How You And Your Dentist Can Prevent Dental Implant Failure

Dental implants need to be treated just like your regular teeth. They must be brushed and flossed two or three times a day or the implant will fail. If the implant begins to deteriorate, it may need to be replaced with a new implant. Fortunately, there are ways in which both you and your dentist can try to prevent dental implant failure.

Short vs. Late Failure

The implant will fail if the jawbone has deteriorated. Periodontal disease not only destroys teeth, but also destroys the jawbone. Then, there is simply not enough bone matter to grow around the implant and hold it in place, causing the implant to fall out shortly. If the implant falls out soon after it has been placed, this is referred to as an early failure. This is usually prevented by performing a bone augmentation surgery. With this treatment, bone is taken from one part of the body and added to the jawbone, creating a place where the implant can be securely inserted.

Late failures, on the other hand, occur after a long period of proper function. The implant becomes wobbly and falls out unexpectedly.

The Role of Infection

The dental implant area can suffer from an infection as a result of poor dental hygiene. The result is an inflammation of the gum around the implant. The infection can lead to bone loss, which then causes implant failure. To prevent infection, you must not only continue to engage in adequate oral health practices, but you must also consider quitting smoking. 

Preventing Implant Failure

To avoid dental implant failure, you will need to visit a dentist frequently. The dental implant failure will become evident after a few years and your dentist may be able to perform preventative measures to prevent the implant failure. If your dentist is unable to do so, the next option would be to cover the entry for the dental implant with a flap for almost a year. Your dentist will need to perform a bone augmentation procedure. After you have healed, the jawbone should be ready for a new dental implant.

Replacing a Failed Implant

The most difficult part of inserting a new dental implant is encouraging the jawbone to fuse with the new implant. It may be necessary to design a different type of dental implant. Sometimes, the only way the implant can be successfully inserted is to perform additional bone augmentation or to change the bone augmentation techniques used.

Choosing a Different Option

Given the additional costs associated with this procedure, you may choose to continue with the implant or may choose one of the other alternatives. Short arches, fixed partial dentures and removable dentures are sometimes used. Therefore, if you would prefer the dental implant, make sure that you care for the implant so that it lasts.

To learn more about dental implants, contact a dentist like Dr. James Oline

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