Tag Archives: dental implant failure

Dental Implants

Did My Dentist Handle My Sinus Perforation Correctly?

I had a dental implant placed. During the procedure, the dentist perforated the sinus cavity by a few millimeters, which he explained is quite common. The bone never quite filled in so he eventually ended up removing the implant. I was sedated during the procedure and no antibiotics were administered. A few days later I started having congestion in the nose and a crackling sound. I wasn’t feeling well and thought I might be getting an infection. When I went in for my follow up, he told me everything looked fine. He also said that there was no need to repair the perforation and that it would heal on its own. I told him I thought I was getting an infection and insisted he prescribe me an antibiotic, to which he reluctantly agreed. Since then, I have not had any problem with the congestion. Now I am wondering if I should have had antibiotics to begin with. He said we can try again after everything is healed up. Do you know what the time period for that typically is?

Kathey

Dear Kathey,

illustration of a dental implant

Not providing you antibiotics at the beginning, when there was no sign of infection, is not a problem. However, there are a couple of other issues here that I am concerned about.

First, the sinus perforation. While they do sometimes happen, I would not exactly call it common. Even more disturbing was the amount of the perforation. In dental terms, a few millimeters is HUGE. How did this happen? Did he do the appropriate diagnostics, which would include a CT scan? This is important because dental implants are a 3 dimensional procedure, so you need 3 dimensional images. Without that, you not only risk a sinus perforation, but damaging nearby nerves.

A second thing that concerns me is that the bone never integrated with the dental implant. Did he tell you why? Was there even enough bone there to begin with? Again, I’m curious about the diagnostics which would have given an idea about the bone support.

A Second Dental Implant Procedure

Getting your implant redone is not as simple as just waiting for things to heal. Even if you had enough bone to begin with, when the implant was removed, it would have taken some bone with it.

That bone will have to be replaced in order to even attempt a second procedure. You will need to have some bone grafting done. Then, after that has had time to heal you can get the implant done.

He also needs to answer why the implant failed. If he doesn’t know, how can he assure you it won’t happen the second time. In your place, I’d ask for a copy of the original diagnostics and then take them to another dentist for a second opinion on the reason for dental implant failure.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

Dental Implants

Dental Implant Failure…again

I went to my dentist for dental implants. He’s done quite a bit of them for other people so I felt fairly confident. When he went in for the first surgery, he ended up not giving me the dental implant because he said there was not enough bone structure to retain it. He suggested we do bone grafting. I agreed to that and had that procedure done. Two surgeries down. No implant. After had time to heal, we went in for the dental implant surgery again. Yet again, he said there is still not enough bone and he suggests now that I just get a dental bridge. Here’s what I want to know, is it still possible for me to get a dental implant? Did he do anything wrong?

Kevin

Dear Kevin,

diagram of a dental implant next to a natural tooth

I am sorry you’ve had this experience. You must be very frustrated. I have some good news for you. It is very likely you can still get the dental implant. You will just have to do it with a different dentist. You asked me if your dentist did anything wrong. That’s hard to say. I am curious what type of diagnostics he did ahead of time to determine if there was enough bone structure, but other than that, it seems like he was genuinely trying his best to give you a good outcome.

Truthfully, one thing to be grateful for about your dentist is his integrity and desire to add to his skill set. Not all dentists are even interested in learning about bone grafting let alone try and do it. Plus, when he attempted to give you a dental implant the second time, after you did the procedure he suggested, and there was still not enough bone, he was probably horribly embarrassed.

Some dentists, with less integrity, would have just placed the dental implant knowing it would fail in a few years. Instead of trying to make himself not look bad, he told you the truth, looking out for your best interest rather than his. To me, that says this dentist is a keeper. So, even after you go somewhere else to get your dental implant, I would still use this dentist for all of your other care.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

Dental Implants

Dental Implants Keep Falling Out

I have dentures and have for the last year. I thought I would adapt to them but really hated them. I finally decided nothing was going to change so I opted to get implant-supported dentures. I had six implants placed. In less than a week two of them have fallen out and I can tell a third one is loose. Here are my questions. Should I have to pay for the ones that came out? Do you think more of them will come out? Is there any way this can be fixed?

