Advantages and Disadvantages of Dental Implants

Dental implants are a substitute for missing teeth. They are an ideal solution for candidates who want to replace their missing teeth. If you are planning for dental implant surgery, then it is important that you know the advantages and disadvantages of it, so that it helps you in making an informed decision.

Advantages of dental implants

• Dental implants provide support for crowns, bridges and dentures by reducing the load placed on the remaining teeth.
• They prevent the surrounding natural teeth from getting damaged. It avoids the need to cut down or remove the surrounding teeth.
• As the missing teeth is removed, dental implants preserve jaw bone and reduce the reduction of bone height.
• Unlike other methods, dental implants last for many years.
• Stability of dentures can be provided by dental implants as it does not have a  need to wear denture adhesive.
• Dental implants allows the candidate to speak, chew and eat as before.
• It improves hygiene condition.
• Less decay risks can be seen in dental implants.
• Cold sensitivity can be decreased in dental implantation
• Dental implants are cosmetically esthetic and resemble natural teeth.
• It maintains bone in site and it will be fixed in the bone as it is fully covered with flaps of gingival tissue.
• Dental implants have the ability to bond to living bone tissue so it looks like a natural teeth.

Disadvantages of dental implants

• Poor muscular coordination can be seen in dental implants.
• Dental implants require greater financial investment compared to other dental replacement methods.
• Implants take more time for healing.
• It requires minor surgery to insert the implant in the bone
• As the implants have lack of shock absorbers, fractures of crowns and bridgework are more common in dental implants.
• As they do not have any nerve contact, implants may feel 'dead'.
• Implants can also suffer from gum disease if patients have any untreated gum problems or there has been no implant maintenance.
• Implants should be properly maintained by the patient or occasionally by the dentist otherwise dental risks like tooth decay, gum bleeding may arise.
• Patients require treatment for long time for bone healing
• Dental implants are not suitable for all patients. It is possible in patients have enough jaw bone.
• Food intake is decreased as the food selection is limited after the dental implantation.
• Bite force is decreased from 200psi to 50psi after the surgery

Therefore, carefully consider the above advantages and disadvantages of dental implants when deciding whether it is right for you or not.