Dental implants are tiny titanium or ceramic posts surgically placed into your jawbone to hold artificial teeth. They function like the roots of your natural teeth to provide a stable and secure foundation for either permanent or removable teeth that are fabricated to match your natural teeth.
Complications or Risks Associated with a Dental Implant
A missing tooth can affect your health as well as undermine your self-confidence. The teeth next to the missing tooth will begin shifting into the gap, which will create issues with your bite alignment. Additionally, a malocclusion, or a crooked bite, will wear down your teeth and put added stress on your jaw. Immediately following any tooth loss, current issues can arise. A popular long-term replacement for a lost tooth is a dental implant, which has a variety of oral health benefits. From restoring your bite function to preventing jawbone atrophy and maintaining a natural appearance, a dental implant is the best solution for replacing a missing tooth. Receiving a dental implant can still carry some risks, like any medical procedure.
- Infection- Infections can occur after dental implant surgery. An infection can become a risk to your health as well as increase the likelihood that the dental implant may fail. An infection could cause the implant to fail when integrating with the jawbone. If you follow the post-operative instructions, the risk of infection or any dental implant failure is significantly reduced.
- Implant Rejection- Another complication is that your body might reject the implant, which may happen if the implant is not placed properly, if you are not a good candidate for an implant, or if you fail to take good care of the implant.
- Sinus Problems- When placed in the upper jaw, dental implants may have the potential to encroach into your maxillary sinus cavity, and this encroachment might be the result of a placement mistake. A trained dentist will use a panoramic dental X-ray to determine the specific placement of the dental implants and identify any sinus issues.
- Implant Failure- Dental implants might fail for a variety of reasons, including poor oral hygiene, conditions like diabetes, any physical damage, and the failure of the integration of the post to the jawbone. Bone grafting is a common treatment to assist in preventing implant failure when the jawbone fails to hold the implant. Bone density must be sufficient for a successful dental implant.
- Nerve Injury- Dental implants are surgically inserted into the jawbone. Nerve damage could occur during drilling, or a nerve could be crushed by the implant itself. The nerve that is most susceptible during dental implant surgery is the trigeminal nerve, which is on the side of your head just in front of your ear, and runs through the jaw joint and into the lower jawbone.
How Can the Risks Be Avoided
Even though there are minor risks associated with a dental implant procedure, most risks can be avoided. If you select a qualified implant dentist to do the surgery, the complications are significantly decreased. Second, exercising good oral hygiene at home every day and regularly visiting your dentist for checkups and cleanings will reduce the likelihood of any bacterial damage. Third, smoking will interfere with the osseointegration process and cause your implant to fail, so it is best to stop smoking if you need dental implants. Lastly, you need to follow all post-op care instructions to minimize your risks.