Dental Implant Complications

$120,000 of treatment should come with a warranty. Sound like you need to speak with another doctor or get a straight answer from your existing one. Being able to see your bone may indicate other inflammatory processes that are lending to your other symptoms. Get a second, third, or more opinions before travelling down this road again.

I would agree with the previous comment. I would definitely speak with your current dentist/surgeon. If you are not happy with the answer, demand to see a specialist oral and maxillofacial surgeon. In my experience, it sounds like you have some inflammation or infection around. You should try and resolve this sooner rather than later.

Although there are many fine implant surgeons, one who literally "wrote the book" is Carl Misch. It might be worth a consultation visit with him. Try googling the Misch Implant Institute in Birmingham, Michigan.

Suppose this guy is just sick. Why does it have to be the implants? When I began practicing in the early 1960's, anytime a patient became ill the doc would suggest to remove all of the patient's teeth. How about a medical work-up?

It sounds like the implants may be having a problem, especially if you can see the bone, but it doesn't sound like they are the cause of the problem. (Can you actually see the bone?) There may be problems with drugs being taken and I would strongly encourage a complete physical exam and blood workup. This does not sound like an implant problem if you had five trouble free years in the beginning. The ENT problems do not sound like they are related to the implants.

My complications began on February 16, 2006 when the oral surgeon grafted bone from my lower left jaw to accomodate two implants on the upper left. I had tremendous swelling on the left side of my face and neck which lasted for appx. 10 days after the surgery. Upon the second post-op visit, which was one month after the bone graft, the oral surgeon became angry because I was still experiencing pain in my left jaw and an extremely sore tongue. He indicated that I had an exposed nerve, that I would have to have another bone graft adjacent to the the current bone grafted area and stormed out of the room. I have followed all post-op instructions. I am very leary about allowing this oral surgeon to complete the implant procedures, but I'm also concerned that another oral surgeon may be hesitant to clean up another's mess. Any suggestions

I had bone graft surgery to fill a space on my uppper maxilla. I lost 7, 8 and 10 about 20 years ago as a result of trauma (I have been wearing a partial denture since then). During the grafting procedure the surgeon removed #9 to provide a more straightforward grafting site and reduce the risk of infection. for the first 5 days post op everything seemed to be going fine, but now as the stitches have disolved parts of the implant are visible on the ridgeline. My surgeon is monitoring me every couple of days for any increase in size of the exposed graft. My questions are, does the exposed graft mean that the graft is no longer viable? and how long can a graft remain exposed before the graft fails? I am on antibiotic treatment to help prevent infection an saline rinses to keep the site clean

There are so many factors involved with healing and complications with healing that this blog will not adequately provide you patients with a satisfactory answer. If something is not working and your surgeon is not being helpful, please do yourself a favor and get a second opinion. How many patients would buy an expensive sports car without shopping around for price, customer service, and reputation, but will go ahead and let some stranger just screw things up in their body? Don't let a poor surgeon make you worse. Ask other local dentists for a referral to someone with a stellar reputation.

I just had a sinus lift and implants on teeth # 3 and 4 three days ago. Is it normal to see the head of the implants at this time. I have some swelling in the cheek but, minimal pain. I am able to see all of one head of one implant and partial of the other. Thank you, C. S. Carney

I just had a sinus lift and implants on teeth # 3 and 4 three days ago. Is it normal to see the head of the implants at this time. I have some swelling in the cheek but, minimal pain. I am able to see all of one head of one implant and partial of the other. Thank you, C. S. Carney

On July 4 2007 I had an abcessed tooth that was treated with Antibiotics and pain meds while I was on Vacation. The tooth was in front on two teeth I planned on getting bone/skin grafts and dental implants. My dentist ended up pulling the tooth and gave me more antibiotics and told me we could start the grafts and implants after that area healed. When it healed I had a CT scan and on Dec 5 2007 the grafting/implants were done. The dentist had to stop on multiple occasions to give me more novacaine as it kept wearing off after the 4 hour surgery. Since Dec 5 2007 he has given me 3 different antibiotics each stronger then the last and pain medication. I have had to go in and see him on 4 occasions. Three for the pain control and one to get the dissolveable stiches removed. He told me he used the stiches they us in cardiac surgeries. My main concern is the pain and numbness. This has not let up since my first visit after the surgery. It sometimes is throbbing pain and other times it feels like an electrical shock. There is also the numbness. I am drueling and cannot feel anything from my lower lip to my cheek bone. I have told him about this and he said after the stiched were removed it would go away. Well last week they were removed but now one in poking up that he missed. Should I be concerned? I have thought about getting the implants removed even though the whole surgery cost me $6000.00. I talk on the phone for a living and this causes alot of pain and I am forced to take narcotic pain meds as I cannot take NSAID do to stomach reactions. Please help me.

