Book

Description

Dental implants have been a successful treatment alternative for restoring missing teeth. The concept of failure beyond the loss of integration has included aesthetic, functional and phonetic reasons. With high patient expectations successful implant integration does not necessarily result in a satisfied patient. A better understanding of the factors associated with implant failures will facilitate clinical decision making and may enhance implant success. Due to the work of the many pioneers in the field, oral implantology has become a highly successful and viable option for the treatment of edentulous areas. High success rates for implant treatment have been shown through numerous clinical studies. However, as more implants are being placed, the numbers of complications are increasing. Even with technologic advances in oral implantology, this type of treatment is not void of complications, even many years after completion.2 These complications appear both surgically and prosthetically, with varying degrees of severity in consequence. Prosthetic complications leave patients without the restorations they ultimately desire, due to functional and aesthetic issues stemming from inadequate implant placement, improper diagnosis, or a lack of understanding about the forces acting upon the prosthetic components. Surgical complications can lead to implant failure, neurosensory impairments, infections, significant bleeding episodes, and possibly death. As oral implantology grows as a discipline, the field of dentistry will be confronted with these complications, and knowledge of how to treat them is pivotal to the long-term success of the treatment.