Dental Newsletter Service...

Dental Newsletter Service Dental implants are given to patients as perfect or near perfect replacements for their missing teeth.

Rarely is it informed from the risks and counseled on the failure rates. The procedures might have serious consequences and is not perfect. Implants can and do fail. Patients have to be thoroughly informed about the risks and realize that dental implants can fail. With the right planning, implant placement is quite predictable, safe and fosters a functional and esthetic result for patients.

Tooth implants have come a long since their inception within the 1950's. Dental implant technologies are changing in an incredibly fast rate. As each new technologies are adapted, dental implant success usually improves. Occasionally a technology makes the marketplace which is mostly great marketing and only doesn't not enhance the success or actually hinders it. Fortunately which doesn't happen frequently. dental newsletter service So what makes teeth implants fail ? There are a number of factors that lead to an increased likelihood of dental implant failure. Unfortunately a number of the risks aren't avoidable and that is why tooth implants are about 90-95% successful based on various studies (the amount is actually nearer to 95%). As with long bone fractures, even with the best approximation with the fracture and great immobility, some fractures simply aren't healed once the cast is slowly removed. Either a nonunion occurs (meaning no healing ever really started) or a fibrous union occurs (where rather than bone forwards and backwards sides of the fracture you've got scar tissue). With respect to the type where the fracture is and the patient, non-unions and fibrous unions occur about 5% of times. That is similar to the failure rate of dental implants.

The same principles of healing from a fracture are congruent with the healing of your implant. You will need good approximation with the bone for the implant surface and a period of immobility to get a successful osseointegration of the implant. Osseointegration means the bone accepted the implant and incorporates itself around the implant. As you have seen, the failure rate of implants is comparable to the rate of fractures not healing properly. You can get failure with the bone to osseointegrate (just like non-unions) and as opposed to bone around an implant you get a fibrous encapsulation (similar to the fibrous union in bone fractures).

However certain problems that increase the likelihood of implant failure are poorly controlled diabetes, some bone metabolic and congenital disorders, certain medications like glucocorticoids (prednisone), immunosupressants and bisphosphonate medications (Zometa, Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva, etc.) Additionally, smoking and poor hygienic habits can lead to an increased likelihood of implant failure. Individuals with these disorders and/or on these medications should bring the theifs to the attention of their implant surgeon so a treatment plan could be tailored to match their needs and their medical conditions.

There are many factors that will lead to an increase in dental implant failure. Implants can fail early on in the healing phase or late. Early failures will be defined as at any time before osseointegration occurs (healing phase) or during the time the crown is affixed for the implant. Late failure is defined as any time following your implant with all the tooth is under function.