Dental implants have become one of cosmetic dentistry's most popular tooth replacement options due to the natural look and feel. Implants get the name from the fact that a metal root is inserted into the jawbone, left to heal into place, and then topped off with an artificial tooth crown. The jawbone support offers a greater degree of support than other dental replacement options and stimulates the ongoing health of the jawbone and gum tissue.

But dental implants aren't the right choice for every patient. Here are three important patient qualities that can decide whether you are a good match for the procedure. Ask a cosmetic dentist from a clinic like Cherry Hill Dentistry LLC for more information.

Healthy Jawbone

The jawbone under the missing tooth needs to have decent health. This means that the bone needs to have enough density and strength to fuse around the metal root to hold the root securely in place. The problem is that the loss of a natural tooth removes an important source of friction from the jawbone and that loss can quickly lead to the deterioration of the surrounding bone. So you should schedule a dental implant procedure quickly after your tooth loss, if possible.

Lacking jawbone health doesn't automatically take you out of the running for an implant but it does complicate the situation. You might be a candidate for a bone graft, which inserts pieces of donor bone into the weak areas of jawbone. You would have to wait for the graft to heal before the implant procedure could begin.

Dedication to Follow-Up Appointments

Osseointegration is the process where the bone heals around the metal implant root. Successful osseointegration means the bone healed properly and fully around the root and you can continue on to the final stages. But osseointegration sometimes fails due to a variety of reasons. It is important for your dentist to monitor your healing process during this stage to catch any potentially osseointegration failures early so you still have time to receive another root or a bone graft to improve the odds of success.

All of this monitoring means that you need to be dedicated to maintaining follow-up appointments for your dentist to check the progress of the metal root.

Patience

Dental implants are not quick procedures. The osseointegration process can take a number of months. Add on several more months of healing if you have to undergo a bone graft. If you want to have a successful dental implant experience, you will need to be patient enough to get through these waiting periods knowing that the end result will prove worth the wait.