I got eight dental implants in order to not have removable dentures. I’ve paid for about 1/2 of the procedure and am supposed to pay the remaining 1/2 soon. After just a few days, three of the dental implants fell out and another one feels loose. I have two questions. First, should I have to pay for the ones that fell out? Second, should I be worried about the other implants, especially the loose one.
Susan
Dear Susan,
Your choice of getting implant supported dentures was a good one which, when done properly, will prevent facial collapse. Obviously, your dentist did not do it properly and I am sorry to hear this happened to you. You have very legitimate questions and concerns. First, you should not expect to have to pay for the dental implants that fell out. A basic tenant of dental work is that it actually stays in your mouth. Most dentists with dental implant training have a 95% success rate. Your dentist is looking at a an abysmal 50% success rate, with that fourth one already loose. Not only that, most cases of dental implant failure that do happen would take at least a year. Your dentist’s work didn’t even last a few days! As to the other implants, I would not hold out too much hope that they are going to stay in.
Reasons for Dental Implant Failure
- Infection at the implant site. This is often because of poorly fitting fixtures.
- Poor bone support. This can be completely avoided by your dentist doing adequate diagnostics.
- Cheap dental implant fixtures.
- Incorrect placement of the implant fixture.
- Premature loading of the denture or dental crown. This happens where there was not given enough time for the bone to integrate with the implant before putting stress on it.
Do not pay any more money to this man. You need to get these looked at by another dentist who can tell you what has gone wrong. Don’t let your dentist choose who gives you the second opinion. You want someone with dental implant experience. However, you might want to choose a dentist from a different city. That way there will be less of a chance that they are friends. The dental world is a small one.
If the second opinion dentist wants the diagnostics and notes from your current dentist, he or she is under an ethical obligation to provide them.
This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.