Dental Implants Fell Out After Three Days
I arranged to get eight dental implants with my dentist. I’ve had six done already and am scheduled for two more soon. The problem that I am having is that three of them have already fallen out. I haven’t even had them for a week. Here are my questions.
1. Should I have to pay for the ones that fell out?
2. Can they replaced?
3. Should I be worried about the remaining implants?
4. Is it safe to move forward with the next two dental implants?
Carlton
Dear Carlton,
I’m going to start off by saying that this is absolutely not what you should expect. In cases of skilled cosmetic dentists, there is generally a 3% failure rate with dental implants. Your dentist has a 50% failure rate. That is unacceptable. Now that I have that out of my system, let’s go through your questions.
Should you have to pay for the ones that fell out? Absolutely not and your dentist should not expect you to. If you’ve already paid for them, I’d get a refund.
Can they be replaced. Yes, however, it’s not as simple as just putting in new dental implants. When they fell out or even if they are removed, then they will take some bone structure with them. That bone is necessary in order to retain the dental implants that need to integrate with the bone in order to stay in your mouth.
Should you be worried about the remaining implants? Absolutely. If the first three fell out, what is preventing the others from doing the same?
Is it safe to move forward with the other two dental implants? I don’t recommend it, not unless your dentist can tell you why the first three failed. If he can’t or you aren’t buying his explanation, then the first thing I would do is go to an implant dentist with significant post doctoral training and get a second opinion. You need to find out why these first few failed before you make any decisions.
This blog is brought to you by Douglas, AZ Dentist Dr. Gilberto Tostado.
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Dentist Placed an Implant Knowing it Would Fail
I was going to get a dental implant. My dentist said he’d done quite a few of them and that I was a great candidate. I was thrilled to be getting a tooth that would be permanent and had heard great things about implants. When I woke up from the surgery he told me that I didn’t have enough bone for them to succeed. But, for some reason he placed the implant anyway. Now he’s saying that he wants me to remove it and get a dental bridge because it won’t last long. Two things about this I have questions about. First, should I have to pay for him to remove it if he placed it knowing that it would fail? Second, am I doomed to getting a dental bridge or is it still possible for me to get a dental implant?
Gerald
Dear Gerald,
I am so sorry that this happened to you. I’m aghast at the lack of ethics your dentist is showing here. I’m going to answer both your questions, starting with the second one. Unless there is a serious health issue that you have not mentioned, there should be no problem with you getting a dental implant. However, you won’t be able to do it with this dentist.
As for your first question, no, you shouldn’t have to pay for the removal. Imagine if you purchased a new stove and then after delivering it the seller tells you that “Oh, by the way, it doesn’t work. I recommend you remove it and get a different one.” You wouldn’t put up with that at all. Don’t put up with it from your dentist. One of the basic tenants of dental procedures is that there is an expectation it will work. Placing it knowing that it would fail violated that.
Instead of asking for a refund, I want you to find a skilled implant dentist. One who has advanced post-doctoral training in implants and have your original dentist pay for the removal and replacement. This will also mean that you will need an additional procedure, known as bone grafting, but it will be worth it.
This blog is brought to you by Douglas, AZ Dentist Dr. Gilbert Tostado.
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My Implant Is Loose
My dental implant which just had the dental crown placed on it is now loose. Should I pull it out or wait and see the dentist?
Carol
Dear Carol,
Please wait to see the dentist. It is possible that the dental implant can still be saved. One thing that bothers me is that you said it came loose after your dentist placed the dental crown. This may mean that there was premature loading. That simply means that he placed the crown too soon. It is very important that the bone has enough time to integrate with the implant or it will come loose and fail.
However, it could be a simpler problem as well. There are many reasons an implant can come loose. Some of them are easier to fix than others. I don’t know what amount of post-doctoral training your dentist has in the implant procedure. However, it would not hurt to get a second opinion from a dentist who invested in a lot of dental implant training. For instance, Dr. Tostado received advanced restorative training in implant dentistry at USC in Los Angeles, as well as other implant dentistry training in Spain and Germany.
Some other institutions with good implant training to look for in a dentist’s bio is the Dawson Academy and the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies. There are others, too. The key is making sure they’ve studied dental implants in more than just dental school, which will not be enough.
This blog is brought to you by Douglas, AZ Dentist Dr. Gilberto Tostado.
Read More...Half My Dental Implants Have Fallen Out
I received eight dental implants in total. I’ve already paid for five of them and will pay for three more and some dentures in a couple of months. However, they’ve already started falling out. Today, I lost the fourth one and it has only been a little over a week since they’ve been placed. I feel I should get a refund on these so they can be redone. I’m also wondering if I should be concerned over the remainder of them. Have you seen this happen before?
Laurie
Dear Laurie,
First, this is not normal and should not have happened. Your dentist has a 50% success rate for the dental implants he’s given you thus far. Most competent implants dentists have a 95% success rate and even that 5% of failure doesn’t happen for a year or more out. As for a refund. I would not just ask for a refund. Getting dental implants redone is not as simple as replacing the ones that failed. Instead, you have to first have a bone grafting procedure to build back up all the bone that was lost during the failure and removal of your dental implants. That costs even more than what you paid him originally. What I would like you to do instead is request him to pay to have these redone by an implant dentist of your choosing. My recommendation is you find someone with extensive post-doctoral training in dental implants as well as a high success rate so you can be certain you are getting competent work done.
Before moving forward with your replacements, I would like you to get a solid explanation for why they failed in the first place.
Common Reasons for Dental Implant Failure
- Infection at the implant site.
- Inadequate bone support. This is always the fault of the dentist. If he or she does adequate diagnostics, the problem would be realized and dealt with using a bone grafting procedure.
- Cheap implant fixtures. Rather than pay high fees for implant fixtures held to rigid standards, some dentists will try to increase their profits by purchasing cheap fixtures.
- Incorrect placement of the implant – Also completely the fault of the dentist.
- Premature loading. This means the dentist placed the crowns or dentures too soon. The bone needs time to integrate with the implants in a process known as osseointegration.
This blog is brought to you by Douglass, AZ Dentist Dr. Tostado.
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