When it comes to permanently replacing a teenager’s missing tooth, timing is everything. As a parent or caregiver, of course you want what’s best, and an implant provides the highest quality of life in addition to being the best long-term solution…so why should you and your child have to wait? The most important reason for delaying is to ensure that your teen’s jaws and facial growth are complete.
Had a mother that called the other day wanting an implant for her 10 year old son, who was in the process of losing his tooth due root resorption from a previous injury. I kindly informed her that she would need to wait at least until the age of 18 or more, to make sure his skeletal growth was completed prior to any implants.
You may ask why? Well, until the adolescents have completed this phase of growth, their jaws and teeth are still changing. If a dental implant is placed during this time, it will not expand and grow with the jaws resulting in what appear to be “buried teeth” as natural teeth move and grow around it. Waiting until growth is complete is the best policy; as the standard of care.
