Although the dental implants’ success rate is 95%, failure can still happen. A lot of factors can contribute to dental implants failing. At Collins Dentistry & Aesthetics, before we even consider dental implants for a patient, we go through a screening process to ensure our patients are the best candidates possible. If there is a chance their implant will fail, we will recommend a different procedure.
To prevent your implants from failing, learn about the different factors that can contribute to implant failure.
Gum Disease
There’s a reason we don’t permit patients who have gum disease to get dental implants, the infection can cause them to fail. Once the gums become infected, it can spread to the jaw bone. The jaw bone is what holds the dental implants in place. Once it becomes infected, the jaw bone can start to disappear. Eventually, enough bone will disappear that the implants will fail.
If you want your implants to live a long and healthy life, take good care of your oral health to prevent gum disease!
Smoking
Smoking does a large amount of damage to the body. One way it can affect your oral health is by restricting blood to the gums. When your dental implants are healing, they need the blood flow to heal faster. If you’re smoking while your implants try to heal, you can slow down the healing process and potentially cause them to fail. Although you don’t have to quit smoking to receive dental implants, we do recommend quitting a week before surgery and not smoking for at least two months after implant placement.
Insufficient Jaw Bone
Before implant surgery, we require a certain amount of jaw bone to support the dental implant. After your surgery though, if your jaw bone diminishes, it can cause the implant to fail. One reason you might lose bone is from osteoporosis.
It can also occur from untreated gum disease.
Poor Oral Health
Without good oral health habits, you can get gum disease and cavities. Without treatment, your gums or teeth can become infected and harm your dental implants. To prevent your implants from failing, it’s important to keep up with good oral hygiene practices and regular dental appointments.
Medical Conditions
Certain medical conditions can also affect your dental implants and cause them to fail. For instance, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis can cause the body to take longer during the healing process. Certain medications can also contribute to implant failure. Make sure to talk to your dentist about all your medical conditions prior to surgery to prevent failure.
An Inexperienced Surgeon
If you visit a surgeon without adequate experience, you risk dental implants failure. A skilled surgeon will know how many implants you need to support your replacement teeth and when to advise a patient to go in a different direction if they’re not a good candidate.
When you visit Collins Dentistry & Aesthetics, you’re visiting skilled dental implants dentists in Spokane. During your consultation, ask us all your questions about dental implants and we will tell you if you’re a good candidate it not. Replace your missing teeth today! Schedule a consultation at 509-532-1111 to get started.
