San Jose Dental Implants

This depends very much on where the implants are placed and what they will be called upon to do. The best case scenario is the placement of implants in the front portion of the lower jaw. Here success can be as high as 98-100%. In other areas of the mouth, success rates can drop significantly. According to figures that we have today, the success of implants in the front part of the upper jaw are anywhere from 90-95%. Success rates of implants in the back part of the upper and lower jaw can be in the 85-95% range. On average, the success rates of dental implants after 10 years is about 92-95%.

There are other factors that do factor into the success rate. Younger patients that are healthy are going to do better the older patients that are not healthy. Smokers don't do as well as non-smokers. Poorly controlled diabetics don't do as well as good controlled diabetic patients or non-diabetic patients. Patients that have had radiation to the jaws should be very careful about electing implants as the failure rate can be high and the resulting problems associated with invasive procedures in irradiated bone can be devastating. There are bone metabolic disorders that can affect dental implant success and certain pharmacological agents that can negatively affect dental implant success.

The most common drug that a patient has to be concerned with is a bisphophonate drug typically given to treat osteoporosis (for instance Fosamax or Actonel or Boniva). If patients are taking this drug and taking a glucocorticoid like prednisone they especially have to be careful. The oral form of the drug has a lesser chance of causing problem than the intravenous form. They intravenous form is typically reserved for patients with or to prevent the spread of metastatic cancers (prevents the cancer from entering the bone). However, the oral form taken over longer periods of time (2-3 years or more) can lead to more problem that with patients that have just started the medicine.

Anyone in reasonable health who wants to replace missing teeth. You must have enough bone in the area of the missing teeth to provide for the anchorage of the implants. Some people are missing all their teeth and most of those are excellent candidates for dental implants, but today, we use implants to replace small bridges, removable partial dentures and even missing single teeth.

Patients without enough bone or gum tissue are often dismissed as candidates for dental implants. This is not the case. Skilled surgeons can reconstruct the bone and soft tissues and create conditions ready for dental implants.



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