TO RS MURPHY,I JUST WENT THROUGH A HORRIBLE ORDEAL WITH IMPLANTS. THE FIRST TIME I HAD THEM DONE IT WAS A DISASTER. MY MOUTH WAS IN CONSTANT PAIN AND I ENDED UP LOSING ALL OF MY 6 IMPLANTS. I LOST MY FIRST ONE A WEEK AFTER SURGERY FROM AN INFECTION , THE SECOND ONE I LOST WAS BECAUSE IT BECAME MOBILE AND THE 3RD AND 4TH IMPLANT WERE PULLED OUT OF MY JAW AFTER BEING IN MY MOUTH FOR 6 MONTHS BY MY COSMETIC DENTIST WHO WAS TRYING AT THE TIME TO REMOVE A BRIDGE WITH FORCEPS THAT HE HAD CEMENTED IN. MY LAST TWO IMPLANTS WERE PULLED OUT BY THE NEW DENTIST BECAUSE HE SAID THEY WERE NO GOOD. ACTUALLY, THE NEW DENTIST HAD TO LEAVE ONE OF THE BAD IMPLANTS IN MY MOUTH AS HE SAID IT WOULD CAUSE ME MORE HARM TO REMOVE THE IMPLANT RATHER THAN TO LEAVE IT IN. THE SECOND TIME I HAD IT DONE I WENT TO A PERIODONIST AND HE PLACED 10 IMPLANTS IN MY UPPER JAW. THE SURGERY TOOK ABOUT 1HOUR AND 15MIN. THIS SURGERY ALSO INCLUDED EXTENSIVE BONE GRAFTING AND A BI-LATERAL SINUS LIFT. I HAD THESE DONE IN JAN. OF 2007 AND I AM ABOUT TO GET MY PERMANENT CROWNS NEXT WEEK. MY NEW DENTIST TOLD ME THAT THE IMPLANTS I HAD THE FIRST TIME AROUND WITH THE OTHER DENTIST WERE SOMETHING YOU WOULD FIND IN A LUMBERJACK AS HE SAID MY MOUTH WAS PETITE. MY NEW DENTIST ALSO SAID THAT HE WASN'T SURE HE COULD EVEN HELP ME WHEN I WENT TO HIM BECAUSE OF ALL THE DAMAGE. I NEVER EXPERIENCED ANY PAIN WITH THIS NEW DENTIST. GOOD LUCK, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU NEED TO GET THOSE IMPLANTS REMOVED RIGHT AWAY. I AM ONLY TALKING FROM EXPERIENCE. I AM NO DENTIST BUT I WAS THE ONE THAT HAD TO SUFFER BECAUSE A DENTIST MADE A WRONG CHOICE. I CAN NOW SAY I KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HAVING A BOTCHED UP IMPLANT JOB AND A DENTIST THAT KNOWS WHAT THE HECK HE IS DOING. GOOD LUCK, YOU POOR THING

RS Murphy I need more information to really help out on this one. First, post-operative pain that is constant and severe is not normal after surgery but some amount of discomfort should be expected. If you have numbness than it leads me to believe you had an implant on your lower jaw (mandible) done. You may have impingement of the nerve causing the numbness. If you don't have any infection, you may have ostitis of some kind. Another CT or physical examination usually reveals this. In my experience, rare is the patient who has pain one week post implant surgery...but it has happened. The mandible is denser bone that may overheat during surgery...which may also cause the pain. Again, without more information it is hard to assess the situation. I hope this helps and I wish you the best.

Hi there, just had a dental implant today and 3 out of 4 stitches around the immidiate site have fallen out already, they are dissolvables. How will this effect the 'look' of my gums? I have done everything after surgery as suggested, all soft foods, medications and such. I am not in pain or anything. Just wondering if this is super important as my surgeon is 2 hours away. Thank-you

I had implant placed a couple of yrs ago. on central incisor, lost tooth due to trauma. No complications from surgery. Dentist placed Crown that was too wide and moved surrounding teeth out of position which is still causing discomfort as teeth feel out of line. Found out about prosthodontists and had crown re-done. Found out from him and xray that implant was placed very deep by surgeon and have bone loss around tooth. Having a lot of discomfort now with gum tissue around implant. Seems to be pulling and gets very sore if I talk a lot. Can't get any answers from dentist except to stop talking so much. Concerned about bone loss and discomfort, gum recession that seems to be occurring. Had no bone loss prior to implant placement. Very worried about long term, age 45 roots on adjacent teeth are shortened from trauma too.

I am contemplating going to Mexico for dental implants. After my Atlanta Ga. dentist of 6 years destroyed my teeth with a botched root canal, to which he cemented an ill-fitted bridge and destroyed my 3 opposing teeth trying to remove the bridge. I doubt if I could get much worse in Mexico. Anyone considering implants should be very careful especially in states where dental licensing is questionable at best, and dentist are not required to have liability insurance...If you are having problems, get another opinion. Instead of a DDS, see a specialist an oral/maxo-facial surgeon or a prostodontist(sp)?.