Dental Care and Special Needs: Planning for Success

Posted on: 17 May 2017

Have you finally decided to get dental implants to fix your missing teeth, but are worried about what could go wrong? Know that the dental implant procedure is safe to have done, with 96% of them being successful. That said, there is always the risk of a complication when you have surgery of any type, which includes having dental implants installed. Be aware of these 3 potential complications that could happen.

Infection

Having a dental implant installed could lead to an infection. If the infection is ignored, the bond between your jawbone and your implant can disintegrate, and you will need to have the implant removed. Avoid infections by having a trustworthy dentist that takes precautions during the procedure, which includes sterilizing equipment. You also need to take a prescription for antibiotics after the procedure, even if you feel perfectly fine.

While problems with gum disease may not be directly related to having the procedure done, you'll need to watch out for it. Bacteria can form around a dental implant, which is a process known as peri-implantitis. Your best line of defense is to go to your regular dental checkups to have the implants inspected for problems.

Occlusal Load

You can experience occlusal load problems due to a dental implant being incorrectly placed in the gums. It causes the implant to take excessive amounts of pressure during normal daily use, and can eventually cause that bond between your jawbone and implant to break. While there is nothing you can do to prevent the implant from being incorrectly placed, you should see your dentist if you notice a bite issue with the implant. Too much pressure on a single implant can cause issues with pressure that you may not have anticipated.

Implant Failure from High Risk Factors

There are situations that can cause dental implant failure that you are completely in control of. Smokers that continue to smoke after getting a dental implant are twice as likely to experience a dental implant failure. If you have diabetes that is uncontrolled, there are known issues where the body has trouble healing and recovering from the dental implant surgery. While these conditions could be caught before having a dental implant installed, it is on you to let your doctor know. You will also need to make lifestyle changes to keep the new implant healthy.

These are just a couple known problems that can result from getting dental implants. For more advice on what you can expect, schedule an appointment with your dentist or Rose City Dental Care.