Although dental implants are a reliable solution for dental health problems, from time to time dental implants will fail (about 5% of the time). Below is a list of some of the reasons why a patient may experience dental implant failure.
(1) Failure of the implant to firmly anchor with the bone, also known as osseointegration.
(2) Smoking increases the risk of failure. Due to the cost of dental implants, many implant dentists will not place the implants until the patient has stopped smoking.
(3) Poor positioning. This is a rare circumstance, however it can be a cause of dental implant failure. If this is the case the implant dentist will likely come up with a different solution.
(4) Wear and Tear. Hygiene visits will help to minimize implant failure for this reason. Like any other part of your body, wear and tear on the dental implant can affect the condition of it. Again, keeping regular visits with the office will minimize this risk.
(5) Peri-Implantitis. Peri-Implantitis is “an inflammation in and around the area of a dental implant that may also affect abutment areas”. This condition may cause bone loss, leading to the loss of the dental implant. This condition is often found in patient’s who are diabetic, heavy smokers, do not practice healthy oral hygiene or simply have thin mucosa.
(6) Other. There is no pretty way to say this. In most cases of dental implant failure, the reason is simply unknown why the body chooses to reject the implant.
Thankfully, dental implants are highly successful and failure is uncommon. In fact, according to the American Association of Maxillofacial Surgeons, the overall success rate of dental implants is about 95%.