When Your Body Attacks Your Teeth: Combating Autoimmune Dental Problems

Feel Confident About Dental Implants By Learning About Success Rates & Patient Satisfaction

As you consider getting dental implants to replace some missing teeth, you no doubt look forward to some functional improvements as well as making your smile look more attractive. You might have wondered how successful these devices are and whether people are generally satisfied with their dental implants. You'll be glad to learn about the excellent results and research confirming the positive psychological and physical effects.

Dental Implant Success Rate

There are different kinds of dental implants, such as rods made of metal and rods made of ceramic. Some dental implants are placed individually, while others have multiple prostheses -- the cosmetic part of the implant -- placed on one rod inserted in the jaw. These factors affect dental implant success rates, as do factors such as where the implants are placed in the jaw and whether the individual has any bad dental habits, such as teeth grinding.

In general, however, up to 98 percent of dental implants are successful. Part of that success rate has to do with how well you attend to your oral hygiene after you have implants, including brushing and flossing to prevent gum disease. In the rare event that any problems do develop, your dentist may be able to resolve the issue if you don't delay seeking treatment.

Relevant Research on Patient Satisfaction

A detailed study that appeared in 2005 looked at patient satisfaction 10 years after receiving dental implants. High satisfaction rates were determined for:

• chewing function
• comfort during chewing
• appearance
• effects on speaking
• ease of cleaning implants

A study published in 2011 aimed to find out whether the expectations of patients influenced how satisfied they were after having dental implants installed. It turned out that the study participants were generally much more satisfied with the function and appearance of the implants than they had expected to be. 

Concluding Thoughts

Your dentist can make an expert evaluation of the likelihood that dental implants will be successful for you. You'll have the best results if you don't smoke, for example, or if you don't have uncontrolled high blood sugar. Dentists often will not even perform implant surgery for patients with problems such as these until those issues are resolved. 

Some individuals have jawbone deterioration due to general osteoporosis or because teeth have been missing a long time. You still may be able to have implants installed if an oral surgeon does bone grafting to replace lost bone. 

If you feel confident about going forward, start taking steps toward replacing your missing teeth with dental implants and enjoying better chewing function and a rejuvenated appearance. To find out more, contact someone like Greeley Dental Health.