Whether your permanent tooth got knocked out in an accident or your dentist had to pull a tooth that suffered too much decay, losing your natural teeth isn’t something you can always plan for months in advance. This can be especially stressful when you consider the need to replace a missing tooth. If you’re going for the gold standard solution for replacing teeth, dental implants are undoubtedly the way to go. However, they do come with a higher price tag.
Many patients are unable to afford the sudden expense of dental implant surgery and the subsequent cost of an implant restoration, whether it be a crown, bridge or overdenture. While it is natural for patients to want to put off getting a dental implant so that they can build up their savings, this can pose a problem. When it comes to getting dental implants, time is of the essence.
Why Timing is Important
After a tooth is lost or removed, the adjacent teeth will soon start to migrate towards the open gap. This can disrupt your alignment and bite, causing more issues than you started with. Most importantly, missing teeth eventually cause bone loss in the jaw due to a lack of stimulation. Dental implants require sufficient bone height and density in order to be successful. Therefore, if you wait too long, you may not qualify for dental implants at all or be forced to undergo bone grafting to get them.
Most dentists agree that putting off your dental implants longer than 4 to 6 months after losing a tooth is risky. However, every case is different. If you want to know exactly how long you can wait, ask our implants dentist at West Hill Family Dental. To help you avoid the debacle all together, we proudly an in-house Oral Health Savings plan as well as outside financing options through CareCredit. We don’t let expense stand in the way of your chance to restore your smile with dental implants!