Top 4 Risk Factors That May Affect Dental Implant Success

Dental implants generally have a very high success rate. However, there are rare instances where the premature failure of the implants becomes a reality.

There are several risk factors that will affect the success of your dental implant procedure. These factors include both medical conditions and habits, some of which are as highlighted

1.    Insufficient Jawbone Density

The success of your dental implants heavily depends on whether or not you have enough jawbone density to support the implants. Apart from the lack of support, insufficient bone density means that the implants will not have a structure to integrate with, which is vital for success.

Having insufficient bone density does not automatically disqualify you for dental implants. Your dentist can begin with bone grafting before proceeding to perform the procedure once the bone density is sufficient.

2.    Teeth Grinding

If you have bruxism — that is, you are constantly grinding your teeth — you may affect the healing of your dental implants. The action of grinding the implant against other teeth may cause your implant to become loose — not to mention that you may end up damaging the implant altogether. To cope with this habit, the dentist may recommend wearing a night guard.

3.    Certain Medication

The regular use of medication that impacts bone metabolism will affect the success of your dental implants. Because of the altered bone metabolism, the implant will not be able to integrate as well with the surrounding jawbone. As a result of failing to anchor well into the jawbone, the implant will remain mobile and wobbly in the mouth.

Be sure to disclose to your dentist all the medication you are on during the initial appointment. To increase your odds, you may have to discontinue the use of certain drugs as recommended by your dentist.

4.    Regular Smoking

Ranking high among the reasons why dental implants may fail so soon after the procedure is the infection of the surgical site. As a smoker, you are a higher risk of catching an infection. Additionally, smoking will affect how fast and how well you heal following the procedure. With these factors in mind, it is no surprise that dental implant failures are more common among smokers than they are with non-smokers.

Although not very common, dental implant failures do happen. The good thing is that even with the highlighted risk factors, an expertly skilled and experienced dentist will be able to find possible workarounds that will improve your odds for success.

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