Am I a Candidate for Dental Implants? | Oral & Facial Surgery Center of Tallahassee

The Short Assessment

Where Do You Land?

Nothing on the right rules you out. Each one is something we’d want to address before placing an implant — not a closed door.

Signs you’re likely a candidate

You’re missing one or more teeth, or facing an extraction
Your jaw has finished growing (generally late teens onward)
Your gums are healthy, or treatable
You’re well enough for routine dental treatment
You’d rather not file down healthy teeth for a bridge
You can commit to brushing, flossing, and checkups

Things we’d address first

Thin or receded bone — grafting can rebuild it
Active gum disease — treated before, not after
Smoking — raises failure risk; worth pausing around surgery
Uncontrolled diabetes — we want blood sugar stable
Heavy teeth grinding — manageable, but it changes the plan
Recent head or neck radiation, or certain bone medications

Most Adults Qualify for Implants

Many adults qualify

3D Candidacy Evaluation

Advanced imaging evaluation

✓ Available If Needed

Bone grafting can help qualify

✓ Personalized Treatment

Treatment tailored to you

At a Glance

What We’re Actually Checking

Candidacy comes down to four questions. Here they are.

Your Bone

Enough height and width?The 3D scan answers this precisely

Your Gums

Healthy, or treatable firstInfection must be resolved before placement

Your Health

Able to heal normallyMedications and conditions reviewed together

Your Habits

Hygiene and smokingBoth change long-term success odds

Finding Out

How We Answer the Question

You don’t have to work out whether you qualify on your own. This is what the consultation covers.

Step One

Your Health History

Medications, conditions, and past treatment. Some drugs affect bone healing in ways that genuinely matter here, so this part isn’t a formality.

Step Two

A Look at the Site

Dr. Tolley examines the gap, the gum tissue, and the teeth on either side — and how you bite together, which decides how much force an implant would carry.

Step Three

3D Cone-Beam Scan

This is the part that actually settles the bone question. It shows height, width, and density, and exactly where the nerves and sinuses sit.

Step Four

A Straight Answer

You’ll be told one of three things: you’re a candidate now, you’re a candidate after a step like grafting, or another option would serve you better. Including, sometimes, doing nothing yet.

Step Five

The Plan and the Cost

If implants are right for you, you leave with the sequence, the timeline, and a written estimate with your benefits already verified.

Surgeon using a dental model to explain implant candidacy

Smiling older man outdoors — age alone never rules implants out

If the Answer Is “Not Yet”

What Comes Before an Implant

Most patients who aren’t candidates today are candidates after one of these.

Bone Grafting

Rebuilds height and width where bone has receded, creating a foundation an implant can fuse to. More on grafting.

Sinus Lift

Creates room in the upper jaw where the sinus has dropped into space a back tooth used to occupy.

Gum Disease Treatment

Clears the infection that damaged your bone in the first place, so it doesn’t do the same to an implant.

Extraction & Preservation

When a tooth has to go, grafting the socket at the same time preserves the bone for an implant later.

Getting Health Stable

Blood sugar under control, or a medication reviewed with your physician, before we place anything.

A Second Opinion

If you’ve been turned down elsewhere, a 3D scan and a surgical opinion are worth having before you accept it.

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“Not enough bone” is usually a step, not a verdict.

FAQ

Candidacy Questions

The concerns patients raise most when they’re not sure they qualify.

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I was told I don’t have enough bone for implants. Is that final?

Rarely. Bone grafting rebuilds a foundation where one has been lost, and angled implants can often make use of bone that a straight implant couldn’t reach. A second opinion with a 3D scan is worth having before you accept that answer.

Am I too old for dental implants?

There’s no upper age limit. Implants are placed successfully in patients in their eighties and beyond. What matters is your general health and the bone available, not the number on your chart.

Can I get implants if I smoke?

You can, but smoking measurably raises the risk of an implant failing to fuse. We’ll talk frankly about that risk, and about stopping around the surgery and healing period, which makes a real difference to the outcome.

Can I get implants if I have diabetes?

Well-controlled diabetes isn’t a barrier to implant treatment. Poorly controlled blood sugar slows healing and raises the risk of failure, so we’ll want it stable before placing implants.

Does gum disease rule out dental implants?

Not permanently, but active gum disease has to be treated first. The same infection that damaged the bone around your natural teeth will attack the bone around an implant.

How do I find out if I’m a candidate?

One consultation. A 3D cone-beam scan plus a review of your health history answers it, and you leave knowing whether you’re a candidate today, a candidate after a preparatory step, or better served by another option.

Ready When You Are

Am I a Candidate?