Our dental implant surgeon's essential guide

Dental implant surgery is one of the safest and most predictable procedures we do. There are very few risks of dental implants, and even less dental implant complications post-surgery.

The treatment has a success rate of over 99% and, when performed by a qualified and experienced specialist dentists like our colleagues here at Dental Perfection in Hampstead, your chances of success are even higher.

Of course, as with everything in life and especially in surgery, there are some potential risks of dental implants. But our established medical procedures and the experience of our staff mitigate almost completely those risks, and can easily prevent most dental implant complications with careful planning.

For example, in your consultation, we take your medical history, x-rays and give you a thorough medical exam. This helps us minimise any dental implant complications by giving us an idea how the treatment will work for you and allowing us to make detailed pre-operative plans.

We offer different types of dental implants to suit each individual also.

Dental implant risks and complications

The implant not ‘taking’ to the bone

The reason tooth implants are so stable and function like real teeth is because the titanium posts fuse to the bone after a few months of being in place.

The most common dental implant complication is when the implant and bone do not bond.If this happens, we can simply take the implant back out easily and painlessly.

We may be able to place a new implant immediately or we will wait a few months to give your bone time to heal.

Peri-implantitis

This is a disease which can affect the surrounding gum and bone, raising the risk of dental implants not succeeding. Over time, peri-implantitis can lead to bone loss and the loosening of your implant.

Your chances of developing peri-implantitis are greatly reduced if you do not smoke, live a healthy lifestyle, and maintain good hygiene.

If you do experience any dental implant complications from peri-implantitis it, however, we can address the bone loss and either save or replace your implant for you.

Other infections

As with any kind of surgery, there is the potential risk of dental implants and surrounding tissue contracting an infection.

However, due to the sterile conditions they are performed under, infections from dental implant surgery are extremely rare.

In most cases, we will also provide you with a course of antibiotics after your treatment to lower your risk of dental implants developing an infection following surgery.

Nerve damage

Because they are surgically placed into your jaw, there is also a slight risk of dental implants causing nerve damage in the process of your procedure.

This rare dental implant complication can cause pain, numbness or tingling in your lips, teeth, gums or chin.

By thoroughly studying the exact location of your nerves, we can effectively determine which size of implant to use.

That means we can effectively avoid collision with the nerve and eliminate the risk of your dental implants causing damage.

Gum disease

If you have gum disease prior to your surgery, you’re at a higher risk of dental implant procedure complications.

Periodontitis, the advanced form of gum disease, can cause bone deterioration which will greatly impact the chances of your treatment working.

The bacteria eat away at connective tissues on tooth roots, destroy gums and weaken bones. We will always treat your gum disease before beginning your dental implant treatment to make sure it does not impact your end result.

Dental tooth implant side effects

Although dental implant treatment is a highly effective and reliable solution for missing teeth, it may present some side effects that patients should be aware of, such as:

1) infection at the site of surgery. This can occur if proper hygiene protocols are not followed or if the implant is rejected by the body's immune system.

2) some patients may experience temporary discomfort and swelling around the treated area following surgery.

3) some patients may experience discomfort or pain during the healing process after surgery, although this can usually be managed with over-the-counter pain medication prescribed by your dentist

4) in rare cases, nerve damage can also occur which may result in numbness or tingling sensations in surrounding areas such as lips and cheeks.

Despite these possible complications, most patients report minimal discomfort during their recovery period and enjoy a successful outcome with their new dental implants

Dental implant consultation in Hampstead

If you want to know more about how we lower the risks of dental implant procedures and avoid dental implant complications to make it one of the safest, most predictable treatments in modern dentistry, talk to our team here in Hampstead.

Call Dental Perfection in Hampstead today on 020 7431 2710 to arrange your dental implant consultation, and we’ll answer any questions you may have.

We have been working with clients from all over North London (including St Johns Wood, Belsize Park, Highgate, and Swiss Cottage) from our Hampstead clinic since 1979.

Our North London clinic is a few minutes’ walk away from Hampstead Underground Station.