What Causes Dental Implants to Fail?

Dental implant failure can happen soon after the procedure or several years after. If you make it through the healing process and your implant feels secure, it’s unlikely to fail soon, but it still can years down the road if you don’t practice good oral hygiene.

Implant failure is not common. Only around 5% to 10% of patients experience implant failure. 

While dental implants can fail for a few different reasons, the most common are infection and bone loss — both of which can be prevented with good oral hygiene and regular visits to the dentist.

Dental implant failure is rarely caused by allergic reaction, body rejection, injury to the area, or nerve damage. You’ll know your implants are beginning to fail if you suffer pain and swelling near the site of the implants or if they’re feeling loose. 

Prevent Implant Failure

If you want your dental implants to stay healthy and last a long time, we can’t emphasize it enough. Practice good oral hygiene. Brush and floss twice daily, use an antibacterial mouthwash, and visit your dentist every three to six months at least.