3 Questions To Ask If You Are A Teenager Considering Dental Implants

4 January 2016
 Categories: Dentist, Blog

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When you were six and you lost a tooth, it was exciting, but when it happens at sixteen, it is obviously very different. If you are a teenager and have lost one or more of your natural adult teeth, you may be considering dental implants to replace the absent tooth. However, there are several guidelines pertaining to dental implants that you will need to discuss with your dentist .

#1- Do You Understand How Skeletal Growth Can Impact Your Dental Implants?

In general, individuals between the ages of 10 and 19 are discouraged from getting implants. That is due to the fact that as you continue to grow, your jaw will also change. Therefore, the implant that you get today could be rendered useless in just a few years. In addition, since the dental implants include a titanium rod that is embedded into the jaw permanently, it is also easy to see that it could be very painful as the bone grows following the procedure.

In order to determine if you are still growing, your dentist may recommend taking a series of x-rays or ultrasounds of your skeleton or specific areas of bone at least six months apart. If there has been no change during that time, your dentist is more likely to be able to provide you with dental implants. 

#2-Can You Commit To Providing The Necessary Oral Care After Your Surgery, Both At Home And In the Dentist's Office?

It is often helpful to learn that up to 98% of dental implants are still successful after five years of use. However, much of their success or failure relates to receiving the appropriate dental care after they are provided. Unfortunately, accessing timely dental care and appropriate oral care at home can be a special challenge for many young people.

As a result, even if you are a candidate for dental implants at a young age because you will not be growing anymore, you and your dentist will need to discuss how important it is to take care of your teeth and gums in the years following your implants. It is also important to note that the toothpastes and other common teeth cleaning products are not appropriate once you have dental implants, so part of your commitment to your new smile will also include avoiding baking soda, stain removers and sodium fluoride.

#3-Will You Avoid Dental Trauma With The Consistent Use Of Mouthguards?

There is no doubt that many teenagers take football, baseball and other sports very seriously. Recent statistics are that 30 million children and teenagers engage in at least one sport each year. Each year, high school athletes receive about 2 million injuries and another 3.5 million kids under 14 require medical care following a sports injury each year in the United States.

The possibility of sports injuries should not deter you from receiving dental implants, but it should make you more cautious. A severe jolt or fall could damage your implant, so you should plan to use a mouthguard anytime you are engaging in your favorite sport.

In conclusion, many people have benefited from dental implants in recent years. As a teenager, the use of dental implants often results in new challenges, so it is a good idea to speak with your dentist about the feasibility of using implants at this stage of your life.