Dental implants have fast become the go-to treatment for tooth replacement, and in the United States alone, nearly 5 million implants are placed each year. Tooth implants are the closest you can get to natural teeth and restore aesthetics and function. However, a few factors can influence the dental implant success rate.
If you’re considering dental implants, it’s a good idea to get a free consultation at your local dental clinic to discuss these factors. This way, you’re better positioned to make the best decisions for your oral health.
How dental implants work?
To understand the factors that affect the dental implant success rate, it helps to know how implants work and what happens during and after dental implant surgery, so you know what to expect.
A titanium dental implant is placed directly into the jawbone under local anaesthetic and sedation during dental implant surgery. Once placed, the implant is left undisturbed for several weeks or months while the bone grows around it, making it a permanent fixture in the mouth, like a natural tooth. Once the implant has fully healed and stabilised, a dental crown is attached to complete the restoration.
Why not schedule an appointment with a dentist that offers a free consultation to find out if you’re a suitable candidate for dental implants?
Here are five factors that can affect the dental implant success rate
1. Insufficient bone
To be a successful candidate for dental implant surgery, a patient must have good medical and oral health and sufficient bone to support dental implants. If a patient has been missing teeth for a while, they will have suffered bone loss in most cases. In this case, the dentist may suggest bone grafting to build up the height and width of the bone to make dental implant placement possible.
2. Smoking
Smokers will be asked to quit for at least six months before dental implant surgery. Smoking slows the healing process and sometimes prevents the bone and implant from fusing altogether, leading to early dental implant failure. Giving up your smoking habit will significantly increase your chances of dental implant success.
3. Hygiene
Maintaining good oral hygiene is critical following dental implant surgery. Rinsing with warm salt water will ease discomfort and keep bacteria at bay, helping prevent infection that could compromise the dental implant’s integrity.
Daily brushing and flossing with regular dental check-ups are essential throughout the dental implant procedure and the following years. Dental implant failure can occur weeks, months and even years down the line.
4. Diet
Having received your dental implants, our dentists recommend being cautious about what you eat for the first couple of weeks after surgery. It’s best to adopt a soft diet, so chewing is kept to a minimum. Drinking with a straw is off-bounds as the sucking action can cause the gums to bleed.
5. Skills of the dentist
The experience and skill of your implant dentist can also affect the dental implant success rate. For this reason, it’s best to choose a dentist that has placed hundreds of dental implants and is placing them regularly and who utilises the latest technologies to offer a comfortable and less invasive procedure.
Why not contact the experienced dental team at My Local Dentists for an evaluation to see if implants are right for you? We use the latest technologies and high-quality implants in our modern clinics and work closely with patients to give their implants the best possible chance of success. With good care, dental implants can last for several decades, if not your lifetime. Book a free dental consultation near you.
Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
References
Grand View Research – US Dental Implants Market
https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/dental-implants-market#:~:text=Post%20COVID%20Outlook&text=The%20U.S.%20held%20a%20substantial,per%20the%20American%20Dental%20Association.
BMC Oral Health – The survival rates and risk factors of implants in the early stage: a retrospective study
https://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12903-021-01651-8
Cleveland Clinic – Dental Bone Graft
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21727-dental-bone-graft#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20dental%20bone,animal%20tissue%20bank%20(xenograft)