Dental Implant Mistakes and Dangers

One of the reasons why it is necessary to be careful in picking a dentist to surgically place dental implants is that the problems caused from improperly placed or failed placement are potentially severe. Limited treatments, such as crowns or root canals, can do no more than cause the extraction of a single tooth if things go wrong – and this represents a maximum. Usually, the consequences are not even that bad.

However, dental implants involve much more of the jaw and oral structure than these strictly finite procedures. A failed implant job harms not a single tooth, but possibly your whole jaw, causing bone loss (which then needs to be corrected using bone grafts), changes in the appearance and shape of your face, dangerous infections in the sinuses, chronic numbness or pain, and a list of other difficulties which can be corrected, but only at additional cost.

Some of the problems that can be caused by inexpert care with implant placement include:

• Avoidance of bone grafts to keep costs low may give the implants insufficient bone to “grip,” causing them to tear loose later, with consequent great pain and expensive treatment.
• Dentists unfamiliar with correct implant placement may screw the ends through into the sinus or even the nasal passages. Perforating the sinuses has obvious, serious drawbacks, such as possible major infections, drainage into the mouth, and so on. Furthermore, parts of the implant extending into the sinus have no bone support, so the whole implant may come loose.
• Some dentists fail to use three-dimensional CT scans when working on the lower jaw, which can result in some notable problems. A large nerve runs through the midline of the lower jaw, but can be “moved” upward by bone loss above it. Thus, without using a 3D CT scan to determine the neurological channel’s current position, there is a risk that the ends of implants will be screwed into this nerve.
• Only about 15% of the 80 or so dental implant manufacturers produce good-quality implants, according to Dr. Gibbs’ ballpark (but well-informed) estimates. If the dentist you pick uses one of the poorer quality types, you can encounter difficulties with the lifespan of the implant, its compatibility with your body, and/or its fit.
• If the dentist fails to make a thorough review of your other medical records, factors which could seriously affect the implant could be overlooked. All medical conditions need to be considered carefully when planning how best to place an implant.
• There is also a chance that a given individual will simply respond poorly to implants. If your body naturally rejects implants, there will be problems regardless of the dentist’s skill, knowledge, or dedication, though luckily lack of biocompatibility is fairly uncommon.