5 Risks of Dental Implant Procedure You Should Know About

If you're going to get dental implants, you're definitely eager to learn everything you can about this procedure. Dental implants have been used for decades to replace missing teeth, and many patients successfully keep their dental implants for many years. While the success rate of dental implant procedures is over 95%, this surgery, like any other surgical therapy, has certain risks. Being aware of these possible dangers and the steps you may take to minimize them can help assure the success of your dental implant procedure.

Learn more about the potential risks of a dental implant procedure.

1. Bone loss
The loss of the bone surrounding the dental implant might compromise its stability and should be treated as soon as possible to avoid serious complications. It is sometimes required to remove the dental implant and install a bone transplant before replacing the implant. If there is bone loss between your dental implants and natural teeth, it might result in dark triangles that were previously filled by gum tissue. These can alter the appearance of teeth surrounding your dental implant and make it more difficult to keep your dental implants clean.

2. Dental implant failure
The implant post placed into your jawbone must properly integrate with the surrounding bone for implant therapy to be successful. It is vital for new bone cells to form on and around the post to stabilize it and keep it securely in place. This process, known as osseointegration, might take several months. For this reason, dental implant posts should be carefully treated to facilitate this process.

However, there is always the possibility that the implant post may fail to fully integrate, leaving it unable to effectively support a replacement tooth and eventually increasing the risk of failure. In case you suspect your dental implant is failing, be sure to visit an experienced dentist right away.

3. Nearby tissues damage
Your jawbone is made up of more than just bone and also houses other important tissues like nerves, blood arteries, and sinus canals. There is a chance that the implant will damage some of the tissues. If a dental implant is placed too close to a nerve, it can cause temporary or permanent numbness and even pain. If you undergo a dental implant procedure to replace your upper back teeth, your sinus cavities may be damaged. If there is inadequate space to insert the implants in this location, the sinus cavity may become perforated.

One issue with repairing upper back teeth is that the bone in this location is frequently naturally weaker due to sinus cavities. This is why patients who need dental implants in this area will frequently require a sinus lift or sinus augmentation. This is a technique to build up the bone in this area and sinus cavity perforation.

4. Dental implant fracture
Implant fractures are extremely rare, especially if your implant dentist uses implants from a reputable implant manufacturer. An implant may fracture if it is subjected to excessive stress like when you grind or clench your teeth, or if the implant is incorrectly placed. Sometimes a damaged implant may be repaired by replacing certain components. But more often it may be necessary to remove the entire implant.

5. Infection
Infection is a concern that can develop shortly after implant placement or years later, even if the procedure appears to be successful. An implant dentist often prescribes antibiotics to take prior to the implant procedure in order to assist the integration of the implant with the surrounding bone, although antibiotics may not always lower the risk of an infection called peri-implantitis.

When infection occurs years later, it may be due to poor oral hygiene. If you have dental implants, it's critical that you stay on top of your dental health by maintaining a good oral hygiene routine combined with ongoing professional dental care that includes regular checkups and professional teeth cleaning.