i have 2 missing teeth that were extracted over 20 years ago would dental implants work?

Q. I have two missing teeth upper back either side and they were extracted abount 20 years ago Would I be suitable for implants L

A. Dear L,

As life goes on the bone where your teeth used to be dissolves away. In the upper jaw at the back ( where your teeth are missing ) the cheek has an air space ( your cheek sinus ). This can also make the bone thin in the area where your teeth are missing. These 2 factors often mean that there is insufficient bone to anchor the implants to. Due to this common occurrence a treatment is available to increase the bone in this area. This is called a sinus lift. Once this is done the implants can successfully placed.

Only by having a proper examination with X-rays can it be determined whether you need a sinus lift. This is a very successful procedure and is relatively common place when implants are placed in this part of the mouth.

Regards

Dr Julian Caplan BDS
Director on the board of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
Aviva Cosmetic Dentistry

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This post was published on Wednesday, January 30th, 2008 at 11:41 pmand is filed under Dr Caplan's Answers, Experts Answers, Q. Missing teeth. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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