Is Dental Implant Failure Common?
Over the last fifteen years dental implants have taken off to new levels, the technology involved and the evolution of the products have become more and more advanced. They can now offer patients life changing results that can last a lifetime, but of course they can fail and this can be a really daunting prospect to those patients who have not only invested money but also gone through the surgery to fit them. So, how likely are dental implants Richmond to fail?
First Things First
In order to get to the bottom of this we need to take a closer look at exactly what the implants are and how they work.
Dental Implants Richmond are a titanium anchor that screw into your jaw bone and are then left to heal before we fit the crown (false tooth). They are embedded into your jaw and gums which means they are fully functional as a tooth and need to be looked after exactly as your natural teeth are.
Why Would Failure Happen?
There are two leading causes for your dental implants Richmond to fail. Firstly, and most common is the development of peri-implantitis. Peri-implantitis is an infection of the soft tissue surrounding the dental implants. It is essentially the same type of infection as gum disease and actually causes very similar symptoms and consequences.
The infection occurs when plaque and tartar are left to build up around the implant, these then release acids which impact the gum and surface of the implants causing them to be rejected by the body. It works in the same way as if you were to lose a natural tooth because of gum disease.
The second most common reason for failure is a lack of bone density and this could be for two reasons, either your dentist hasn’t done the correct examination of bone density at the beginning of the implant process or you lose bone density due to a health condition, poor hygiene after the implant has been fitted. We at Sheen Dental Implants are super experienced when it comes to implants and go through all the steps needed to ensure your implants are safe for years to come.
So, How Likely Are They To Fail?
There have been reports to say that peri-implantitis affects 15% of those with implants but luckily in most cases it is caught and resolved before it has time to cause serious damage.
But what we want people to take away from this more than anything else is that actually the likelihood of your implants failing is in lots of ways down to you. You need to be on top of maintaining excellent oral hygiene at all times, and not allowing any plaque or tartar to build up at all. For those patients who have lost teeth originally due to bad oral health, you need to really put your best foot forward and keep on top of flossing, brushing and regular check up appointments, and hopefully you will easily avoid dental implant failure.