I have paid half the cost of six dental implants that are supporting a lower denture. I was told this was important and therefore, emptied my savings account to get them. Within a week four of them have fallen out. Is this normal? Should I pay the other half of the bill? It seems like I should have dental implants that stay put. What is the normal procedure when something like this happens?

Mallory

Dear Mallory,

First, I will say up front that you made a good decision in getting dental implants to support your dentures, especially on your bottom arch.  When your teeth were removed, your body recognized that there were no teeth roots there any longer and interpreted that as you not needing any more support for those roots. In an effort to be as efficient as possible with your body’s resources it begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere. After about ten or so years, your jawbone will have shrunk so much, you will no longer be able to retain your dentures.

This is known as facial collapse. You didn’t mention how old you are, but my guess is you’re young enough to not want to be without teeth. Having dental implants placed there signals to your brain that you still need to retain your teeth and thereby preventing any further bone loss.

Dental Implant Failure

The dental implant success rate is usually around 98%. Your dentist has a 33% rate. There really isn’t a viable reason for that. Even if you weren’t a good candidate for dental implants, if he would have done the proper diagnostics he would have known that and could have prevented this problem to begin with.

Without having examined you, I won’t know why your implants failed, but can give you an idea of some reasons dental implant failure occurs.

• Infection at the implant site. This is usually because of poorly fitting implants.
• Incorrect placement of the implant.
• Not enough bone support.
• Premature loading on the implant. By that, we mean the dental crowns (or dentures) are placed on the implants before the bone has had sufficient time to integrate.
• Neglecting proper diagnostics.
• Cutting corners with cheaper, substandard implant fixtures.

I don’t think your dentist is the one to fix this. The first thing you should do is ask for a refund. Your dentist shouldn’t have an issue with that. I want you to get a full-refund. Even though you still have two of your six implants. I honestly don’t think it will be long until they fall out as well.

Next, I want you to see a dentist who has excellent dental implant training and qualifications. Look for someone who is a fellow with the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. These are the top implant dentists in the country. Not only will they be able to diagnose what went wrong, they’ll be able to help you get the implants you desire.

This blog is brought to you by Sugarland Dentist Dr. Siny Thomas.