What is the downside to dental implants?

There are several potential downsides to dental implants, these risks generally fall into 2 categories:

1. Short term downsides
   • Short term downsides of dental implants are typically those associated with the implant surgery itself. These include issues such as prolonged numbness, recovery from the implant surgery, etc.
   • Nothing is 100% guaranteed to heal, so implants can fail or get infected during healing. This is not common, but does happen, especially in patients who have compromised immune systems or are generally not good healers.
   • May not have a tooth in that spot during the healing phase of the implant
     • Sometimes a temporary tooth can be placed during healing, but in general this is not the case for most dentists placing the implant.
   • Cost
     • Implants do cost money, which can seem like a short term hurdle if finances are tight. However they are typically very cost effective over the long term.
   • Your dental insurance will probably cover less than you think
     • Dental insurance companies are not in the business of trying to spend as much money as they can. They typically will help pay for the cheapest tooth replacement option they can, which is usually not an implant.
2. Long term downsides
   • Parts can break
     • Nothing lasts forever. Implant crowns can break, cement can debond. If you like chewing on ice then something will probably end up breaking at some point. This happens with any type of dental work though.
   • Food impaction
     • Implants do not move, but teeth will slowly move over the course of 5-10 years. Sometimes this results in a space opening between the implant crown and the normal tooth next to it, resulting in food getting stuck between them.
     • This can be avoided by wearing a night guard or retainer
   • You still have to brush your teeth
     • Implants don’t get cavities, but they can still get gum disease. If you let food and buildup grow around the implant, it will have gum issues.
     • So if you never want to visit the dentist again, the only solution that will for SURE never have an issue is an empty space.

In general, implants do not have a lot of long term downsides, and the short term downsides are nothing to be extremely concerned with.