There are a variety of reasons why a patient may need dental implants. Whether it is due to poor oral health, teeth falling out, teeth being knocked out, extractions or other related issues, a patient finds they are losing or have lost their teeth. Once this occurs, it’s important for the patient to get those lost teeth replaced. One illness that has a surprising effect on the oral health of a patient is Multiple Sclerosis.
What is Multiple Sclerosis?
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a complication that causes the nervous system to attack the brain and spinal cord of a patient. This impairs the safeguard of the patient’s nerve cells (known as the myelin sheath). In turn, messages that are sent from the brain to the body of the patient are blocked or slowed down.
Some of the symptoms of MS include:
* Poor coordination
* Poor muscle control
* Bad balance
* Numbness
* Poor memory
* Pins and needles
Patients that suffer from MS often have trouble with taking care of their oral health due to the loss of muscle control they are experiencing. These muscular issues make it difficult for a patient to brush and floss. Eventually, this leads to gum disease, cavities and other oral health issues.
What Are Dental Implants?
If a patient has let their oral health go to the point where their teeth are no longer viable, they will need to have them extracted and replaced. They also may fall out on their own. When this happens, the patient will need to look for replacement options. One popular teeth replacement option is dental implants.
Dental implants are dental prosthetics that involve a dental crown (false tooth) being attached to the jawbone via an abutment. These prosthetics are available both for individual teeth and multiple teeth. They can even replace entire rows of teeth.
Why Dental Implants? Are Dentures an Option?
There are a couple of different replacement options that are available for patients with missing teeth. These are dental implants and dentures. For patients with Multiple Sclerosis, dentures may not be a good option. Once MS gets to more advanced stages, it can be hard for the patient to wear their dentures. Because of this, a patient will want to consider dental implants instead of dentures.
Some of the main benefits to dental implants include:
* Healthier Teeth. If you have a missing tooth or teeth, over time, healthy teeth will begin to shift and migrate. This can lead to them impacting other teeth and causing damage. Teeth migration can also lead to crowding and crookedness. Not only is this visually unappealing, but it can also be detrimental to your oral health. Crowded and crooked teeth can make it difficult to properly and thoroughly brush and floss. In turn, you can end up developing cavities, gum disease and other oral health issues. Over time, these issues can get worse—eventually leading to more teeth falling out or needing to be extracted! Dental implants help to keep your healthy teeth in place, so they don’t shift and migrate. This makes it much easier to take care of your natural teeth and your gums.
* Jawbone Health. Your teeth are actually really important to the strength of your jawbone. Many people don’t realize that these two things are linked. If you are missing teeth, your jawbone will begin to deteriorate over time. With dental implants, though, your jawbone is less likely to deteriorate. This means better jawbone health.
* Lower long-term cost. Dental implants are costly up front. There’s no getting around that. With that said, they will help a lot with dental bills in the long run. Without dental implants, your teeth, gum and jaw health can suffer. Gum disease, cavities and jawbone deterioration can lead to the need for more extensive and expensive procedures, like root canals, bone grafts, deep cleanings and more. With dental implants, it becomes a lot easier to avoid these procedures. That initial upfront cost can really save you a lot of money over time.
* Higher confidence and self-esteem. Having a missing tooth or teeth can have a major effect on your self-confidence and your self-esteem. You may be less likely to smile because of the gap in your teeth. This can also affect your mood over time. Smiling helps to improve your mood, so being less likely to smile can make you feel more down. With dental implants, you can smile wide and with pride.
Financing My Dental Implants
Because dental implants are relatively expensive, you may need to consider some different financing options. These include:
* Pay-Over-Time Plans
* Personal Loans
* Sub-Prime Loans
If you are able to pay out-of-pocket, it’s best to do so. Otherwise, consider a loan. Remember: oral health issues can get much worse without teeth replacements.
Am I a Candidate for Implants?
Whether you are a candidate for dental implants or not will depend on a few factors. One factor is the strength of your jawbone. If your jawbone is deteriorated and too weak to hold an implant, you may need a bone graft. This can be an expensive procedure.
The cost will also be a factor. Some people aren’t good candidates for loans and have trouble making the payments. Because of this, dental implants may not be an option.
Even if you don’t have the money available to pay for a dental implant or implants, you’ll still want to consider some form of replacement. This may mean dentures instead.
Speak with Your Dentist
If you have MS and you are missing teeth, you’ll want to consider replacement options. You shouldn’t let your oral health slip because of your MS. For some patients, dentures are available. For others, they aren’t a good option.
Speak with your dentist about what replacement option is best to meet your needs and your budget. They will examine your teeth, gums and jawbone and see if you are a candidate for dental implants. You can then consider finance options and schedule an appointment for the implant procedure.