Dental Implants for Over 60 -Year-Old Patients
Dental Implants for Over 60: When an old adult, you are likely to be confused about whether you can replace your missing or lost teeth with dental implants or not. You might be thinking of what would be the success rate of tooth implants at your age- whether your dental implant would work the same as that of a young patient. The good news is that dental implants have proven to be an effective dental restoration option for anyone having one or more teeth missing irrespective of their age. Learn more on dental implants for seniors in this blog.
Can You Have Dental Implants As You Age?
If you are an old person looking forward to dental implants, continue reading this post to know if they are right for you. Before diving into the topic, you should have an understanding of dental implants and their working.
What are Teeth Implants?
Dental implants are artificial, custom-made, complete tooth structures that a dental specialist or surgeon inserts into the jawbone of the missing natural tooth/teeth. They comprise screw-like titanium or zirconium implants, abutment (connector piece), and a crown (fake tooth that is anchored to the implant). For the replacement of multiple missing teeth, a bridge or denture is fixed to the implants.
How do Dental Implants work?
Dental implants are the screw-shaped, artificial roots of the tooth, usually made of titanium or zirconium and placed inside or on top of the jawbone. They serve as the strong base for artificial teeth (crowns). To securely place the artificial tooth, an abutment is placed in between the implant and the tooth. The fake tooth or crown is custom-made to fit inside one’s mouth and be of the same color as one’s natural teeth.
Overall, dental implants work to completely restore one or more missing tooth’s structure and function. They are the gold standard solution for teeth replacement.
Is 60 too Old for Dental Implants?
With advancing age, one’s standard of living becomes more essential and it can be made better by just having a healthy, full intact smile. When people attain the age of 60 and above, they are likely to be at more risk of losing their natural teeth. Thankfully, they still have the option to restore their smile with dental implants.
Should Over 60-year-old Patients get Implants?
Whether in the ’70s, 80’s, 90’s, or more, any old adult can benefit from dental implants with the same predictions as given for youngsters. All that is required for anyone to be eligible for dental implant surgery includes:
- One of more adult teeth is missing
- A good general and oral health of the patient with few or more years of life expectancy
- Availability of enough, healthy, fully-grown jawbone mass
- No smoking
- No willingness to wear alternative dental restorations or failing bridges or dentures.
Why are Dental Implants Necessary for over 60-year-old Patients?
Dental implants are required by most people aged above 60 years. They offer a myriad of benefits and so are necessary for old people just as for young ones. If you are not sure whether you should have dental implants, read out these reasons why dental implants for anyone aged 60 and above are necessary.
- Dental implants restore missing teeth functions.
Most old people, especially those aged above 60 years, have missing or weak teeth and therefore experience difficulty in chewing and biting their food. Dental implants help replace their lost or weak teeth; restore their teeth’ chewing and biting abilities, thereby improving their digestion process; and assist them in eating any food of their choice without worrying about any discomfort and toothache.
- Dental implants improve oral health.
Placing dental implants does not require alteration of the adjacent healthy teeth for support just as needed for bridges. As most of the natural teeth remain intact, it’s significant for aged people. Moreover, individual dental implants provide enough spaces between teeth for proper brushing and flossing, thereby improving oral hygiene routine and ultimately oral and general health.
- Teeth implants can help restore a natural-looking smile.
When old people have healthy, natural-looking smiles full intact that can allow them to eat their favorite foods, they tend to feel healthier and better about themselves. They have a boost in their confidence and esteem and start leading an overall better quality of life.
- Implants are affordable.
In comparison with other dental restoration options like dentures, dental implants are cost-efficient since they are durable and easy to maintain.
Pros and Cons of Teeth Implants for Over 60s
Pros
- Dental implants look, feel, and function just like real teeth. Old people can talk, eat, smile, and laugh normally just as they used to with all real teeth when young.
- Dental implants can last for the remaining years of the lives of old people.
- Dental implants encourage new jawbone growth and so prevent jawbone loss after tooth loss
Cons
- Overall dental implant process is lengthy and is performed in phases with a healing period in between.
- Dental implants may cause complications like infections.
- The dental implant process may require additional procedures such as tooth extraction and bone grafting.
Tooth loss can be a great challenge in case one is above the age of 60. But, it does not mean that you must have to suffer from it. If you are over the age of 60 years or looking for dental implants for over 60s then you can opt for dental implants in Chicago at First Point Dental today.