Are Dental Implants Usually Successful?

Unlike many other dental procedures, getting implants requires a lot of work. Depending on the state of the bones in your jaw, you may even need complex surgical procedures, such as bone grafting. In addition to all this, there is the high cost of getting implants to consider. Compared to bridges and dentures, the upfront cost of an implant is high.

With all this in mind, it's only natural that most people will want to know just how successful the procedure is likely to be. If there is a high chance of implant rejection, it may not make sense to get one.

Implants Mostly Work

In all but a few cases, dental implants will take. This means that the implant will not be rejected by the body requiring its removal. Before an orthodontist or dentist decides that getting an implant is an option for any patient, they will carry out extensive tests. These tests will look into the patient's general health and their oral health.

There are factors that make implant rejection more likely, and these are things the experts look out for. This means that by the time the implant is being put in, the chances of success are usually seen to be very high.

Factors that Affect Implant Success

Despite the relatively high success rates, it's important to acknowledge that implants sometimes fail. However, it's even more important to understand why these failures occur to help avoid the same happening to you. Common causes of implant failure include:

  • Smoking, drinking, and use of other drugs

  • Poor oral health

  • Physical trauma to the mouth

  • Poor physical health

  • Pre-existing medical conditions

Although some issues are unavoidable, habits such as smoking and poor oral health are well within the patient's control. Therefore, implant failure is often caused by the patient's own actions or inactions.

How to Improve Chances of Implant Success

If you're thinking of getting an implant or you've already gotten one and you want to increase the chances of success, there are a few things you should do. These include:

  1. Maintain good oral health: Brush and floss regularly to remove bacteria from the site of the implant

  2. Maintain good physical health: Having a healthy body provides the body with what it needs to promote bone growth and other factors that can improve success rates

  3. Avoid unhealthy foods: Foods that are likely to increase bacterial activity in your mouth should be avoided.


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