Potential Complications With Dental Implants

Implants have a very high success rate but care is still needed to avoid possible pitfalls.

Losing teeth no longer means the inevitability of having to wear dentures. With dental implants now being more widely available, it is little wonder that people  are increasingly choosing the most secure and stable tooth replacement option currently available. The advances that have been made over the years, both in the quality of the implants and the skills and understanding of dentists about implants means that the success rate of this tooth replacement procedure is very high indeed.

Despite this, it is still important to understand that things can go wrong once they are placed if patients don’t take care of them as they should. In today’s blog we will look at some of the problems that can occur to help emphasise the need for good oral health care when dental implants are used, and also advice on how to minimise the chances of these happening.

The initial phase

Once an implant has been placed, it takes around 3 months to fully bond with the jawbone in a process known as osseointegration. During this time, it is especially important to take good care of the newly placed implant. This can bring challenges as you can’t brush the implant too soon but it still needs to be kept clean. Your dentist will advise how best to do this. You will also need to eat softer foods for a short while to make sure that too much pressure is not placed on the implant until it has firmly bonded with the bone. Once this period has successfully passed, you will be able to treat your implant like you would a natural tooth.

Periodontitis

One of the biggest risks to your dental implant, even after the osseointegration stage, is periodontitis, the most advanced form of gum disease. Indeed, at this stage of the disease it is not just the gums that are affected, but very often the jawbone too. As the bone is attacked it can weaken and may start to disintegrate. As it does this, the implant could become loose. This would most likely mean that it would start to move and may even fail altogether. For this reason, it is really important to look after your gums and we will cover this a little later on in this blog.

Peri-Implantitis (and Peri Implant Mucositis)

In a similar way that gingivitis is a ‘warning sign’ of the more serious periodontitis, then peri implant mucositis is a warning sign of peri implantitis. The earlier stage usually presents itself in problems with the gum area that is attached to the abutment that the crown is placed upon. Any indication of soreness, bleeding or inflammation is a sign that this needs to be addressed as soon as possible. If you have teeth implants and notice this, please contact the Clocktower Dental Implant & Facial Centre in Epsom straight away to arrange an appointment.

If this is not treated in time, the problem is likely to become more advanced and peri-implantitis might occur. This is similar to periodontitis in that it also affects the bone in which the implant has been placed. There are a number of ways that this can be treated and any indication of problems around the implant should be addressed as quickly as possible. Failure to do so could result in the loss of the implant. Fortunately, in most cases, both periodontitis and peri-implantitis are relatively easy to prevent.

Prevention

So how can the above problems be prevented? The answer is through good oral health care. This includes not smoking (a big risk for gum disease), thorough brushing and especially around the implant and the gums. The use of floss is strongly recommended and is a major help in the prevention of gum disease. You should also see the dentist and dental hygienist every six months at our Epsom dentist. In fact, everyone should do all of these things whether you have implants or not.

A word about accidents

Dental implants are strong and will withstand any chewing etc that a healthy natural tooth should. Like natural teeth though, there is still a risk of damage if you are involved in a blow to the face, perhaps from a fall or a sporting accident. Naturally, we can’t anticipate things like falling but if you do play a contact sport where there is a risk of a blow to the face (such as football or rugby), you might wish to discuss this with the dentist. If you play regularly, it may be wise to wear dentures which you can remove before a game, and replace these with implants at the end of your ‘career’. Although the implants themselves may remain intact, damage could occur to the bone they are held in which could cause them to work loose or even fall out if accidents should occur.

As stated earlier, the vast majority of people have a highly successful implant procedure and go on to have implants that last them for a minimum of twenty years and very often many more. Most failures of implants placed in the UK are due to neglect by the patient and we hope that today’s blog helps you to understand the importance of maintaining healthy teeth AND healthy dental implants.

If you would like to discover more about teeth implants and how you can benefit from them, why not arrange to have an initial consultation at the Clocktower Dental Implant & Facial Centre in Epsom by calling us today on 01372 720136. We look forward to meeting you!