Dental implants are primarily used to treat badly damaged or broken teeth and restore them to proper normal functionality. This is usually done by attaching the implant to the underlying teeth bone and uses an artificial crown that imitates our natural tooth. However, depending on your oral condition both before and after the treatment, the implant treatment may result in failure which would then require a replacement.
What are oral implants?
Your teeth can get damaged on account of tooth decay and cavities and even gum problems. In these cases, your dental care professional can recommend a dental implant to restore your tooth to normal condition. It is made primarily of three parts – the implant attaches itself to your underlying bone; the abutment goes over the implant and acts as a support for the crown; the artificial crown that is modeled after the tooth that is to be replaced.
Causes of implant failure
Most commonly, dental implants fail because of negligence on part of both the patient and your dentist when administering the treatment.
- Dental implants depend on the integrity of your gum tissue and underlying bone in order to function as treatment dictates. If the implant is placed with existing gum problems, the implant can fail and further infect and damage the existing tissue as well as the surrounding teeth.
- Proper integration with the underlying bone, which is termed as osseointegration, is necessary to ensure that the implant treatment succeeds. If this is not integrated as it should, it can result in bone loss which would require further surgeries and a possible implant replacement to fix.
- The gums will be more sensitive immediately after the implant treatment and be vulnerable to infections. If a dental implant is placed without taking the necessary precautions to strengthen the gum tissue, the implant can fail and further cause infections which will lead to periodontal disease.
- Dental implants can also fail on account of improper positioning. This is not just for the implant itself, but can affect the surrounding teeth as well.
- It is normal for teeth to shift while you are asleep. A dental implant that is integrated with the bone is also subjected to these shifts. It is essential to take these shifts into account when placing the implant by using a micro-bridge which won’t affect the surrounding teeth and cause crowding.
- If your dental care professional does not conduct treatments for your mouth before going through with implant placement, then the implant is more likely to fail. It is necessary that your oral condition is healthy before your implant can replace the affected tooth.
Regular checkups with your dental hygienist or dentist for cleaning treatments can help maintain your oral hygiene and reduce the chances of your implant failing.
