Are Dental Implants Safe? Risks & Side Effects Revealed

Dental implants have been used for many years as replacement for missing and damaged teeth. There are numerous tooth restoration options but implants are the most reliable and the strongest of them all. Dental implants are held tightly with a titanium implant post that is surgically implanted in your jawbone. This gives them enough strength and stability to function the same was as your real teeth. Moreover, having a strong and healthy gums plus jawbone is among the main eligibility criteria before your dentist will recommend implants as a course of treatment.

Most patients with missing teeth and tooth loss often require a bone graft surgery before getting an artificial tooth implant. A bone graft is a regenerative treatment that prepares the jawbone and tissues for the dental implant. While dental implants have some risks and complications, this article will discuss them in detail.

Are dental implants safe?

The thought of having an artificial tooth, known as a dental implant, placed in your jaw bone can be scary, especially if you are not so sure of the risks and benefits. With high advancements in technology, dental implants surgery for missing teeth have advanced greatly over the years. It can only be performed by heavily trained dental professionals, known as surgeons. Provided that you are in good health, dental implants for tooth loss are extremely successful when performed by a trained dental professional.

Titanium implants are not recommended for patients with allergies to metals like copper, nickel, lead, iron, or zinc. It is crucial to have healthy gums and good bone density in order to ensure a successful implant procedure. The failure rate for implants is low, with an experienced dental practitioner or dental surgeon achieving success rates of about 95%. Minimizing the risk of side effects is essential for safe implantation.

When the surgical implant cannot be properly placed in the bone by an experienced dental practitioner to ensure primary stability, there is an increased risk of failure. The safety of the surgical implant procedure may vary depending on factors such as the health condition of the patient, the dental surgeon, and how it’s performed. However, like any other surgery, there are potential risks associated with surgical implants that could result in side effects and complications.

Is Bone Grafting Safe?

A bone graft is quite helpful for surgical implants, as it plays an important role in the durability of the implant by providing more support to the gum and jawbone. Remember, bone grafting surgery is only recommended for patients who do not have enough healthy jawbone and tissues to support the dental implant. During a bone grafting treatment, your dentist will take a small piece of bone from elsewhere in your body (usually the chin or hip) to place inside your jaw to help support the dental implant.

However, when it comes to surgical implants such as dental implant surgery, bone grafting has its own risks but the benefits are paramount. Here are some of the risks that are associated with implant surgeries and implant problems.

• Pain and discomforts: to carry out a bone graft, the surgeon will have to take some bone from your hip, chin, or elsewhere. After the treatment the area where the bone is taken from will be tender and possibly cause lots of pain and discomforts.

• Infection: Infection is a considerable complication of bone grafting. Infection can occur in the affected area, presenting as an abscess, fistula, suppuration, inflammation or radiolucency.

Are Titanium Implants Safe?

Titanium dental implants, made of a strong metal, are highly recommended by the FDA for patients. These implants have a biofilm-resistant oxide layer that fights corrosion and promotes osseointegration, allowing the patient’s jawbone to heal around the implant. Additionally, titanium implants are more affordable compared to other materials and are considered safe for use in the body. However, it’s important to be aware of the potential risks associated with titanium implants.

Risks Of Titanium Implants

• Corrosion: Under acidic conditions, it is possible for your titanium implant to interact with other metals in your mouth in a process called galvanic corrosion. Even though titanium implants are built to fight corrosion, they can actually corrode under extremely acidic conditions. It can be dangerous and uncomfortable for the titanium of your implant to corrode. If such a thing happens, the dentist may need to be replace the implant.

• Galvanic Toxicity: it’s possible for you to experience galvanic toxicity from titanium implants. Having a persistent metal taste in your mouth and sometimes even the sensation of an electric charge when you encounter other metals are some of the common signs of galvanic toxicity.

• Titanium Allergy: most patients experience severe sensitivity and allergic reactions to any of the metals that titanium may be alloyed with which includes copper, zinc, lead, iron or nickel. Having a titanium implant when you are allergic to the materials contained in the implant can lead to severe discomforts and sensitivity. If you know that you have allergic reactions to titanium, it’s necessary to let your dentist know as early as possible before the implant.

Risks Of Dental Implants

When it comes to the safety of dental implants, the benefits outweigh the risks. Dental implants are safe only when it’s done properly by a trained dental professional with the right materials. Provided that you are eligible for safe implants and also that your dentist knows what he is doing, implants are safe. However, if there are problems with the alveolar bone or if the implant failed, there are possible several risks and complications that could surface. Here are some of the risks of dental implants as identified by the FDA.

1. Infection

It is possible to develop an infection or experience nerve damage at the site of your implant. When placing an implant after a tooth extraction, it is important to allow the site to fully heal before placement. Infection can occur, presenting as an abscess, fistula, suppuration, inflammation, or radiolucency. Untreated infection may spread to vital organs, causing systemic problems. Hypersensitivity issues may arise and require attention from the FDA.

2. Excessive Bone Loss

Some problems can lead to excessive bone loss in the area of the dental implant, this can negatively affect the stability of the metal implant. Bone loss between the implants and natural teeth can also lead to the appearance of black triangles between the teeth, which are not aesthetically pleasing and increase the difficulty of keeping the teeth clean. Additionally, there have been reports of hypersensitivity to certain metals used in dental implants.

3. Perforation

Sometimes, when a dental implant is not placed properly in the jaw, it can cause injury to nearby anatomic structures. This can result in perforation of the maxillary sinus, inferior border, lingual plate, labial plate, inferior alveolar canal, or gingival. In rare cases, the metal implant can puncture the maxillary sinus cavity and lead to hypersensitivity and infections in the area in the future.

4. Failure to Integrate

Normally, after placing the metal implant post into the jawbone, the bone and the tissues surrounding the implants are given enough time to heal, regrow and fuse with the dental implant. As the fusion between the bone and implant increases, it provides the much needed support and stability to the implant. However, insufficient primary stability can lead to problems of failure of the implant. This failure in integration is common when the implant was not placed in the bone or tissues sufficiently to provide primary stability to the implant. Reports have shown that hypersensitivity to metal can also contribute to these problems.

Bottom Line

Are dental implants safe? Yes they are safe, there are risks though but the benefits outweigh the risks. Dental implants have a success rate of about 95%, this is indeed higher than that of other available tooth replacement options. The primary way to keep your dental implants healthy and strong is by keeping your gums and jawbone healthy and strong.

To be eligible for safe implants, there are certain special requirements, you should have healthy gums and good bone density to support the implant, your level of dental hygiene should be high. If you have allergic reactions to titanium implants or suffering from diabetes, cancer, bone degradation or healing problem, it’s always important let your dentist know earlier before your implant surgery.

• References – https://www.authoritydental.org/are-dental-implants-safe

• https://www.news-medical.net/health/Dental-Implant-Risks.aspx