedures.
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This could not be further from the truth.
- In fact, we have seen many successful cases of
implants with patients well into their eighties
and nineties, and providing overall health is
good seniors heal with very much the same
predictability as younger patients. - Of course, as with any medical procedure, there
are different challenges when it comes to the
elderly. For example, many suffer from a lack of
bone density in the jaw. But even with this
eroding bone density, dental implants are still a
more than viable option. - Dental implants can be truly life-changing for
those elderly patients who have lived years or
even decades with inferior solutions such as
dentures. Suddenly they are able to eat a richer
and more enjoyable diet (something they had long
ago given up on), talk without feeling insecure
about people seeing their dentures moving about,
and most importantly, they are back to
stimulating and preserving the jawbone to prevent
any further bone loss.
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Implants And The Younger Patient
- On the other end of the spectrum, young people
are the most likely to face restrictions when it
comes to dental implants. To be confident of a
successful placement, the jaw must be fully
developed, and this is typically not the case
until the late teenage years. - However, this is only a guideline, as each young
patient develops at a different rate. For this
reason an oral surgeon will take a number of
X-rays (often of the wrist as well) to determine
the level of an individuals bone development,
and assess their suitability for surgery. - If the younger patient is not fully developed,
under no circumstance should implants be placed.
The consequences of implanting early can be
severe, causing damage and even deformity to the
jawbone. - The good news is that there is a temporary
solution for replacing the missing tooth or teeth
in a younger person while waiting until the jaw
has developed sufficiently to withstand dental
implant surgery. That option in most cases are
single tooth or multiple teeth dentures. - This allows young patients to interact and
socialize as normal in the interim, without being
overly-sensitive about their appearance. Once the
jaw has reached the required level of
development, implant surgery can be performed,
providing a longer-lasting, more comfortable and
aesthetically pleasing solution.
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Takeaway
- So by now it should be clear that the question
of age and dental implants is quite
straightforward. For the elderly we see virtually
no limitations as long as their overall health is
ok, whereas with the younger patients we have the
very matter-of-fact issue of whether their jaw is
fully developed or not. If not, you simply have
to wait until it is. - A visit with your dental specialist is all that
is needed to determine if you are facing any
restrictions. Whatever the outcome, just remember
that there will always be a solution to help you
best deal with tooth loss based on your specific
situation. While the profession of dentistry has
made incredible advancements over the past
decades, the progress is hardly slowing down, and
you can be sure that we will continue to find
better and better solutions to address the very
serious issue of tooth loss.
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