Cause of Dental Implant Failure: Poor Oral Health
Dental implants are the best way to restore your smile after losing one or more teeth. The key to their success, however, is being in good oral health before they are placed, as well as practicing good oral hygiene after their placement. Before performing surgery, Dr. Jose Valenzuela wants all of his patients to understand the connection between dental implant failure and poor oral health. We can treat an array of complications at our Los Algodones, Mexico office to ensure you are in optimal oral health prior to your implant placement. This will help to ensure the success of the procedure.
How Poor Oral Health Can Cause Dental Implant Failure
Poor oral health is likely the reason for dental implants in the first place. Gum disease and tooth decay can both lead to tooth loss. These conditions typically result from poor oral hygiene. While Dr. Valenzuela can take the steps to eliminate these conditions prior to implant placement, you must practice proper oral hygiene after they are in place to ensure their success.
Osseointegration
Osseointegration is the phase after the implants are placed where the implants fuse to the jawbone. This step is critical to the implants’ success. Poor oral hygiene habits during this time can be detrimental to your implants. These habits can include:
- Failing to properly brush twice each day
- Neglecting to floss at least once per day
- Not using an antibacterial mouth rinse
- Using tobacco products
- Failing to seek treatment for other conditions such as bruxism, or teeth grinding
The Effects of Poor Oral Hygiene
If you fail to practice good oral hygiene throughout your healing phase and beyond, you may re-develop gum disease. Also known as periodontal disease, this bacterial infection can lead to an infection at the implant site or an infection in the jawbone. In either case, this infection can cause gum recession, loss of tissue, and an inability of the implant to properly fuse with the jawbone. An infection resulting from poor oral hygiene is likely to lead to implant failure. This failure could make you ineligible for future dental implants, depending on the extent of damage to the gums and jawbone.
Achieving Dental Implant Success
The best way to ensure that your dental implant surgery is a success is to practice good oral hygiene habits. This will not only prevent implant failure due to infection, but it can also speed the osseointegration phase. This phase can take up to six months, but with proper care, you can potentially reduce this timeframe to just three or four months. To improve the success rate of your dental implants, we recommend:
- Gently brushing your remaining teeth and gums twice each day
- Flossing your remaining teeth once a day
- Using an antibacterial mouth rinse to help keep your incisions clean and prevent infection
- Avoiding all forms of tobacco
- Talking with Dr. Valenzuela about treatment for bruxism or other conditions
Learn More about the Causes of Implant Failure
Dr. Valenzuela can provide you with a detailed overview of the causes of implant failure and how to avoid them. Contact our dental office to learn more.