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Dental implants traditionally have a very high success rate. The majority of studies that have been done indicate long-term success rates well over 95%. However, there are many factors that can compromise the success rates of dental implants. These can be divided into three categories: general health concerns, local factors and maintenance issues. It is important to consult with your dentist or dental professional prior to having implants placed to determine whether you are a goodcandidate. Most implant failures can be eliminated through proper caseselection.

1. General health concerns that may impact an implant’s success include such factors as smoking, certain drugs, osteoporosis, history of radiation treatment, or a compromised immune system.
2. Local factors that could impact implants include bone quality, bone quantity, and initial stability of the implant at the time of placement. Bite-related concerns depend upon the amount of stress that the patient will be placing on the implants. When evaluating a dental implant patient, your dentist has to evaluate whether you clench or grind your teeth.This will impact both the potential short and long-term success ofimplants.
3. Finally there are maintenance issues, while implants are wonderful high-technology replacements for teeth, they need routine maintenance. This includes daily cleaning and continued professional management. Without ongoing professional care,implants just like any other technically sophisticated device aresusceptible to breakdown.

I believe that one should have confidence that dental implants are an excellent choice to replace missing teeth, but feel free to consult with your dental professional about your unique case requirements — how many implants you need, your medications, your medical history, and local findings such as bonequality and quantity. If you are properly evaluated by a qualifieddental professional and determined to be a good candidate, there is noreason why you cannot have extremely high success rates as do mostpatients.

For more information contact Dr. Todd Welch with West Tennessee Periodontics and Dental Implants at www.wtnperio.com or you can leave a comment in the section below. You can also view my blog post “What are Dental Implants?”. Thanks for reading !!