I had eight dental implants total. Three fell out within a week and two more the week after that. I’m sitting on pins and needles terrified to go anywhere because I am afraid the rest will fall out. Should I get a refund on all the implants that fell out? I know he told me there are never guarantees, but this seems a bit more than just a fluke. I paid a fortune to get teeth and it’s not looking like I’ll have any.
Ken
Dear Ken,
This is going in my file of dental implant horror stories. I am sorry you are going through this. Dental implant failure under normal circumstances is 5%. With expert implant dentists, that is closer to a 2% failure rate. Even then, most of those happen much later than what you’ve experienced. In just two weeks, your dentist has managed a 63% failure rate. That is unfathomable.
In your place, I wouldn’t just ask for a refund on the ones that failed. I’d ask for a full refund. I have very little confidence the remaining dental implants will remain in place.
Reasons for Dental Implant Failure
- Infection – This is one of the leading causes. Often, it is a result of poorly fitting fixtures from an inexperienced (or unskilled) implant dentist
- Inadequate bone support – This one is completely avoidable. Your dentist should have done diagnostics ahead of time in order to assess your bone structure. Even if you don’t have adequate bone, there is a bone grafting procedure that can prepare your jaw and build up the bone necessary for a successful dental implant outcome.
- Inadequate fixtures – Some dentists try to draw patients in with super low prices, but make up their profits by ordering substandard fixtures from outside the United States.
- Incorrect placement of the implant – This is also due to inexperience or poor skills, especially since there is technology out there that aides dentists in properly placing the implants.
- Premature loading – This happens when the dentist places the crown on the implant before the surrounding bone has had enough time to integrate.
My suggestion is you go to another more experienced implant dentist to learn WHY they have failed so you know how to next proceed. You can still get dental implants, but you probably won’t be able to get them with this dentist.
This blog is brought to you by Des Moines Dentist Dr. Phelan Thomas.