Are Dental Implants Safe?

When you have missing teeth, you might have trouble chewing, talking or doing other daily activities. You might also feel self-conscious about how you look, causing you to avoid smiling or chatting with people. Dental implants offer an option for replacing missing teeth to improve your quality of life and your smile. If you’re worried about the safety of dental implants, keep the following information in mind.

What Are Dental Implants?

Dental implants are posts that dental surgeons place in your jawbone. These posts fuse with the bone and act as anchors for artificial replacement teeth. Dental implants help restore functionality by allowing you to chew and speak without difficulty, They also help you achieve a beautiful smile, so that you no longer feel self-conscious about your appearance.

Benefits of Dental Implants

Dental implants offer more than a way to restore your smile and functionality. Implants protect your facial bone by lowering the risk of bone deterioration, which can occur when you have missing teeth. With dental implants, your dentist fixes artificial teeth in place, so you don’t have to remove them as you do with dentures. Dental implants also don’t affect your surrounding teeth as dental bridges do. When you have dental bridges, you need to have the anchoring teeth prepared by having tooth enamel removed. Dental implants don’t require this step.

Dental Implant Procedure

Implant procedures typically involve having implants placed inside your jawbone. Other implant procedures involve placing implants under your gums above your jawbone, but these are less common. The process starts with placing titanium rods in your jawbone. Over the next several weeks, the implants will fuse to your jawbone through a process called osseointegration. After your jawbone heals, dental surgeons place an abutment on top, which will hold your artificial tooth in place. Your dentist will make impressions of your teeth and mouth to have custom replacement teeth made. When these are ready, they’ll be attached to the abutments.

Risks of Dental Implants

Dental implants are generally considered safe, but there are a few risks to be aware of. They include infections at the implant site, damage to other teeth or blood vessels in the area, nerve damage and sinus problems. Your dentist will make sure that you are a good candidate for dental implants beforehand, which helps lower the risk of complications.

There’s also a risk of having some side effects after the procedure. This generally includes swelling in your face and gums, mild bruising, discomfort or soreness at the implant site and slight bleeding. These side effects are rarely serious and only last for a short time.

Preventing Dental Implant Risks

Making sure that you are a good candidate for dental implants lowers your risk of serious complications or side effects. Good candidates are those who have enough jawbone to support implants, healthy tissue and no underlying medical conditions that could affect healing. Being a nonsmoker is also important, since smoking can slow or impair healing. Keep in mind that if your jawbone has deteriorated, a bone graft may be done to correct this.

You and your dentist can also take steps to lower the risk of severe side effects. You may take antibiotics after implant surgery, which can help prevent infections from occurring. Follow your dentist’s advice on caring for your jaw as it heals, like watching for signs of infection. If you experience soreness or swelling after surgery, you should be able to take over-the-counter pain relievers.

If your dentist determines that dental implants are not safe for you, you can discuss other options. For example, your dentist might recommend a dental bridge or dentures instead of dental implants, since these are less invasive.

Conclusion

Overall, dental implants are a safe and common type of dental procedure. Taking steps to prevent complications and ensuring that you’re a good candidate minimizes any risks you may face. When you’re ready to consider dental implants, talk to a dentist in Phoenix who can help you. Contact us at Dental Brothers for a free consultation to go over your options.