The Reasons Behind Dental Implant Failure

Dr. Andre Eliasian Dentist Glendale, CA

Dr. Andre Eliasian is a Dentist practicing in Glendale, CA. Dr. Eliasian specializes in preventing, diagnosing, and treating diseases and conditions associated with the mouth and overall dental health. Dentists are trained to carry out such treatment as professional cleaning, restorative, prosthodontic, and endodontic procedures,... more

A dental implant can be understood as the artificial root of teeth, which is used in the dentistry department for its establishment. The implant is surgically placed into the bone of a jaw, this allows the dentist to replace the teeth in that area. If someone is considering a dental implant, they must have adequate bone health as well as healthy gums. Not every dental implant proves to be successful for the patient as this process may not always work as compared to other dental procedures.

Here are some reasons why dental implants fail:

  • Most dental implants are divided into three parts, namely abutment, a titanium implant body, and a crown. The abutment is an attachment and the crown is there to align it with the remaining teeth. A patient can face issues if any of the three becomes broken or loose.
  • There is a process called Osseo integration where a body generates living bone cells to produce around the surface of an implant and anchor it to the jawbone. If this process does not perform the way it needs to, problems can arise after the implant is settled.

Symptoms of Dental Implant Failure

Dental implants can prove to be a problem for patients when they are not treated with proper care. This can result in an implant failure. However, so many people in this world would benefit from dental implants, but still, they have the potential to fail. Around 5% is the rate at which dental implants fail. This is one of the major symptoms behind the failure of a dental implant.

People who suffer from autoimmune diseases have a higher dental implant failure rate as compared to those without. The blood supply can become poor as well. This is because blood clotting can open the wounds and carry that nutrition which are necessary for the body to heal. That’s why if there seems a lack of blood rushing to the surgical portion or area, the process of healing might have slowed down or stopped.

There are some other symptoms of dental implant failure that consist of infections. An infection named as peri-implantitis, which is a type of gum disease, affects dental implants. It can take place in the beginning or after surgery. When a patient is dealing with an implant, they must take special care of their body, especially their teeth and gums as it can affect the success of this treatment.

Another symptom that arises during dental implant failure is an allergic reaction. Titanium is used in most cases at the time of dental implants, that can contain small traces of nickel. That is why the chances of allergic inflammatory reaction may arise in some patients. The failure of this implant can cause damage to nerves or tissues as well. Even if an experienced dentist is treating the patient, a minimal amount of tissue damage is to be expected.

Risk Factors

There are risk factors that follow the failure of a dental implant which are as follows:

  • Excessive teeth grinding or jaw clenching, called bruxism, as well as gum disease can damage a healing implant.
  • Other diseases like osteoporosis can create problems for the implant screw to anchor as they attack the density and strength of bone.
  • Even some medications can put a patient at risk for dental implant failure. Sources have said that a composition in antidepressants which affects the rate of bone metabolism can provide harm for those who take medications, as these medicines can cause osseointegration problems.

Implant Failure Signs

Some signs of dental implant failure have already been mentioned above. Here we are talking about long-term complications. Long-term complications can arise from initial time to about 10 years after the procedure. There is a procedure in which a small amount of implants are there to assist the replacement teeth. It can cause too much stress on the implants.

Even smoking plays a role in dental implant failure. People who are chronic smokers and need dental implants face a higher risk of implant failure. However, dentists recommend the smokers to stop smoking if they want a successful procedure. Smoking truly is a risk factor in dental implant failure.

Tissues also play an important role in the signs of dental implant failure. If the patient lacks an adequate amount of healthy gum tissue, the chances are higher for the implant to loosen or fail. That is why the amount of gum tissues signifies the quality of a seal which is around the implants. Someone who is suffering from diseases like head, neck or mouth cancer and is facing radiation therapy, has a high failure rate for dental implants. 

Other common causes of dental implant failure include mechanical damages. If an implant is damaged from an injury to the mouth or teeth, it can fail if proper care is not taken. The dentist may need to replace the implant.

Major signs that identify early dental implant failure include shifting or loosening implant, severe pain or discomfort, problems with chewing and biting, inflammation and swelling of the gums and gum recession around the dental implant.

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