Dental implant problems

Dental implant problems are common and you must take them into account when you are planning your treatment. Most people think that implants lasts forever. I have patients who have said to me “pull out all of my teeth and put in implants. This is a mistake as Dental implant problems can cause great suffering if you are not aware of what they are before you  start your treatment. If you are counting on the implants to support an entire mouth of teeth you had better be aware of the potential problems

The anatomy of an implant

Dental implants are round in cross section but teeth are not. Even the widest implant is narrower than most teeth as they emerge from the gums.  If you look at the x ray you can compare the implant shape to that of the tooth to the right of it. That triangular shape means food and bacteria can hide there and that can cause an infection that if untreated can cause you to lose that implant

Osseointegration

The most common of the dental implant problems that is catastrophic for treatment is the lack of osseointegration. The implant should fuse with the bone. There should be a solid connection between all surfaces of the implant and the  bone. When soft tissue grows between them, the implant is not stable and will fail.

Peri-implantitis

Another of the common Dental implant problems is peri implantitis. This means that there is a chronic inflammation around the implant in the gums. Why is this critical? Because a chronic inflamed area creates all sorts of inflammatory chemicals to be released by the body. There can cause you to lose your implant. See the tooth one from the left and look at the swollen red gums as compared to all of the other teeth.