Why would my dental implant fail?

Question

I had an Astra tek dental implant put I at site number 3 in oct 2012. I had it taken out yesterday because the crown was moving because of implant failure. I brush twice a day and floss. Don't smoke and I am not diabetic. I do grind my teeth and wear a night guard. My questions: 1. Could the implant have failed because of faulty crown placement? I always would get food stuck between my teeth resulting in flossing. 2. Because of one failure am I at risk for failure again.

Sarah Thompson, DMD · Answer

Without your complete dental chart, I can't tell you exactly why the implanted tooth failed that was placed by your dentist.  I can tell you that certain conditions, such as grinding, can strongly contribute to implant failure if grinding has occurred pretty frequently and prior to your implant site fully healing.  This grinding could have caused a faulty unstable healing that ultimately led to the removal of the implant.  To answer your second question, as a general rule, anytime you are a victim of medical circumstances, you are almost always more at risk for that circumstance to occur again later on in the future.  So, yes, you are more likely to have another implant fail, but depending on your circumstance and the location of the missing tooth, implants may still be a great option for you.  Good luck and I hope this helps. Follow me if you have anymore questions.Sarah Thompson, DMD

H. Ryan Kazemi, DMD · Answer

'Implant failure' is a general diagnostic term relating to one of several types of complications. The most common cause for implant failure is peri-implantitis (the gum disease equivalent of natural teeth). In this scenario, bone is gradually lost from inflammation or infection resulting in increasingly loss of bone around the implant.  Teeth grinding is not an absolute risk factor for implants or bone loss.Peri-implantitis can occur in healthy individuals with no obvious risk factors. Assuming that was the reason for your implant failure, its removal is the only viable option. The site is then grafted and prepared for future implant replacement.There is no increased risk of failure just because it has failed once, as long as, all the well known risk factors are considered and ruled out by your surgeon.

Victor Sanz, DDS · Answer

Many reasons can exist. If the cause of failure is identified your failure risk can be eliminated. Implants may fail for many reasons including a heavy bite contact, a gap between the teeth allowing micro movement, crown cement getting under the gums, poor hygiene, or the implant and bone were not ready for chewing.

Why would my dental implant fail?

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Why would my dental implant fail?

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