Safety of Stabilising Dentures with Dental Implants


Find UK Dentists »

Dental implant surgeries are invasive and require an extensive procedure which involves making an incision into the gum at each site of implantation. Beneath these incisions, a socket needs to be drilled into the jawbone into which titanium implants are placed and left to fuse. As with all surgical procedures there are a number of risks that need to be understood before you can go ahead with the procedure.

Many of the risks of surgery will be specific to your individual circumstances, and it is therefore important that you speak to your dentist and doctors about any pre-existing conditions and your general health. Anaesthesia will be involved and many surgical risks revolve around tolerating the anaesthesia well without adverse effects on factors like blood pressure and heart rate. Allergies are another issue as some people can be allergic to either the anaesthetics used in a procedure or the painkillers prescribed afterwards.


With any procedure that is invasive in nature there are risks of infection. This is because whenever the skin, or in this case, the gums, is cut and exposed to the air there is always a potential for infection. In dental surgeries like the one discussed herein, the risks of infection are often closely linked to a person’s oral hygiene and habits.

People with good oral hygiene are far more likely to have a successful and infection free procedure and recovery period, as well as a successful implant surgery that bestows many long term benefits. Poor oral hygiene and habits like smoking can leave the mouth in a less healthy state that leaves it more vulnerable to infection, and it is vitally important that you follow all of your dentist’s instructions about how to care for your mouth after the procedure.

Common side effects of the procedure are swelling and discomfort which can be remedied with standard painkillers and anti-inflammatories. Severe inflammation and pain are sometimes sign of complications and you would need to speak to your dentist about the issue.

The gums and jawbone are extremely rich in nerve endings and blood vessels, and one of the complications of dental implant surgeries is often to do with accidental damage to nerves that run through these parts of your body. These nerves run towards your tongue teeth, chin, and lips, and any damage to them can be felt as odd sensations, numbness, or tingling in one or more of these areas. Your dentist will usually use imaging technologies like CT scans and X Rays to evaluate where the nerves are in your jawbone, however this is still a potential risk as some nerves are difficult to image.

Safety of stabilising artificial teeth with dental implants

Provided that a dental implant surgery has been successful, then the stabilising effect of these titanium inserts is known to be very safe. This is because a successful implant procedure will result in a fusion between the jawbone and the implants themselves, which contributes to a firm and lasting bond which, with proper care, carries little to no risk of accidental damage through the conventional usage of your artificial teeth.

Safety only becomes an issue as far as the stabilising effect of dental implants is concerned when there is a poor fusion between implants and the bone. Unfortunately not every implant surgery will involve a successful linkage between the two, and where this occurs fixing dentures or bridges to an unstable implant can risk damage and injury.

 Number of factors can influence the success of an implant procedure, and these mostly revolve around oral hygiene and more particularly the amount and quality of jawbone a person has. Because implants rely on the bone so much for their stabilising effect, poor linkages tend to occur where there just isn’t enough bone to effectively fuse with implants and form reliable architecture.

Dental implants have been used extensively for many years now, and in this time their efficiency and safety have been proven. The procedure is not without its risks, but these are often carefully assessed before the surgery is given the go ahead. Your dentist will perform a number of tests beforehand to assess how well your implants would fuse with the jawbone, and to determine where any important nerves or blood vessels are. Moreover if you have poor oral hygiene or are a smoker, then your dentist may advise against the procedure all together on the basis that the risks of failure are too high.

« Denture Stabilisation & Bone Grafting Denture Stabilisation & Longevity of Prosthetics »

Guide to Denture Stabilisation


Guide to Dental Implants in London & the UK




Further Information about Dental Treatment