While dental implants are an incredibly popular and effective way to replace lost or damaged teeth, boasting many great advantages such as restoring a smile, restoring bite and function, being a long-term cost effective option, and preventing a drifting lower jaw, getting a dental implant is not necessarily without faults here and there. As with anything, there are a number of small downsides associated with the treatment, and it’s always important to have a good understanding of the most common examples of these before you commit to your dental implant procedure. On the whole the downsides are fairly negligible, and the kind of thing anyone would come to expect from any comparable procedure.
At the end of the day, a dental implant looks, feels, and most importantly functions just like a real tooth, so besides the surgery itself, the only failures and downsides your dental implant should be susceptible to are the same failures and downsides any other healthy natural tooth would also be susceptible to. So if you’ve recently decided that dental implant surgery sounds like the thing for you, the following are some of the downsides you should be aware of, despite their rarity, when opting in to the procedure.
Dental Implant Surgery is a Surgical Procedure, so Naturally Surgery will be Required
As the name suggests, dental implant surgery is a surgical procedure, and there are a number of risks and complications that’ll always be associated with surgery in one way or another. Some of these include:
— Infection
— Bleeding and bruising
— Blood loss
— Blood clotting
— Nausea and vomiting
— Anaesthesia related issues
Dental implant surgery is typically performed over a number of procedures, with a few months in between for healing. Once the implant itself has been placed in the first procedure, you’ll likely have some stitches in your mouth to help the area heal. During the healing process you’ll therefore need to be careful with what you eat, so it’s usually suggested that you stick to a diet of soft foods, while also ensuring you keep well hydrated. This shouldn’t last too long though, since the mouth heals fairly quickly.
In the event though that you don’t have a sufficient enough amount of bone mass to support the implant, then a bone graft or augmentation procedure will likely be required. If you do need a bone graft or augmentation then the procedure will be a much more invasive one, and will need more time to heal.
Chips, Cracks, and Fractures of the Crown are Possible
Chips, cracks, and fractures are of course all possible with natural teeth, but ever so slightly more so with dental implants. Furthermore, dental implants are also slightly more susceptible to chips, cracks, and fractures than dental crowns that have been placed over a natural tooth, due to the natural cushioning provided by the periodontal ligament. This is no longer present with a dental implant, so this means that a less cushioned bite will send the shock directly to the dental crown, where it would previously have been absorbed. It’s important to be aware of the reduced cushioning when getting a dental implant, and that you’ll have to be cautious when eating certain hard foods.
Dental Implants are Made Up of Three Separate Parts, Any One of Which Could Potentially Fail
There are three main parts that make up a dental implant as a whole, and they break down as follows:
— The titanium screw/implant: The first part that makes up a dental implant is the implant itself; the titanium screw. This is a small screw that’s installed deep into the jawbone, where it fuses with the surrounding gum tissue and sits just beneath the surface of the gums. As previously mentioned, a bone graft may need to be performed on the jawbone if there isn’t sufficient enough bone mass to support the implant.
— The abutment: On top of the titanium screw sits the abutment. This part of the implant, typically also made of titanium, serves as the connection point between the titanium screw and the dental crown.
— The crown: Atop the abutment goes the third and final piece of the dental implant: the crown. The crown does the job of the tooth itself, and is typically made of either porcelain or ceramic. Each dental crown is custom made—in shape, size and colour—to fit amongst the rest of a patient’s natural teeth.
Where the disadvantage comes in is that by having three separate parts, this introduces more opportunity for failure. We’ll stress again though that this is incredibly unlikely, and most dental implant surgeries are incredibly successful, with an exceptional 95% to 98% rate of success.
Dental Implant Surgery Isn’t Cheap, Especially When Compared to Other Dental Treatments
Dental implant surgery can be quite expensive, with the cost per tooth in the UK often reaching as high as £2,500. While that may seem like quite a lot, in reality dental implants are designed to last a lifetime, and even dentures and dental bridges will need replacing eventually. In the long run, dental implants are unquestionably the most affordable long-term solution.
Dental implants don’t have to be so expensive though. If you decide to travel to Turkey for your dental implant surgery and take advantage of a tailor made, all-inclusive dental implants Turkey treatment package, not only will you stand to save thousands on the cost of your dental implant surgery—along with all of the additional costs for consultations, medications, and post-operative aftercare you’d have to pay for in the UK—you can also enjoy luxury 5* accommodation, your own personal VIP transfer driver, a designated patient coordinator, and your very own translator, with prices starting as low as £440 per tooth.
If travelling to Turkey for your dental implant surgery sounds like something you’d like to get involved with, then get in touch today for your free all-inclusive dental implants Turkey treatment package quote.
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