What Are The Health Risks of Having Dental Implant Screws Inserted Into Your Jaw Bone?

Dental implants have been viewed by many as the saviour for their bite. Bite function is important, as we all know, for the ability to eat properly and chew our food. Losing teeth can be challenging for a lot of reasons and not least of all is a diminished bite function. Is the revolutionary dental implant a game changer or are there downsides as well? What are the health risks of having dental implant screws inserted into your jaw bone? In this article, I hope to address these questions and provide a more balanced assessment of this new biotechnology.

Dental Implants: What Are They & Is There Much Risk?

Firstly, what are dental implants and what does this procedure involve? The dental implant is a titanium screw, which is screwed into the jaw bone to replace the original tooth’s root. This, then, provides a secure foundation for a crown or replacement artificial tooth to be affixed to. The nub of the technology is the security of the base being screwed into the human jaw bone. This is vital because of the enormous pressures involved when eating foodstuffs over the duration. A firm and lasting foundation is required to stand up to the forces involved over time. As many of us know, crowns can break away when not affixed to stable and durable bases.

“A dental implant is a surgical component that interfaces with the bone of the jaw or skull to support a dental prosthesis such as a crown, bridge, denture, facial prosthesis or to act as an orthodontic anchor. 90%–95% has been reported as the success rate of implants over the 10 years. Although it has become the treatment of choice for most of the dentists, still, the complications arising from dental implant placement are the biggest challenge.”
– Raikar S, Talukdar P, Kumari S, Panda SK, Oommen VM, Prasad A. Factors Affecting the Survival Rate of Dental Implants: A Retrospective Study. J Int Soc Prev Community Dent. 2017 Nov-Dec;7(6):351-355. doi: 10.4103/jispcd.JISPCD_380_17. Epub 2017 Dec 29. PMID: 29387619; PMCID: PMC5774056.

Do Dental Implants Pose Risks To Our Oral Health?

Infection is the most common complication arising from dental implants. Infection at the implant site.

“Treatment for an infection depends on the severity and location of the infection. For example, a bacterial infection in the gum may require antibiotics or a soft tissue graft. A bacterial infection in the bone may require removal of the infected bone tissue and possibly the implant, followed by a bone and soft tissue graft.”
– Medical News Today

The nature of the infections, as shown by clinical studies, indicate that Infected implants are most often colonised by subgingival species. These include: Porphyromonas gingivalis, Bacteroides forsythus, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Campylobacter gracilis, Streptococcus intermedius, and Peptostreptococcus micros. Importantly, individual patients may be infected by different microbial complexes, and this means treatments need to be targeted to the specific bacterial infection.
– Tanner A, Maiden MF, Lee K, Shulman LB, Weber HP. Dental implant infections. Clin Infect Dis. 1997

What are the health risks of having dental implant screws inserted into your jaw bone? Further complications arising from dental implants may include:

Gum Recession may occur around the dental implant and this can be painful. Inflammation may result and this will need to be promptly treated to avoid having to have the implant removed. Think great cost incurred and no dental implant outcome, the worst of both worlds.

Nerve/Tissue Damage and either of these issues can arise via the placement of an implant too close to a nerve of another tooth. Please be warned that an injury to the inferior alveolar nerve in the lower jaw has the potential to be a serious problem.

Numbness to lips and chin, persistent pain, and sensations in gums and teeth which do not go away can result.

Dental implants can be loose for some months following the procedure, as the implant grows and fuses with the jaw bone.

However, if this process fails the implant will have to be removed and re-implanted after a lengthy wait while things heal.

Sinus problems can occur with upper jaw dental implants, as they can impact upon sinus cavities. Inflammation of the sinuses is known as sinusitis. There are many symptoms of this condition, which include: facial pain, green mucus, sinus headaches, toothache, bad breath, blocked nose, and a temperature.

Peri-implantitis is a form of gum disease which results in bone loss around the implant site and is caused by chronic inflammation. This can happen over a 5 year period.

In rare cases some patients’ bodies have rejected the titanium implant.

What About The Dental Implants Health Risks Of Having Titanium Screws In Human Bone?

There are concerns expressed within the broader community about the health dangers of having titanium screws inserted into human bone. Is there any scientific evidence that proves the veracity of these concerns in any way?

“Multiple investigators have found that titanium implants can induce inflammation in the surrounding tissue over time, leading to the expression of certain mediators known to cause local and systemic health problems. While acute disease is unavoidable, chronic diseases (cancer, autoimmune diseases, etc.) are the clinical and visible manifestations of a constantly stimulated immune system [1–4]. These triggers lead to the activation of signaling pathways which favour a predisposition to the development of chronic disease. “
– Lechner J, Noumbissi S, von Baehr V. Titanium implants and silent inflammation in jawbone-a critical interplay of dissolved titanium particles and cytokines TNF-α and RANTES/CCL5 on overall health? EPMA J. 2018 Jun 8;9(3):331-343. doi: 10.1007/s13167-018-0138-6. PMID: 30174768; PMCID: PMC6107454.

What are the health risks of having dental implant screws inserted into your jaw bone? The above paragraph curated from the EPMA Journal, a scientific publication, infers that there are risks based on studies, which may negatively affect some individuals. It is a matter of weighing up the pros and cons. If a person suspects that they are more likely to be susceptible to an inflammatory reaction based on their past health track record, then this should be taken into account. What then are some of the positives and advantages for dental implants?

What Are The Benefits Of Dental Implants?

There are a number of benefits provided by dental implant technology. The most obvious is the restoration of broken teeth and the improved cosmetic appearance. There is an undeniable mood lift in looking good and feeling good. This can translate into better health on a number of fronts. Resurrecting the bite function can greatly assist individuals in feeling more alive. Think about all those metaphors and analogies like: taking a bite out of life, sink your teeth into it, chewing something over, and the examples go on. There is a valid reason why these sayings have stood the test of time – they are very true! Teeth are very important to our psychological wellbeing. Bite function is a big part of being primates. Too often, we underestimate our animal nature but it underpins who we are.

In addition, dental implants can stabilise the surrounding teeth and jaw tissue. This is important because missing teeth from extractions tend to shift around over time because of the gaps in the arch of teeth. The whole arrangement is weakened by the absence of teeth. Eating can be painful and tricky work, especially when molars are missing, as there is nothing to bite against.
In the end, dental patients must decide which path to take, whether all the structural and cosmetic advantages listed above outweigh the risk of the likelihood of a long term reaction to the titanium implant. Plus, of course, the costs involved for these things are no inexpensive thing. It is a powerful and transformative biotechnology and involves several surgeries and procedures. However, some people would fight tooth and nail for this technology to save their bite.

Age The Biggest Failure Factor For Dental Implants

“We found that maximum implants failures (55) were seen in age group above 60 years of age. Age group <40 years showed 20 failed implants. Age group 41–60 years showed 45 failed implants. It has been seen that when patients age increases, failure rate had a tendency of increment.”
– PMC.gov

Yes, there are health risks associated with having dental implant screws inserted into your jaw bone. Ultimately, it is your decision and we recommend a frank discussion with our in-house Sydney dentists. Perhaps, ask her or him to put together a report laying out all the advantages and disadvantages as they pertain to your specific circumstances. We each have unique oral health requirements as per our age and health status. Teeth, as we know, are important to our lives and how we experience our own wellbeing. We wouldn’t want you to bite off more than you can chew!

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The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional personal diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your dentist or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a dental or medical condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read or seen on the Site.

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