There’s little doubt that dental implants are the best way to replace missing teeth, but is there anything that can go wrong with treatment? Success rates are typically 95% or even higher, but as with most things in life, there is no absolute guarantee that things will go perfectly to plan. Much of the success of dental implants is down to careful planning prior to surgery. This planning process is absolutely essential for making sure the implant is placed in the optimal position, ensuring the replacement tooth can function normally and looks fantastic.
Implant Success Relies Largely on Picking the Right Dental Implant Dentist
This is one of the reasons why it’s best to take your time picking your implantologist in Basingstoke. For example, our dentist has been extensively involved in implant dentistry for many years and has taken numerous courses to further his knowledge. These things do matter, as some dentists may have only completed a short course, and could only place a few dental implants each year. Implant success is down to a combination of your dentist’s skill and expertise combined with experience.
Healing Time Is Essential
Once a dental implant has been successfully inserted into the jawbone, the next step is to make sure hope it heals properly. During this time the implant post must fully integrate with the bone, and it’s very rare that this fails to occur. Success can be influenced by the bone quality and the body’s ability to heal itself. This is why those with compromised immune systems, for example people with diabetes, or smokers are at increased risk of implant failure. It’s quite common to place a temporary tooth on an implant during this healing process.
An experienced dental implant dentist will make sure the temporary tooth doesn’t come into contact with the teeth in the opposite jaw. This is because the pressure on the implant could cause failure. As a result the temporary teeth might look rather short but will have been properly designed. It’s slightly different if the temporary teeth replace a complete arch of teeth. In this case the implants will have been inserted in such a way to ensure they are held in a rigid position by the replacement teeth. This means the implants can still heal without any fear of movement in the jaw.
Looking after Your Dental Implant Once It’s Healed
Once your dental implant has fully healed, it’s still important to take good care of your teeth. One thing to bear in mind is that habits such as tooth grinding could affect your implant. If you do clench or grind your dentist can custom make night guards that will ensure your dental implants don’t become stressed due to overload. Otherwise the excessive forces created during clenching and grinding could wear down or break any dental crowns, and may affect the implants.
Some people think dental implants can’t become infected as they are artificial. In fact the bone and gum tissue surrounding the implants is still prone to inflammation and infection is not properly looked after. It’s possible for a condition called peri-implantitis to develop which is similar to gum disease. This can happen if you have poor oral hygiene and fail to follow your dentist’s instructions on cleaning around your dental implants. It’s vitally important to book regular check-ups and professional cleanings.