Dental Implants for Special Needs People: How It Can Improve Their Quality of Life
The young, seniors, and people with special needs, regardless of age, can all encounter the problems of missing teeth, which affect their quality of life. The quality of life gets affected regardless of who loses teeth for reasons of injuries, infections, accidents, et cetera. However, people with special needs, whether young or old, may lose teeth due to cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, Rieger syndrome, and senile dementia. They are also affected by jawbone deterioration because of periodontal disease resulting from improper dental hygiene. However, dental implants for individuals with disabilities are a suitable option for these people to restore their quality of life.
Edentulousness is a frequent occurrence among disabled patients making improving the quality of life with dental implants for them an excellent option. In addition, the implants also help improve the self-esteem of the individual from the point of aesthetics, besides their quality of life being compromised by other conditions.
Although more experience is essential, implant rehabilitation is considered an excellent option for people with disabilities by special-needs dentistry because they also have problems with bone quality and density, making it more relevant to achieve positive outcomes.
The Functioning of Dental Implants
Dental implants are artificial tooth roots shaped like a screw. A professional dentist providing dental implants in Sault Ste. Marie, ON, embeds the implant into the jawbone to function as the natural tooth root. The implant creates a base for supporting artificial teeth or dental crowns mounted atop them. The dentist must connect an abutment on top of the implant to hold the dental crown. Dental crowns are custom created to fit into the mouth and resemble the remaining teeth.
Dental implant placement requires surgery which is comfortable even for people with unique needs. It is the most straightforward procedure for special-needs patients to regain their chewing abilities besides the natural appearance of their smile.
Evaluation of Special-Needs Patients
When considering dental implant options for special-needs patients or the young and elderly, an evaluation of their dental and overall health is essential to determine their treatment eligibility. Patients must also deal with an experienced dentist without considering implants offered near them by any dentist because special needs patients have unique needs that the dentist must have the infrastructure and qualifications to satisfy.
Dental implants for special-needs patients require the provider to have the infrastructure to deliver general anesthesia, intravenous anesthesia, and other techniques to relax the patient before and during the surgical placement process. They must also ensure that the patient’s caregiver cares for them during the osseointegration process because dental implant failure among patients with genetic syndromes was noticed in some patients with missing teeth in the biting portion of the maxilla because of the higher frequency of gum disease among these patients.
Special-needs patients needing dental implants near you with Down syndrome usually have disorders like osteoporosis, macroglossia, and occlusal problems besides poor oral hygiene, immunosuppression, et cetera. However, dental implants can help improve their quality of life and help them achieve their goal by successfully osseointegrating the placements.
How Do Special-Needs People Benefit from Dental Implants?
Dental implants are titanium posts that don’t differentiate between regular and special-needs patients. After proper evaluation and placement of the titanium post into the jawbone, followed by appropriate attention by the caregivers to help osseointegration succeed, the implant function as stable bases for replacement teeth to help the patient regain their mouth functionality and smile while simultaneously avoiding the dental infections that haunted them before dental implant placement, in other words, it indicates that the benefits from dental implants are similar for special-needs patients who gain the same advantages as the young or old without unique requirements.
Dental implants are excellent for replacing missing teeth in all patients, including those with special needs. However, caregivers are responsible for ensuring that special-needs patient maintains good oral hygiene to ensure they don’t invite gum disease into their mouths, a leading cause of dental implant failure. As long as special-needs patients receive appropriate care from their caregivers and get regular cleanings and exams from the implant providers, everyone around them can rest assured that their quality of life improves by the day, helping them lead better lives.
Great North Dental provides dental implants for many patients with missing teeth, including those with special needs to improve their quality of life. Kindly consult with our dentist in Sault Ste. Marie, ON, them with a special-needs patient, you know, with missing teeth to improve their dental and overall well-being.