Why do dental implants fail?

From the age of 6 months all of us start developing teeth. Normally, teeth erupt in two stages. From the age of 6 months we have temporary teeth which fall at age six and a new permanent set of teeth emerge. This is in the normal course. What are not accounted for are injuries, wear and tear, and other oral disorders. Prosthodontics is the specialty which deals with treatment, replacement or restoration of damaged teeth. These procedures are performed by a prosthodontist.

A prosthodontist assesses the condition and extent of teeth damage and prescribes various treatments as required. Treatments could vary from tooth replacement, dental bridge, and dental implants.

A dental implant is a supporting post for an artificial tooth that is fixed on the jawbone or gums to replace a missing tooth. This implant can bear all loads like a natural tooth and provides complete functionality like chewing, grinding, and assistance in speech.

When you lose a tooth, it can damage or wear out the adjacent teeth and damaged root can cause bone loss in the jaws. This is why it is extremely important to have a bridge, tooth replacement or a dental implant.

Sometimes, the safest and best procedures like a dental implant procedure can also fail even when performed by the most experienced prosthodontists There are several reasons for this:

• The risks, complications and failure of a dental implant procedure can occur during surgery like excessive bleeding or injury to the nerve
• Some failures can arise within the first six months dental implants such as infections and resistance to bone fusion
• Long-term complications known as peri-implantitis which are mechanical failures can also occur

These failures appear within 1-10 years of placement because of fewer implants supporting the teeth, or incorrect bites putting additional strain on the dental implants.

Signs of a complication in dental implant procedure failure

• Difficulty in chewing.
• Gum inflammation or recession
• Swelling
• An implant or a replaced tooth can get loose or dislodged
• Severe pain or discomfort

Symptoms of dental implant failure

• Infection at the implant site.
• Other adjacent teeth or blood vessels get damaged
• Nerve damage, which can cause pain,numbness or tingling in the natural teeth, gums, lips or chin.
• Sinus problems, occur when dental implants which are placed in the upper jaw protrude into the sinus cavities

Dental implant procedures have a high success rate and low but definite cases of failure. Titanium is generally used for implants because it is considered safe.  However, some patients can have health problems after receiving dental implants like neurological problems, depression, and chronic fatigue syndrome.  Implant failure is caused by a number of factors like peri-implantitis, absence of osseointegration, and implant fracture. It may also be caused due to surgical trauma, micro motion and overloading.

It is always a good option to take care of your teeth and mouth as these are the doorways to good health. Apollo Dental has an expert panel of dentists specializing in all fields of dentistry. Contact us at  18001-02-02-88