WHY DO SOME IMPLANTS WORK & SOME IMPLANTS DON’T?

As with any other surgical procedures, there is a variety of internal and external factors that cause complications or even total failure of the treatment, and dental implants are no exceptions. Dental implants are designed to be a permanent replacement for a missing tooth or teeth. Dental implants are a popular alternative to removable dentures and fixed bridges. With dental implants the artificial tooth or teeth are anchored directly into the jawbone which makes them more functional and aesthetically pleasing restoration. Dental implants are the closest thing to a real tooth as you can get. Dental implants will consist of several steps start to finish; step 1 being an implant consult with a 3 D x-ray to check bone structure, step 2 will be the placement of the implant post into the jawbone, step 3 placement of the abutment, which is the connector piece that goes from the post and connects to the crown. In addition to those 3 steps your dental provider will also set-up check-up appointments as necessary.  With that being said you need to properly care for them just as you would real teeth, brushing at least twice a day and flossing at least once a day, in addition to your regular checkups at your dental office.

The purpose of this blog is to give you some incite as to why some dental implants work and why other dental implants fail.

Failed Osseointegration describes the formation of a direct functional and structural connection between a person’s bone and an artificial implant. This process takes place over a course of several months after the implant is placed. The failure of an implant is often associated with the failure of the implant fusing with the jawbone. There are several contributing factors; incorrect positioning, insufficient bone density or volume, overloading, damage to surrounding tissues, external force/sudden impact. There is hope for patients that do lack the adequate bone height, width or length, with additional procedures like: bone grafting, and sinus lift.  With that being said there will be additional cost and healing time if those additional procedures are needed.

Peri- Implantitis, or Infection, can set in when bacteria is present during oral surgery or anytime post-surgery if there isn’t proper oral hygene. Patients with diabetes, smokers, patients with thin gums and those with poor oral hygiene are at greater risk of developing an infection. Smoking in particular significantly decreases the success rate of an implant.

Overloading is refered to the all-in-one procedure for the implant. When this procedure is done in one step the pressure/forces in your mouth may cause the implant to fail, due to the bone not being able to fuse to the implant, prior to abutment and crown placement.

The McGill University has been reserching this topic, October 25,2016, the McGill University published their story in the Science Daily  news online. Their reserch teams led them to two commonly used drugs that may be affecting your dental implants. Their reserchers found that  one of the drugs may help improve your chances of your implant being that permanent solution to your missing tooth, where as the other drug may hinder your success for your implant. Success of implants depends mainly on how well the exsiting bone accepts the implant, to create a connection between the living bone and your implant post.

McGill University found that patients taking Beta Blockers, have had a high success rate than those patients taking heartburn medication.  Beta Blockers are a common medication that helps reduce a patient blood pressure. This medication helps by slowing down your heart rate with less force, which helps open up your blood vessels to improve blood flow, this particular medication has been reported to increase bone formation. Those of you taking heartburn medication take note here, this medication has been known to reduce the calcium absorbtion by the bone and increase your chances of bone fractures. Therefore you may want to reconsider taking that heartburn medication if you are considering an implant.

For best result when getting a dental implant it is good to give a complete medical history, in addition to your madication list so your provider is aware and can properly care for your dental needs.