Call Now:
If you’ve been living with significant tooth loss, it’s completely natural to feel uncertain about what’s possible for you. Maybe you’ve wondered whether your health history or the amount of bone you have left would close the door on treatment. The truth is, most people who come to us with those questions are closer to candidacy than they think.
Candidacy depends on a handful of specific factors rather than a single yes-or-no answer. Understanding those factors gives you a clearer sense of what a consultation will cover. It helps you walk in feeling informed rather than anxious.
Contact Southern Dental Implants & Oral Surgery to schedule your candidacy consultation in Arden or Hendersonville.
General Health Considerations
Your overall health is something we look at because your body does real work after implant placement, healing around the post in a way that creates the stable, lasting foundation implants are known for. That process matters, and understanding your health helps us support it properly.
Things like uncontrolled diabetes are factors our team goes through with you at your consultation. The goal is a clear picture of your options rather than a checklist that sends you home. Most health conditions don’t take implants off the table entirely. They become part of the planning conversation, and managing them thoughtfully can make a real difference in how treatment goes.
If you’ve been holding back from calling because you’re not sure your health history “qualifies” you, that concern is exactly the kind of thing a consultation is designed to address.
What Candidacy Means for Daily Life
Many patients who start exploring full mouth dental implants are driven by something very specific: they want to eat what they love again, speak without hesitation, and stop worrying about whether their teeth will stay in place. Those aren’t small things. They affect how you feel every single day.
Dentures shift, limit what you can eat, and require ongoing maintenance that implants don’t. Foods that became difficult or off-limits with missing teeth or loose dentures are often back on the table once healing is complete. That return to a full diet is one of the things patients mention most after treatment.
Implants are designed to last decades with proper care, which makes them one of the most durable investments you can make in your daily quality of life.
How Many Teeth Are Missing
Full arch treatment is designed for patients who are missing most or all of their teeth in a given arch, rather than a single tooth or a small gap. The procedure addresses the arch as a whole, which sets it apart from single-implant options.
If you still have some remaining teeth, that doesn’t automatically take full arch treatment off the table. In some cases, those teeth factor into the plan rather than being removed unnecessarily.
An exam is the clearest way to determine whether full arch treatment fits your situation or whether a smaller-scale approach would serve you better.There’s no way to make that call accurately without looking at the full picture. That’s exactly what we’ll do together at your consultation.
Bone Density and Gum Health
One of the most common worries we hear is, “I’ve been told I don’t have enough bone.It’s a reasonable concern, and it’s one we want to address directly: bone loss after tooth loss is very common. But it doesn’t automatically mean implants aren’t possible for you.
Adequate jawbone density matters because implants anchor directly into the bone. That bone needs enough volume and strength to hold them securely over time. It’s one of the first things our oral surgeons assess. When bone loss has occurred, grafting can often rebuild the site first, creating the foundation needed for successful implant placement. That step isn’t a detour. It’s part of getting you to the outcome you’re looking for.
Gum health matters just as much. Active gum disease is something we address before or alongside implant treatment so the tissue surrounding the implants stays healthy over time. Treating gum disease isn’t a setback in the process. It’s a step that protects the result.
Why Choose Southern Dental Implants & Oral Surgery
A candidacy evaluation should leave you feeling clearer, not more overwhelmed. That’s what you’ll find at Southern Dental Implants & Oral Surgery.
Dr. Rian Cho and Dr. Derrick Nelson bring a depth of training that’s uncommon in a private practice setting. Dr. Cho is a U.S. Air Force veteran and White House award recipient who presented research internationally before transitioning to private practice. Dr. Nelson holds both a dental degree and a medical degree from UNC Chapel Hill, earned membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society, and completed a year of general surgery training before focusing on oral surgery.
That combination of backgrounds means you benefit from two perspectives at once. Whether your situation is straightforward or involves additional steps like bone grafting or a more complex health history, our doctors have the training to navigate it thoughtfully and to explain every part of the process in plain language.
Southern Dental Implants & Oral Surgery works with Proceed, Cherry, and CareCredit to help make treatment financially accessible. Our team makes sure you have the full picture before any commitment is made.
Reach out to schedule your evaluation at our Arden or Hendersonville location. You’ve already taken the first step by asking the question. Let’s find out what’s possible for you.
