People’s dental health care has improved over the years but there are still cases of tooth loss among individuals. This may be as a result of a gum disease, such as gingivitis, trauma or dental decay. Though dental plates and bridges have improved, many people opt for dental implants. These are usually a successful solution and enable the person to almost forget that they have ever had a tooth loss. This is because the implants look and feel natural. However, having dental implants is a complex procedure which does have some disadvantages.
One of the main disadvantages of dental implants is the cost. As compared to other alternatives for replacing a missing tooth or teeth, cost can be quite high. Included in the price of a dental implant is the price of the surgical placement and its restoration with a crown.
Another disadvantage is the length of time required from initial dental implant placement to implant restoration. The treatment time varies from approximately three to six months. This depends on the location of placement of the implant, the necessity for adjacent procedures like bone grafting, the quality and quantity of healthy bone and overall health of the dental implant recipient.
The need for a minimally invasive surgical procedure could also fit in as a disadvantage. With apprehension to dental treatment being quite common, many potential dental implant patients choose less invasive treatment to replace their missing teeth.
The implant could also fail to integrate with the surrounding bone. This is indicated by a loose implant a few weeks after the surgery. The integration of the implant can be affected by factors, some of which include an infection in the dental implant recipient site, over heating of the surrounding bone, compromised blood supply, limited bone available to stabilize the dental implant.
Prolonged pain can be encountered. After a dental implant is surgically placed in the bone, the surrounding area can be tender for a few days. This is mainly due to post surgical inflammation of the surrounding tissue. Sometimes, the pain persists for a longer period of time or even indefinitely. The pain can be caused by chronic localized inflammation, close proximity of the dental implant to a major or even a minor nerve branch or a more severe foreign body reaction. Thus, they are not a good solution to people who do not recover quickly or are unable to deal with varying degrees of pain.
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