A common misconception among elderly dental implant patients in Birmingham is that dental implants are not a viable treatment option to senior citizens. However, in reality there is no age limit for dental implants or implant supported dentures. It is suprising how many patients over the age of 70 that have had dental implant treatment in Birmingham at Scott Arms Dental Practice. In order to determine whether a candidate is suitable for dental implants treatment, it is important to check the quality of bone available to place the implant.
Dental implants were actually developed for elderly patients that could not work with a removeable prothesis but due to their success and amazing smile transformations they are used regularly in younger patients. When a patient is examined by our birmingham implant dentists, it is their health that is assessed and not their age in determing whether they should have dental implant treatment.
Who can determine whether I should have implant treatment?
You will certainly find some health complications in elderly patients that may prevent dental implants being a treatment option and this is also the case in younger patients. The only person that can accurately determine whether you should have implant treatment or not is your dental implant dentist. The Scott Arms Dental Implant Centre in Birmingham boasts award winning implant dentists who are experienced in treating elderly patients with dental implants and offer a FREE dental implant consultation to all patients regardless of age. During your free implant consulation your dentist will be able to assess your health and determine if dental implants are a suitable option.
Dental Implants allow you to speak and eat with confidence
Elderly patients are usually incredibly delighted with their new dental implants if they have worn dentures previously. Dental implants are a permanent solution to replacing your teeth unlike temporary dentures they require attention each day to keep in place. Dental Implants look feel and function just like normal teeth, allowing you to speak and eat with confidence. They improve chewing ability and nutrition by allowing patients to eat foods they could never eat previously when using removable dentures. Dentures can also come loose and can cause mouth sores, where as dental implants are fixed permanently and will last a lifetime if you look after them.
What do dental implant dentists look for?
Your implant dentist will usually be primarily concerned with the bone density of the individual, regardless of age. As you may know, dental implants are small titanium inserts that are fixed in place permanently inside your jaw bone. Bone density does decrease with age, by what extent varies from patient to patient. However, if there isn’t sufficient bone for dental implant placement, there are treatment options such as bone grafts which remove bone from other parts of your body and add it to your jaw. Only a dental implant dentist can accurately assess a patients bone and advise a treatment option.
The dental implant placement procedure is an invasive one and requires surgery to place the dental implants. Due to this its important that the implant dentist understands any issues the patient may have. Your implant dentist will look for conditions such as diabetes, immune system related diseases and any conditions that may affect the healing process where implants permanently bond with the jaw bone.
Interested in finding out more about dental implants for elderly patients?
If you’re interested in dental implant treatment in Birmingham or simply just want to find out more about dental implants for elderly patients, book a free dental implant consultation at the Scott Arms Dental Practice by calling 0121 357 0500 where our award winning implant dentists will be happy to help.