Page 71 - Southdown Dental Implant Book

70 | GETYOURSMILEBACK:EVERYTHINGYOUNEEDTOKNOW... For a successful dental implant placement, quality soft tissue is very important for a couple of reasons: - Gum tissue needs to fit tightly around the implants in order to act as a barrier; the gums defend against bacteria that can cause implant-threatening periodontal diseases. - Healthy-looking gum tissue is crucial to an attractive smile; which (in addition to the joy of restoring the full functionality of your mouth) is what dental implants are all about! Whether for looks, or for the protection of the implant from disease-causing bacteria, up to 1/3 of dental implant patients require some form of soft- tissue grafting. Aside from bone and soft tissue grafting, there are other auxiliary procedures to help with anatomical structure (such as nerve repositioning). However the main thing to realize is that if there are problems with the condition(s) at the site of an implant, these challenges can usually be overcome.