Risk Factors That Increase The Chance Of Complications
During the assessment phase of the dental implant procedure, your dentist will look at your medical history and ask about some of your habits to determine if you are at an increased risk for complications. Some of the things that may cause reason for concern are:- People who have a habit of grinding their teeth
- Inadequate jawbone height, width or density
- People who are taking bisphosphonates
- Type 2 diabetes
- Smokers
If any of these risk factors apply to you, there may be some preliminary procedures or lifestyle changes that your dentist will recommend before proceeding with dental implants. Your dentist will only decide against dental implants in extreme cases where they believe that complications will undoubtedly arise.
Dental Implants Failing To Osseointegrate With The Jawbone
Osseointegration between the titanium implant and jawbone is by far the most important part of the dental implants procedure. If this step fails, the implant will not be strong enough to support occlusal forces in the mouth causing it to eventually fail. Osseointegration is considered a failure if after several months of healing time the implant is mobile, falls out completely or there is bone loss in the surrounding jawbone of more than 1 mm after the first year. There are various reasons that osseointegration may fail, including:- Jawbone density or volume that is insufficient to support an implant
- Overloading on a recently placed implant
- Incorrect placement of the implant
- An implant that becomes fractured after being placed
Infection Of The Surgical Area
One of the most common reasons for dental implant failure occurs as a result of an infection at the dental implant site. Some of the reasons for these infections are from poor oral hygiene after the implant surgery, bacteria that is present during the implant surgery or from dental cement used to secure crowns getting trapped under the gum tissue. When an infection occurs there is usually inflammation of the gum tissue or bone around the implant which can sometimes be treated but most often requires removal of the implant. There is a higher risk of infection for patients who are smokers, have diabetes or have poor oral hygiene.Rejection Of The Implant
In rare cases, the patient’s body may reject having a foreign object implanted into their jawbone, similar to rejection that can occur in organ transplants. The body may also reject a dental implant if a patient has an allergic reaction to titanium. Although allergic reactions to titanium are very rare, they do occur sometimes and are usually accompanied by swelling of the implant site.Damage To Surrounding Nerves Or Tissue
During any type of surgery there is always a small risk of damage to surrounding tissues or nerves. This is extremely rare and is almost always caused by poor placement from an inexperienced dentist. When an implant is placed too close to a nerve or there is damage to surrounding tissues, you may experience pain or numbness in gums, tongue, cheek or lips.