Dental Implant

issues, and what can be done for a failing implant.

Health: Your health is a leading factor. Systemic diseases affect your whole body, and your mouth is not isolated from your body. Diabetes, thyroid activity, autoimmune diseases, and osteoporosis are examples of conditions that require discussions with your implantologist. Smoking is a social activity that can negatively affect not just your health, but also dental im-

AREA - Dental implants have improved the lives of countless individuals throughout the world. Within the U.S. alone, it is estimated that 5 million implants are placed each year. There are a lot of reasons why people seek out dental implants: increased chewing ability over dentures, improved esthetics, not having to cut down adjacent teeth for bridgework, and the fact you can’t get a cavity on a dental implant are some examples.

However, many people unfortunately believe that things can’t go wrong with dental implants: that they are indestructible and will last forever. This is a misconception. Dental implants do have very high success rates: they can extend over 95%. Unfortunately things can go wrong. This article addresses some of these

Medications: certain medications, such as SSRIs, SNRIs, and PPIs can affect bone metabolism and put dental implant patients at risk for complications.

Past History of Gum Disease: a past history of gum disease increases a person’s risk of having dental implant complications.

Bite Patterns / Occlusion: replacing one or more missing teeth without paying attention to the condition of your remaining teeth can be extremely destructive to dental implants. Your dentist is not trying to “oversell” you when they discuss this with you. We understand all you want is just one implant for the front tooth that broke “on a piece of soft bread.” However, the rest of the teeth in your mouth can affect that “one tooth.”

Complexity of the Presenting Problem: Not all situations are equal. Two people presenting for a dental implant for the same tooth can have polar opposite presenting conditions. One person may have a large amount of available bone, while the next person may have very little bone and the location is near important anatomy, such as a sinus or nerve. advised. Not removing a failing or infected implant can affect surrounding teeth or implants. of gum disease, etc. So you may go through an entire rehabilitation process for the implant(s), and still have a negative outcome.

Dr. Goldberg treats entire families, from toddlers to seniors. Services include cleanings, dentures, cosmetics, and more! He and his staff enjoy the long-term relationships they