Implant Candidacy Quiz

Interactive candidacy assessment

Are you a candidate for dental implants?

Walk through the same screening questions a real implant consult covers, bone, gum health, medical history, lifestyle, and we’ll tell you what tier you fall into and which treatment path fits your situation. Most patients finish in under three minutes.

  • 10questions
  • ~3minutes
  • 5candidacy tiers
  • In-house surgical team

ICOI Fellow · Zygomatic-implant capable

Final candidacy is confirmed by a clinical exam and 3D imaging. This tool gives you the same screening framework a real consult uses, so you arrive informed and ready to ask the right questions.

Reference

The five candidacy tiers

Every implant consult places you into one of five candidacy tiers. The interactive tool above predicts your tier from your answers; a clinical exam confirms it.

Tier

Positive

Profile

Non-smoker, no diabetes (or well-controlled), age 25–70, single or multiple missing teeth without significant bone loss.

Excellent Candidate

Healthy bone, healthy gums, no medical or lifestyle factors that interfere with implant integration. The most predictable case type with the highest long-term success rates.

Typical next step Clinical exam + 3D CBCT imaging to confirm; treatment can usually start within weeks.

Tier

Attention

Profile

Mild gum issues, well-controlled diabetes, occasional smoker who is willing to pause for healing, recent ex-smoker.

Good Candidate, with Prep

A strong candidate after addressing one or two factors first, typically a deep cleaning for mild gum issues, a simple bone graft for minor bone loss, or stabilizing a medical condition.

Typical next step Address the prep factor first (1–3 months), then proceed to standard implant placement.

Tier

Attention

Profile

Single or multi-tooth replacement with known or suspected bone loss; teeth missing for several years; previous extractions that healed without grafts.

Needs Bone Grafting First

The bone in the implant area has shrunk too much to support a standard implant directly. A bone graft (sometimes combined with a sinus lift) builds the site back up over 4–6 months, after which implants are placed normally.

Typical next step Bone graft consult and procedure first; implant placement 4–6 months later.

Tier

Attention

Profile

Long-term denture wearers, full-arch failures, severe upper-jaw bone loss, post-cancer reconstruction.

Complex Case (All-on-4 / Zygomatic)

Full-arch tooth replacement combined with severe bone loss. Options like All-on-4, All-on-6, or zygomatic implants (anchored in the cheekbone) make implants possible when traditional placement isn't. Most general practices refer these out, Smile Science places them in-house.

Typical next step Full-arch consult with the implant team; CBCT imaging guides the specific approach.

Tier

Caution

Profile

Uncontrolled medical conditions, certain bone-affecting medications, untreated active gum disease, post-radiation patients, growing patients.

Not the Right Next Step Right Now

A factor blocks implants safely right now, typically uncontrolled diabetes, IV bisphosphonates, recent head/neck radiation, active periodontitis, or being under 18. The right next step is a planning consult to identify the blocking factor and map out a path that resolves it.

Typical next step Planning consult to identify the blocking factor; coordinated care with your medical team where needed.

Frequently asked questions about implant candidacy

A real candidacy assessment looks at three things: bone (volume and quality where the implant goes), soft tissue (healthy gums, no active periodontitis), and overall health (controlled diabetes, no contraindicated medications, sufficient healing capacity). The interactive quiz above mirrors this screening exactly. The final confirmation always requires a clinical exam and 3D CBCT imaging, but most patients who score "Excellent" or "Good with Prep" on the quiz proceed to implants without surprises.

Yes, bone loss is one of the most common reasons patients are told they "can't" get implants by other practices, but it's usually solvable. For mild to moderate loss, bone grafting (sometimes combined with sinus lift) builds the site back up over 4 – 6 months. For severe upper-jaw loss, zygomatic implants anchor in the cheekbone instead of the jaw. For full-arch cases, All-on-4 and All-on-6 use angled implants placed where bone is densest. Smile Science places all of these in-house, including zygomatic, most general practices refer them out.

Yes, if your diabetes is well-controlled (A1c under 7). Well-controlled diabetes does not significantly raise implant failure rates. Uncontrolled diabetes (A1c above 7) is a different story, high blood sugar interferes with bone healing and significantly raises infection and integration failure risk. Most patients with elevated A1c can stabilize it with their physician within a few months and proceed to implants safely.

Yes, significantly. Heavy smoking roughly doubles the implant failure rate. Even occasional smoking impairs bone healing during the first 3 – 6 months after placement. The strongest evidence is for quitting at least 2 weeks before surgery and remaining tobacco-free for the first 3 months while implants integrate. Quitting permanently is best for long-term implant survival, but even temporary cessation around the surgical window helps substantially.

Different practices have different surgical capabilities. A general dentist who only places straightforward single implants will pass on cases involving significant bone loss, sinus complications, or full-arch reconstruction. Smile Science has in-house surgical and anesthesiology capability for the full implant spectrum, including bone grafts, sinus lifts, All-on-4, All-on-6, and zygomatic implants, so cases other practices refer out are routine for us.

The quiz mirrors the clinical screening framework used in a real implant consult, bone assessment, gum status, medical history, lifestyle factors, age, and medication review. It will catch the major contraindications (uncontrolled diabetes, IV bisphosphonates, recent radiation, active periodontitis) and tier you correctly the great majority of the time. What it cannot do is replace a 3D CBCT scan, which is the only way to know exactly how much bone you have. Treat the quiz as a strong predictor of which tier you fall into; treat the in-office consult as the confirmation.