Dental Implant Failures

Dental implants can fail either very soon after the dental implant procedure has taken place or at a later stage. The only option for a failed implant, a dental implant that shows any kind of movement, is for it to be removed. If you then want to try again at a later stage, you would generally be looking at some element of bone reconstruction prior to implant.

Given the element of risk and for you to get the best out of your cosmetic dentistry you need to make sure that you select an expert in the field. When looking for a cosmetic dentist to perform your dental implant procedure make sure you check out the number of dental implants they have performed, what their success rate is and make sure you are completely happy with the level of information you have received. With dental implants quality is not always in direct correlation to price!

The success of dental (tooth) implants is highly dependent on the skill of the dentist performing the dental implant procedure. If for example insufficient force is used or too much force is used the implant could fail.

Other factors that could result in a failed dental implant are:

• contamination of the implant (pin),
• a loose screw (which can be as a result of the incorrect type of screw being used for the implant, should be a prosthetic screw)
• overheating of the bone during the dental implant procedure
• a problem with the quality of bone structure
• incorrect positioning of the dental implant pin into an area of bone that can’t hold the pin.
• fractured implants as a result of the incorrect positioning, type or size of pin.

This list is just a small example of the type of issues that can occur as a result of a dental implant procedure. Having said that, most dental implants are a complete success with the only ongoing maintenance, beyond day to day dental care, being the need to replace the crown (usually after about 10 years).

It is however worth bearing in mind what could go wrong and why it is so important to choose a cosmetic dentist who has years of experience and is a known expert in the field of cosmetic dentistry and more importantly dental implants.

Author: Terry Ross