Dental implants make it seemingly easy to get your smile back after you have lost your natural teeth. However, the process of inserting a prosthetic tooth into existing bone and soft tissue is a lot more complex than many patients realize. Dental implants may require several weeks (in some cases months) of recovery time. While all of this is well worth the effort if your end result is a beautiful new smile, dental implants will not work out to your benefit if you are not a good candidate for the treatment. Here are a few reasons why you could be told you are not a good candidate for dental implants. 

You are diabetic. 

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes it could get in the way of you being able to obtain dental implants--especially if you have problems with erratic blood sugar levels. While some cosmetic dentists will perform the implant procedure on someone who has diabetes, most will advise against it. Having diabetes means that your body heals differently, often at a slower pace than other people. The healing process is one of the most important aspects of receiving dental implants because if the soft tissue of your mouth does not heal well, it can prevent the implants from bonding with your bone. 

You are under the age of 18. 

If you are under the age of 18, it is likely that your mouth is still changing and growing. Therefore, placing an implant in your jawline could cause problems later on. As you age, your prosthetic tooth will shift and move as your mouth changes, which is never a good thing because the movement could prohibit natural growth or force your natural teeth out of position. Some dentists will use a temporary crown for someone who is underage and has lost a permanent tooth. But, eventually that crown would have to be repositioned or altered for an adequate fit. 

If you are a smoker.

Smoking is hard on your body, but being a smoker can also mean that you are a bad candidate for dental implants. Smoking after dental implants actually enhances the risk that the dental implants will fail, which basically means they are either rejected by your body or the proper fusion never forms with the bone to keep the implant in place. Some dentists will require that you stop smoking through the implant placement and recovery process. 

If you're not sure whether you are a good candidate for dental implants, talk to a someone at a dental office like Health Centered Dentistry for additional information.