Dental implants represent a breakthrough in dentistry, as they provide you with undoubted advantages over removable prostheses.
removable prostheses
. Our experts from the
dental clinic in Barcelona
and the dental clinic in Ibiza experts explain to you what is the minimum age to place implants and why.
When can we get an implant?
The placement of one or more implants is a procedure that, as you can imagine, involves certain requirements. In order to fix crowns or fixed bridges on them, these metallic elements are surgically placed in the jawbone. They are subsequently fused to the bone tissue, thus increasing the final stability of the procedure. This process is known as osseointegration.
Facial development
During childhood and adolescence, bone tissue, like other tissues, grows and matures. All dimensions, transverse, vertical and sagittal, of the bones are in a constant process of change, especially during the growth spurt of the young. As you can imagine, the bony elements that make up the skull are no exception.
Dental implants are indicated in cases where a tooth has been lost due to caries or trauma. They are also appropriate if your situation is that a tooth has not been generated in the embryonic phase, known as dental agenesis.
In order to be able to perform a dental implant treatment, the bone must have stopped growing. Otherwise, complications could arise, since the implant cannot adapt to the changes caused by the growth of your jaw, either lower or upper.
Complications of premature dental implants
You should know that osseointegration does not imply that the implant will follow the development of the bone nor will it undergo the histological and volumetric modifications that growth implies. In cases of premature implantation, the adjacent bone shows growth retardation. The bony alveolus then undergoes what is called ankylosis, while the rest of the jaw continues its normal development.
This can lead to functional deficiencies such as malocclusion with the consequence of making chewing difficult. On the other hand, you would suffer esthetic alterations derived from a defective dental alignment. In addition, this problem can be the beginning of pathological periodontal processes.
How facial growth is determined
The estimated minimum age for dental implant placement is 18 years for men and 16 years for women. However, we explain that the dentist will want to be sure that the facial skeleton is already stabilized to decide when we can place an implant.
Radiographic examination
You can expect facial growth to have stopped by the time the size has stabilized. However, it is best to make sure, and for this purpose a cranial X-ray can be taken and repeated 6 to 12 months later. By superimposing the two, the dentist will be able to determine if there are any modifications. If there is a positive response, this indicates that facial growth is continuing.
Carpogram
This radiographic procedure is quite accurate. To perform it, an X-ray of the forearm, wrist and hand is taken. The cartilaginous tissue, being soft, does not appear in the image. A radiologist can determine the end of growth when the epiphysis or most distal portion of the radius has fused with the diaphysis or body of the bone.
When there is no such fusion, it is because the space between the two parts of the bone is occupied by the growth plate, which indicates that this process is continuing. In the opposite case, with fused bone portions, growth has stopped.
The minimum age for implant placement is a point that an experienced dentist can accurately determine. The success of your procedure will depend to a great extent on this decision. If you have any questions or need more information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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