Dental implants are a widely recommended solution for replacing missing teeth. In addition to providing a solid anchor for the artificial teeth that replace missing teeth, dental implants prevent bone loss and the shifting of adjacent teeth, which affects the alignment of your remaining teeth. Dental implants also address the challenges you experience after tooth loss, including speaking and chewing difficulties. While dental implants have a high success rate, some people have experienced failure. Some implants fail a few weeks or months after placement, while others fail several months or years later.
Knowing about implant complications and failure is necessary if you have missing teeth and want an implant. This prepares for what to expect. With the proper knowledge, you can care better for your implants for a longer service life. You can also identify signs of complications and failure early enough to seek an immediate solution. Before starting treatment to replace your missing or severely damaged teeth, you should speak to a skilled dentist about your concerns.
Reasons for Dental Implant Complications and Failure
Dental implants are highly recommended for missing teeth because of their strength, longevity, and ability to mimic natural teeth in appearance and functionality. Although receiving an implant involves a surgical procedure that can be intensive and costly, most patients tolerate it well with modern techniques and anesthesia. However, you could lose the chance to enjoy these and many other benefits due to implant failure and complications. Although only a few people have experienced complications and failure with implants, it helps to be prepared for all possible outcomes. This will ensure you seek a quick solution to continue the treatment, or before the complications worsen.
Dentists have a long list of factors that could affect the success of your dental implant. They include the following:
An Underlying Condition, like Gum Disease
Dentists place a dental implant on your jawbone to create an anchor on which an artificial tooth will stand and function like a natural tooth. Thus, you need healthy gums and a strong jawbone for this to happen. Gum disease affects your gums and jawbone, weakening all structures supporting natural teeth. If you have active periodontal disease, it can cause bone loss, which will eventually cause implant failure.
If you have gum disease, dentists recommend treating it first before receiving an implant. The infection starts mildly on your gums and spreads to other structures, including gum pockets and the underlying structures. An untreated periodontal disease can spread around your implant, causing it to fail.
A skilled dentist will first examine your teeth, gums, and jawbone to ensure they are healthy before placing an implant. After receiving a dental implant, they will treat any underlying condition that could cause complications or failure.
Harmful Habits, like Smoking
The placement of a dental implant requires an intensive surgical procedure that requires effective healing for the implant to function as it should. Sadly, habits like smoking increase your risk of complications or failure because they interfere with your gums’ healing process. Nicotine and other harmful chemicals in cigarettes and other tobacco products inhibit blood flow, which affects healing by reducing the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the treatment site. These chemicals also weaken your immune system, making it difficult for your body to fight infections naturally.
Your dentist will discuss these complications with you before placing the implant to ensure you understand the risk you put yourself into if you continue smoking after receiving an implant. They will allow you to make the right decision to improve your chances of success. Although being a smoker does not disqualify you from receiving an implant, quitting smoking altogether or taking a break from it before and after the treatment can improve your chances of success.
An Insufficient Jawbone
Remember that a dental implant is placed on the jawbone. It anchors on a healthy and strong jawbone to provide sufficient stability to an artificial tooth or teeth that replace the missing teeth. If your jawbone is insufficient, it will not be strong or adequate to support the implant. You can lose your jawbone density due to several reasons, including conditions like trauma, gum disease, and medical issues like osteoporosis.
The placement of an implant relies on osseointegration, which is the process by which the implant integrates with the bone around it for proper anchorage. You need sufficient bone density for your bone cells to grow onto the implant's surface.
Dentists examine the bone density first to determine your suitability for dental implants. Your dentist can recommend bone grafting to increase bone density and volume before the placement. If this is not done, and your dentist places an implant, the placement will be unstable and could fail or cause severe complications, like an infection.
Unskilled Oral Surgeon
The placement of a dental implant is a delicate matter that should only be done by a highly skilled and experienced oral surgeon. You should consider these qualifications when looking for a dentist for your implants. A qualified surgeon will know best how to place an implant and secure it on your jawbone for stability and proper integration with the jawbone. An experienced surgeon will also carefully consider the possibility of implant failure and take precautionary measures to increase your chances of success. They will prevent trauma to your periodontal tissues, which could result in severe complications.
Sadly, not all oral surgeons can effectively place a dental implant. Although your dentist may refer you to a surgeon, you should ensure the surgeon has the required qualifications and experience. You can choose your oral surgeon who has sufficient skills and experience. Discuss the treatment process, concerns, and the recovery plan with them to ensure they understand your needs.
