Although your oral surgeon may be able to save a failing implant, if it already failed, your options depend on the status of your oral health and the cause of failure. Consulting with a highly skilled oral surgeon upfront can help you avoid or overcome dental implant failure.
Failed Dental Implant Treatment
If an implant needs to be replaced, they will take it out and gently clean the area. If the bone is intact around the area of the removed implant, no bone graft will be necessary. If there is bone loss, we may place a bone graft to improve the site for replacing the implant.
If the dental implant or connector on your dental implant breaks or is defective, your oral surgeon will replace—not repair—it. But a damaged implant fixture is not the only cause of implant failure. And depending on what caused the problem, treatment can involve more than replacing the implant.
With over a 95% success rate, they are proven to last for decades with the right maintenance; however, implant failure can occur, such as from improper osseointegration or an infection. While some dental implants can be restored, others may have to be taken out.
A dental implant can fail due to a variety of reasons, including the general health factors of the patient, the standard of post-procedure care, and the skill and competence of the dentist.
Generally, an oral surgeon will remove the implant, determine if your gums or bone require treatment, and allow the area to heal. An experienced surgeon can determine the cause of implant failure and explain how to resolve it.
The most frequent and avoidable cause of dental implant failure is infection. At any moment over the course of implant therapy, a bacterial infection that results in implant failures can happen. Peri-implantitis is a term used to describe an inflammatory response with bone loss in the soft tissues surrounding implants.
The procedure can take as little as 10 minutes with minimal patient discomfort. With special instrumentation and technique, the implant removed by simply rotating it out of the bone. It does not require any removal or cutting of the surrounding bone which helps to preserve the bone for implant replacement.
Improper implant placement: Your dentist could make an error in placing your implant. If there is a problem with the location or angle of the implant, it can lead to complications. The implant may not fuse with the bone properly, may be too close to adjacent teeth and cause discomfort, or may become loose or painful.
When maintained with proper hygiene and checkups, dental implants can last a lifetime. The crown attached to the implant will generally need replaced every 15 to 20 years, although they can last for several decades in some cases.
If the implant is not properly seated on your gums, you will feel it wobble when you talk, eat, or touch it. This is the easiest sign to spot an implant failure. In case you discover a shifting and loose dental implant, set up a consultation with your dentist immediately.
The movement may be so slight at first that only your dentist can detect it, but a failed implant won't be anchored in place. Your dentist may recommend an X-ray to check your bone growth if your implant is mobile. An X-ray of a failed implant will probably show substantial loss of bone around the metal portion.
Second implantation after early and/or late failure has demonstrated with some limited strength of evidence a moderate survival rate, with a weighted rate close to 89% of implants for implants placed in sites with a history of one failure and 67.1% in sites with a history of two implant failures [8].
One of the clearest rejection symptoms is the mobility of the implant. Another symptom is having slight discomfort or pain when pressing the implant area or when palpating it. The patient may also present pain or discomfort on the day of the impressions on the dental implant.
A nurse or doctor will take your implant out of your arm after 3 years (for an Implanon) or 5 years (for a Jadelle) or whenever you want to stop using it. Removal is usually fast and easy. Just like with the insertion, a doctor or nurse gives you a shot to numb a small area of your arm.
Early implant failures are caused by failure of initial osseointegration between the implant surface and the surrounding bone by the change of the treatment plan. The main causative factors are contamination, infection, peri-implantitis, trauma during or after surgery, inadequate healing, and early loading.
Reasons For Frequent Implant Problems
There are two common causes for repeated implant failure. One is that you are ineligible for implants for one of the reasons we explain later in this guide, like low bone density. The second is that the dentist performed the procedure incorrectly.
The lack of osseointegration is generally distinguished by implant mobility and radiological radiolucency. Here, the implant is considered to be failed . Progressive marginal bone loss without marked mobility is referring to a failing implant.
Studies have reported that implants fail in the maxilla more than the mandible9-13. Furthermore, the maxillary anterior region exhibited the highest rate of implant failure.
Infection is one of the leading causes of dental implant failure. An infection can develop if bacteria gets into surgical incisions and inflames the tissues around the surgical site. Patients will be given antibiotics to take during the weeks following dental implant surgery; these can reduce the risk of infection.
Dental implant options for patients missing multiple teeth
Depending upon the condition of the person's gums and jawbone, a single implant can sometimes be placed to support two adjacent teeth. More commonly, multiple implants are used to anchor fixed bridges or removable partials.
If you have two consecutive teeth missing, you may only need one implant for both teeth. Because there is a small gap between the teeth, the crowns are attached to each other to alleviate the gap. If your missing teeth are not consecutive, separate implants are needed.
Two or three implants can be placed adjacent to each other to retain multiples crowns. An implant supported bridge is a structure similar to a traditional dental bridge with the exception that it is supported by implants rather than natural teeth.
Although your current dentist should willingly refund you for failed dental implants, other steps you can take include: Ask your new dentist to communicate with your former dentist in requesting a refund.