Clarence

Dear Clarence,

Implant Overdentures
Implant Overdentures

I will say right off the bat that you made a good choice in what procedure you chose to replace your removable dentures. Dental implants are the closest thing to having healthy, natural teeth in your mouth again.

Your big problem here is your dentist. He doesn’t seem to have any idea what he is doing. With dentists who know what they are doing, there is a 95% success rate. Your dentist has about a 50% success rate and that is just in the first week. Plus, I do not have high hopes for the remainder of your implants. I would not expect them to last.

To answer your questions, no, you should not have to pay for the dental implants that fell out. As I mentioned earlier, I don’t think you should hold out much hope on the others. What I would like you to do is see a dentist with more expertise. I’d like him or her to examine your dental implants and tell you the cause of the dental implant failure.

Reasons for Dental Implant Failure

There are quite a few reasons why dental implants can fail. Here are just a few:

  • One of the major causes of dental implant failure is infection. Often this is the result of poorly fitting dentures.
  • Some dentists try to increase their profits by purchasing sub standard implants from overseas.
  • Inadequate bone support. This is completely preventable if your dentist does the correct diagnostic procedures. If you know ahead of time (as you should from the diagnostics) that you do not have enough bone support, there is a simple solution of having a bone grafting procedure done.
  • Incorrect placement of the implant. It is important that your dentist does 3-dimensional diagnostics, such as a CT scan so that the dental implant is placed correctly. Without that, there can be poor placement that results in serious damage such as damaging a nerve or perforating your sinus cavity.
  • Premature loading—It is important that you wait for your implants to integrate wtih your jawbone. If you don’t and put weight on it with the dental crown before integration, it will cause your implants to fail.

Once you know the cause of the dental implant failure, then you can formulate a plan to get the implants you need for your implant overdentures. I think you will be better off getting a full refund from your dentist and then following the treatment plan of a dentist with a lot more experience who can do this properly.

Then, you will have a stable smile that you will be proud to share.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

Dental Implants

Implant Placed With Poor bone Density

I need some advice about how to proceed. I went to a dentist about getting a dental implant. My dentist does not do them, so I looked for someone who advertised. We did a consultation, he took some x-rays, and said everything was fine. The day of the surgery, though, he told me when he went in he realized there wasn’t enough bone support. He put the implant in anyway. Now he wants to remove it and place a dental bridge. This cost me $3K. Should I be entitled to a refund? Am I stuck getting a dental bridge? I sort of had my heart set on an implant.

Ginny

Dear Ginny,

Dental implant diagram

I’m not sure how your dentist thinks he can get away with this. Of course you are entitled to a refund. When a dentist tells you he is providing you with a dental implant, there is a reasonable expectation that the implant will actually be able to support the implant crown. Yours will not, therefore as an implant it is absolutely useless. Your dentist should refund your money in full.

There is a bigger issue here too– Your dentist’s competency and integrity. First, if he had done adequate diagnostics, he would have known there was not enough bone support. This means he either was incompetent in reading the x-rays or he didn’t do the correct ones. Both of these mean he’s incompetent.

The other issue here is the fact that he placed the implants knowing there was not enough bone support. That is malpractice. If you decided to be nasty about it, you can get additional money. At a minimum, I think you should tell him that you want him to pay to get this done correctly. Don’t just let him give you a refund. While you can still get a dental implant and should not be relegated to a dental bridge, you will need an additional procedure.

Without the correct bone support, your implants will fail. There is a bone grafting procedure which can be done to build that back up. Once that is complete, you will be good to go for implants.

Best of luck!

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.