When getting dental implants, most Chicago patients will be pleased to know that there is typically over a 95 percent success ratio following the placement of the dental implants. This number increases to 98 percent with people who take good care of their teeth and by proxy, their dental implants. However, as with most things, there is always a slim chance for failure, and we do get questions about how this can happen. A failed implant is one that is loose, becomes mobile, falls out, or starts to show bone loss of more than one millimeter after the first year. In these cases, we want to make sure to identify and rectify the problem.
In most cases, dental implants are:
- Incredibly durable
- Long-lasting
- Natural looking
- Comfortable
If we start to see mobility in the implant or a bone loss of one millimeter after one year or 0.2 millimeters after the second year, we may start to discuss implant failure and what measures to take. It is important to note that if we find a low density of jawbone, to begin with, we will do a bone graft before ever considering placing dental implants, to ensure the bone can withstand the new implants.
With any oral surgery, and this is true for dental implants as well, there is always a risk of infection. When it comes to dental implants, we call this peri-implantitis, which is caused when there are bacteria present during the placing of the dental implants. The infection can lead to inflammation of the gum and bone and is a relatively common complication. In a few cases, we can treat this condition with antibiotics. However, we also find that in most cases, we will have to remove implant to cure the peri-implantitis.
The following can increase your risk of developing a complication:
- Smoking
- Poor oral hygiene
- Being diabetic