Common Complications and Dental Implant Failures
You can experience problems with your dental implant a few days or weeks after placement, or several months or years later. You should closely monitor your recovery after receiving an implant to determine whether the placement failed or was successful. Dentists advise immediate consultation once you notice a problem with your implant, however minor. For example, although you should expect pain after placement, it should improve as you recover from the surgery. If your pain worsens or you experience chills, you should report it to your dentist immediately. Additionally, you should be able to chew properly after surgery. If your implant feels shaky or unstable, let your dentist know immediately.
You could encounter the following issues with your dental implants shortly after they are placed:
An Infected Treatment Site
If your oral surgeon places the implants as they should, you should recover shortly afterwards. Your dentist will advise you to allow the treatment site to heal before eating your regular foods to reduce the risk of infection. An infection at a treatment site can happen due to various factors, including a compromised healing process or contamination by harmful bacteria.
If bacteria access the treatment site during or after the placement, it will interfere with your recovery and worsen the situation. The infection can also spread to other body parts through the bloodstream, affecting general health. This can happen easily if you fail to practice good oral hygiene, you smoke before full recovery, or you have an underlying medical condition like diabetes. Failure to care for the treatment site or improper handling during treatment can also cause an infection.
An infection will cause you to experience abnormal pain at the treatment site. You could also notice changes in your bite or facial structure and gum recession. Although pain when biting or chewing is expected after receiving an implant, pain that deteriorates even after using pain medication should be a cause for worry. Report your symptoms to your dentist immediately after receiving them for timely and effective treatment.
Implant Micro-Movements
Remember that implants are placed to form an anchor on which an artificial tooth will attach to function like a natural tooth. Thus, it should be firm and stable to serve its purpose. However, you can experience micro-movements after the placement if the implant is not correctly placed or if it takes a long time for osseointegration to occur. Osseointegration ensures that the implant integrates properly into the jawbone for proper anchorage. This can be a problem if the implant is improperly placed or if you have insufficient bone volume or density.
An unstable implant will not function well, affecting your chewing, biting, or talking. It could also shift, causing it to appear uneven. You should report any micro-movement with your implant immediately after you experience it. An oral surgeon can correct any mistake that could have been made during the placement or remove and place the implant afresh.
Rare Allergic Reactions
You can suffer an allergic reaction after receiving an implant if you are hypersensitive to the materials used to make dental implants, like titanium. Some people who are allergic to titanium can suffer a severe reaction if they do not know about the allergy before the treatment. Other people react to the cement the surgeon uses to attach the abutment to the implant.
An allergic reaction presents various symptoms, including swelling or itching in and around the treatment site or a foul smell. Some reactions are severe and could include rashes or inflammation of the gums. Others cause a complete implant failure.
Remember to report anything unusual you experience after receiving a dental implant. This allows the dentist time to diagnose and treat the issue before it escalates.
Implant Failures and Complications That Come Later
Remember that some complications and failures with dental implants come several months or years after treatment. You should also prepare for these for a timely and effective intervention. Examples include the following:
Tissue or Nerve Damage
If you experience numbness or a tingling sensation in your gums, lips, or tongue after receiving a dental implant, you could have sustained tissue or nerve damage during the treatment. This can happen if the surgeon interferes with the soft tissues while placing the implant or is too close to a vital nerve.
Implant Rejection or Failure of Osseointegration
An implant is a foreign material placed on your jawbone that can reintegrate with your jawbone to form an anchor or support for an artificial tooth. Implants are usually made from safe materials that work well for most human bodies. However, some people’s bodies reject the foreign material, making it difficult for the implant to function as it should. The rejection can manifest in many ways, including swelling and pain at the treatment site or fever and chills. Once you visit your dentist with these symptoms, they will rule out other complications, like infection, to determine the problem.
Loose Dental Implant
If you are injured at or around the treatment site, your dental implant can loosen or fail after years of stability. This can happen if you are involved in an accident or suffer a severe blow to the face. Once the implant loosens up, it cannot function as it should. The treatment site could also be at risk of infections. Your dentist will assess the damage to determine the right course of action. They can stabilize the implant or remove and place it afresh.
Find a Competent Dentist Near Me
If you have a missing or severely damaged tooth, your dentist will recommend replacing it immediately to protect the remaining teeth and restore their functionality. A dental implant and an artificial tooth are a perfect solution, as they function, look, and last long, just like natural teeth. However, you should know about dental implant complications and failure to prepare well before receiving an implant.
At Lasting Impressions Dental Spa, we provide all the information you need about dental implants before treatment, including the benefits, treatment process, and possible complications. We also thoroughly examine your teeth, gums, and jawbone to determine your suitability for implants. After treatment, we recommend the best care tips for adequate recovery and to protect your implants from complications and failure. Call us at 818-751-5100 if you are looking for the best replacement for your missing teeth in Encino. Let us guide you through your options and our services for effective decision-making.
