How Successful Are Dental Implants?

I am very fortunate in that I really enjoy the work I do. I work as a dentist in Brighton Implant Clinic. Most of the work we do in our practice is dental implant treatment. Dental implants are small titanium screws which are placed into the jaw bone in order to replace lost or damaged teeth. A question that patients often ask me is how successful are dental implants?

According to research data this is what I found….

1. Implant survival: 96.8 percent. This means that in a 5 year term it is likely that 96.8% of dental implants will remain inside the jaw bone and will not come out. Even though this is a very important statistic it isnt the only requirement for dental implant success. Below we discuss other factors that contribute to an implant being successful.
2. Crown fracture: metal-ceramic: 95.4 percent & all-ceramic; 95.4 percent. With single dental implant cases, the titanium screw will support a crown. This crown can be made of different materials but the main types of crown are metal ceramic and all ceramic crowns. The success of each of these types of crowns is exactly the same. Crowns are more likely to fracture on dental implants than on natural teeth. With natural teeth there is some small amount of movement found between the tooth and the bone that supports the tooth. With implant there is no movement and no ‘compensation’ of the crown. This means that in cases where there may be a high impact on a natural tooth crown, the periodontal ligament will allow a small degree of movement. With implants there is no periodontal ligament and hence no movement of crowns under impact.
3. Peri-implantitis: 9.7 percent. It is possible to develop an infection around an implant. Just like natural teeth dental implants require maintenance and good oral hygiene. Regular brushing and flossing around dental implants and natural teeth will prevent gum infections.
4. Implant fracture: 0.14 percent. This is really very rare. It is uncommon for implants to break or fracture. I have seen this a few times with older types of implant designs.
5. Screw or abutment loosening: 12.7 percent. This can be quite common. There are certain systems which are more prone to abutment screw loosening/abutment loosening. In most cases the abutment and screw can be re-tightened. In cement retained crowns this may require a new crown to be made.
6. Abutment screw fracture: 0.35 percent. Again this is quite rare. It is more common in older dental implant systems which used softer alloys to make abutment screws. Newer implant designs have stronger and tougher surfaces which allow the screws to withstand greater forces in compression and tension.

Dental implants are a safe and highly predictable treatment option for damaged or missing teeth. If you would like more information about dental implants please Contact Brighton Implant Clinic or Call us on 0800 111 6623.