Understanding the Risks and Benefits of Dental Implants

Missing teeth can make it difficult to smile, eat, and speak confidently. Dental implants provide unmatched support and stability to several types of dental restorations. At Brooklyn Heights Dental, Dr. Eugene Stanislaus places dental implants and restores them with dental crowns, bridges, or dentures. While they provide a number of benefits, dental implants do carry some risk of complications. Before you decide implants are right for you, it is important to understand the benefits and potential risks, no matter how minimal they are. To learn more about the risks and benefits of dental implants, contact our Brooklyn, NY, office and schedule a consultation today.

Treatment Benefits

It is of paramount importance that you select a skilled implant dentist for your surgery. Properly placed implants can provide a lifetime of stability for your restorations. Implant-supported restorations offer several benefits over traditional methods:

• Stability - An implant-supported prosthesis feels much more like your natural teeth than a traditional restoration. Unlike traditional dentures, implants hold your restoration in place and prevent it from slipping even as you eat and speak.
• Stimulation - Dental implants stimulate your natural jaw bone like your natural tooth roots once did. This stimulation prevents resorption of the surrounding tissue, a process that naturally breaks down your jaw bone after tooth loss. 
• Structure - As a result of long-term tooth loss, your face can begin to look sunken in and aged. When your smile is restored with dental implants and restorations you can expect to look younger and healthier.
• Longevity - Dental implants offer a permanent solution to tooth loss. In the months following your implant surgery, your jaw bone will begin to osseointegrate, or fuse with, your implants. While you may receive new restorations over the years, properly maintained implants will last for decades.

Possible Risks

Some possible complications you should be aware of are general surgical risks, while others relate specifically to dental implants: 

• Infection - All types of surgery carry a risk of infection. Dr. Stanislaus uses advanced sterilization methods and will check that your incisions are healing properly during a follow-up appointment.
• Implant Failure - If your implants are placed in bone that is not dense or large enough, or embedded at the wrong angle, they can fail to fuse properly. Dr. Stanislaus uses detailed imaging technology to ensure that your implants are placed in the optimal location.
• Tissue Damage - The surrounding nerves and other tissue has the potential to become injured during implant surgery. Again, scans will allow Dr. Stanislaus to place your implants in a way that minimizes the impact on surrounding tissue.
• Sinus Complications - When implants are placed in the back portion of your upper jaw in bone that is too shallow, they can protrude into the sinus cavity and cause complications. Dr. Stanislaus may recommend a sinus lift and bone graft to ensure that your implants have plenty of tissue for support.

While these risks are important to know, they are greatly minimized when you work with a skilled implant surgeon like Dr. Stanislaus. 

Contact Us to Learn More

Our team is here to answer any questions you have about implant surgery and its potential risks and benefits. To learn more about Dr. Stanislaus and the dental implants process, contact us today.