It must be remembered that dental implants carry the one of the highest success rates of any dental treatment and having been around for over 50 years they have been very well researched so we know how well they last long term. Further details about the risks and potential problems can be found on my website.
As with all medical treatments there can be problems but in the case of dental implants these are very unlikely although it is important that you understand potential problems.
Loose screws / healing covers.
A healing cover is placed onto a dental implant and is there to allow the gum to heal in a shape ready for the final crown. Occasionally these covers can become loose or even unscrew themselves. If this happens DON’T PANIC! It is not a serious problem and will not adversely affect the treatment. Simply call the clinic and book in to have the cover re-fitted. This happens in around 1% of implants placed.
Failure.
A dental implant can fail however this occurs in less than 4% of cases nationally and my personal failure rate is below 1% If an implant fixture fails to integrate with the bone we will be able to spot this on an x-ray before the final work is fitted on top. If this happens, the implant is simply removed and then replaced after a few weeks of healing. In general failure is due to poor healing such as in the case of diabetics and heavy smokers however it can occur for unknown reasons in healthy individuals. As I have such a low failure rate, I am happy to provide a replacement implant at no additional cost.
