Blog

I recently had a new patient consultation with a man who had asked for a quote for dental implant work from another clinic. Nothing extraordinary about that, except that he had been told that the dental implants he was to receive would last a lifetime. This prompted some immediate questions from me:

• Whose lifetime? The dentist, the patient, or the implant?
• Who’s going to guarantee those implants for a lifetime?

Making lifetime promises to patients may be all well and good, but without a back-up plan and some ‘what-ifs’ in the contract, all such promises begin to sound rather hollow!

Here’s what we do at our clinic to ensure that our implants survive for the longest time possible – having the right attitude certainly helps for starters!

• Admit that implants can and do fail both in short-term instances and long term, as denial or lying about these realities is irresponsible
• Educate ourselves and keep abreast of the latest news and evidence-based studies on what causes implant failure and what can be done to avoid it

It’s also important to prepare a clear and well-defined follow-up protocol for each and every implant patient, tailored to his or her individual needs. This may include:

• Regular implant hygiene sessions with trained hygienists
• Semi-annual examinations and consultations with the Implantologist
• Screening protocols with implant hygienists for signs of early peri-implantitis or  implant failure

Giving implant patients the right information

• Peri-implantitis leads to implant failure if it goes undetected
• 15% of dental implant patients will suffer from some form of peri-implantitis
• Patients who have lost their original teeth from gum disease face a much higher risk of losing their implants
• Patients who fail to practice good oral hygiene that results in the formation of plaque are also at risk
• Patients who smoke have a much higher risk of peri-implantitis or implant failure
• Patients who don’t know they have peri-implantitis because they don’t feel any pain and discover it right up until the time the implant falls out are also at risk

But it’s not all doom and gloom!

• Problems can be detected early using screening protocols
• Peri-implantitis or implant failure can be easily treated in its early stages
• Late stage treatment is more complex, but it is still possible to save the implants

Above all, as with regular teeth, all you need to do to stand the best chance of success for the long-term is to keep your implants clean, consult an implant-trained hygienist, and make sure to show up for your regular dental appointments and routine checkups. It’s as simple as that!