About 42% of adults aged 30 and older have gum disease, a common dental problem affecting the health of your gums, teeth, and sometimes the underlying jawbone. If you’ve had gum disease and jawbone loss, you might wonder if you can still receive dental implants.
Learn more about dental implants and if you're a candidate for this restorative dental procedure by scheduling an evaluation with Adam Cottrill, DMD, at Nashville Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry in Nashville, Tennessee.
Dental implants are metal posts that Dr. Cottrill inserts into your jawbone to anchor artificial teeth. Common reasons for dental implants include having lost permanent teeth, loose permanent teeth, or significant tooth damage requiring extraction.
Nashville Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry offers traditional dental implants and All-on-4 dental implants. All-on-4s can replace all of your natural teeth with just four implants inserted into the top and four inserted into the bottom of your jawbone.
If you develop signs of gum disease, it’s vital to seek treatment right away. Early treatment helps prevent jawbone loss. The following symptoms could indicate gum disease:
When left untreated, your gums may begin to pull away from your teeth, and you might develop jawbone loss. This can affect your ability to receive dental implants.
If you have active gum disease, you must first undergo treatment to eliminate the disease before receiving dental implants. Dr. Cottrill meets with you to discuss your treatment options.
You might simply undergo professional deep dental cleaning (scaling and root planing) or take medications for mild gum disease. More severe cases may require gum grafting, pocket reduction surgery, jawbone grafting, laser treatment, guided tissue regeneration, or similar procedures.
After gum disease has been eliminated, you may be eligible to receive dental implants. You must have an ample amount of strong jawbone to securely anchor traditional dental implants in place to ensure long-lasting success.
If you’re not a candidate for traditional dental implants, you might still be able to receive All-on-4 implants, even if you have some jawbone loss. Dr. Cottrill inserts All-on-4s at an angle, allowing him to use the jawbone you have left to anchor your implants.
Other cosmetic dentistry options that can revitalize your smile at Nashville Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry include Invisalign®, clear braces, veneers, dentures, bridges, bonding, contouring, and traditional crowns. We also offer transformative smile makeovers. Dr. Cottrill tailors each treatment to maximize your outcome.
Find out if you’re a candidate for dental implants after having gum disease by scheduling an evaluation with Dr. Cottrill at Nashville Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry. Contact us by phone, or request an appointment online today.
