Disadvantages of Dental Implants


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There are some aspects of dental implant treatment that you may regard as negatives. The following list is of some things you may want to consider before undertaking the surgery.

A surgical procedure is required

It is unlikely that your dental implant treatment will require you to go under a general anaesthetic, but you will need to have a local anaesthetic and the implant is a surgical procedure. For some people, this is enough to put them off the treatment altogether! There are some tooth replacement treatments that do not require any surgery, and if you are particularly averse to it these might be better options for you.


The cost can be excessive for some people

Although the cost of dental implants varies greatly, it can be higher than £2000 per tooth. If you need a whole mouth of teeth replaced this can be a very expensive option. There are however different ways to get around this: do your research carefully, because there will be dentists who are just as good but charge less. Look for patient testimonials. You could also arrange a loan, a payment scheme, or with plenty of research have your implants fitted abroad.

You may need a bone graft

If you have worn dentures for years and are tired of the issues associated with them you may have your heart set on dental implants. Unfortunately, you may be told on assessment that you do not have enough bone to support dental implants. In some cases a bone graft may be the only option. This might sound scary but it is quite common for patients having dental implants and your dentist should be able to fully explain your options with the procedure. You could also ask your dentist if you are a suitable candidate for mini implants.

There is a 5% chance that the implant will fail to bond with the bone

It is possible that your body will reject the implant and the bone tissue will fail to bond with the roughened titanium surface of the implant. If this is the case your dentist may remove the implant, let the site heal, and try again. If this doesn’t work you may have to have a bridge or denture instead.

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