Complications with Dental Implants

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Has anybody encountered any complications with their dental implants? Whether it was within the first year, or even after 20 years.

Data suggests that within 5 years, up to 30% of dental implants will require repair or replacement. Unfortunately, less than 0.5% of all medical device adverse events are reported to the TGA.

Without this reporting, Manufacturers/Laboratories and the TGA don’t know which parts they sell are possibly unsafe, meaning these parts are still being sold and placed in patients.

Reporting to the TGA can be done by Patients, but currently is mainly done by Dentists, Laboratories or Manufacturers (self-reporting), which is why the numbers are possibly so low.

The Dental Implant Registry (DIR) is a Not-For-Profit company in Australia that helps Patients gain access to their own implant information, and can also assist in the reporting of adverse events/complications.

If you have had a complication with your dental implant, we’d love to hear from you about what happened.

Thanks!

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I have 2 dental implants…, the full bottom set of teeth and a replacment front bridge on the top. Unfortunately the bottom was a horrendous job with me complaining for months about the implant being way to small to the point that it was impeding my tongue and speech. The dentist rebuilt it twice before I made him take it out completely and rebuild it from scratch…, It was a bloody nightmare and STILL is not 100% correct, but at least I can live with it. So when my bridge needed replacing I went to a different dentist…, chalk and cheese. The top was a wonderful job…, so I asked the dentist if he could rebuild my bottom set and that’s when I discovered that there is no standard with implants…, WT…, really. Each dentist can use a different implant system and the second dentist does not even own the tools to undo the bolts, let alone do a repair. WHY IS THIS NOT STANDARD ACROSS THE INDUSTRY. It’s like an electrician deciding to install his own type of wall plug for your electrical devices. The first dentist has now retired…, so I am stuffed if anything happens as the only ONE dentist that uses this system is nearly 150kms away. I am happy with the implants in general (I have got use to the horrible bottom one) but do your research about the type of implant they use and how many others in the area use the same system.

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Hello, and thank you very much for your response!

You are unfortunately correct. Every dentist is able to use a different implant system/manufacturer. And, almost 50% of the time the abutment (crown/bridge) componentry that is matched to the implant is swapped out for a Non-Genuine (copy) component. There is also very limited (if any) long-term data to show how these copy parts will perform over time with the implants they are matched to.

To add to that, each manufacturer of dental implants have their own drivers (screw drivers that are used to remove/install the screws that hold the components together). If the wrong driver is used, the screw and implant can be damaged. There are over 400 manufacturers worldwide, and thousands of different products. Without transparency, best of luck to the treating dentist to be able to determine what exact component was installed, and then which driver to use.

If you do know what components you received from your original dentist, you may not have to visit the one so far away. Your local treating dentist may be able to contact the correct manufacturer to obtain the required driver for treatment (if you should ever need it). On that, it is advised to have your implants looked over yearly for a proper clean for best possible long-term success.

The DIR have set up a Patient Advocacy Group and are having a Zoom meeting on the 25th March 2021 if you would like to participate and give some feedback on your experiences and how it can be improved for all patients. Please feel free to contact our team at admin@dentalimplantregistry.org.au and we can send you some more details.

Kind regards,

The DIR Team

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That is certainly a warning to heed! I had no idea there are different types of implants. My dentist recommended I get an implant for just one tooth, but I balked at the cost, at least for this year as a more critically sited tooth requires a crown first. I don’t know if I will ever face up to the process though.

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Appreciate the feedback!

It’s true, and the amount of implants hitting the market is only growing. Dental implants are still one of the best investments to make (and all going well will last upward of 20+ years). Understandably the cost is quite high (and can vary from practice to practice) which will always play a part in receiving treatment. The recommendation would be to discuss with your dentist what you are going to receive (for both components).

We have a short video that highlights the current problems people can face: https://youtu.be/V28-88bHDDM

Also, if you do go down the route of getting a dental implant, the TGA have put together a list of 5 questions to ask your dentist prior to treatment: https://www.tga.gov.au/community-qa/five-questions-ask-your-health-professional-you-get-medical-implant

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our team at admin@dentalimplantregistry.org.au

Kind regards,

The DIR Team

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I’m considering getting an implant, I’ve been thinking about it for 2 years, can’t quite face up to it for now, thanks for the discussion however. It’s good to know there is a registry and questions to ask, it might make a difference to my decision.

I’m also interested to know where you got the statistic re adverse device events reported to the TGA? Can you supply a reference please?
Mal

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Hi Mal,

Thank you for your comment, and please don’t hesitate to contact our team if you have any questions prior, during or post surgery (if you choose to go ahead with getting a dental implant).

We have also created a webpage that you can have a read of for further info: (https://dentalimplantregistries.lpages.co/considerations-before-having-a-dental-implant/)

In regards to your query, please find below a link to an ABC article that references a report by the Department of Health that “estimated only 0.5 per cent of medical device “adverse events” were reported to the TGA.”

(https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-21/tga-rules-to-provide-more-oversight-medical-devices-delayed/12373290)

Kind regards,
The DIR Team

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Bridge made of tungsten that was meant to have a lifelong warranty it was lucky to have lived 15 years $7,000 and then when it started to have problems after 10 the dentist who is a holistic specialist in Sydney said she bad you need them renewed every 10 to 15 years anyway go figure who would pay out that money if you knew how unreliable that guarantees were. Not to mention the the teeth started moving as a result of the imbalance with the supposedly tungsten weight causing things to change dynamically and now it came out the gap is causing more movement in the teeth and quotes $7,000 plus to get braces again which is a kid was the reason for a problem with that to that came out and assessor toted the dental plate go figure dentist need to have their work guaranteed in writing or a full refund needed

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Welcome to the Community @Ssue

A reality is that dental work is like that. I had orthodontics in my early teens and by the time I was 60 a number of teeth had misaligned again. It relates to the imprecision and often unpredictability of the human body where each person is different.

Crowns, currently about $1,500~1,800 each +/- have projected lifetimes of 10-20 years prior to needing replacing. The usual cause for replacement is the cement eroding allowing decay to creep under but they can break as can any tooth, given the necessary knock, as well as fall off and need re-cementing. Is that the dentists fault?

As the jaw ages and changes I would expect anything ‘bolted into it’ might also need renewing to suit over time.

In my experience if dental work is faulty the dentists makes it right, but not after years of no problem because the cause is from the patient’s evolving anatomy not usually their work.

Dentists I have dealt with have always been very up front on the longer term prognosis of what they did, and reasonable expectations for same.

Reasonable expectations should be conveyed by any medical provider as well as understood by their patient. Many people who could afford it in any case would happily pay that amount every 10~15 years to be able to eat if that was the original stimulus, or for cosmetic reasons if that was the original stimulus.

The tungsten fixture may have had a guarantee, not the fitting over the long term. Could you confirm or correct that?

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HI Sue,
Thank you for your comment, and I’m sorry to hear your implants haven’t lasted the desired length of time.
Unfortunately, as Phil has said below, there is no way to guarantee every individual case, and complications can arise from a variety of different areas. This can be from the parts used (Genuine/High Quality to Non-Genuine, Poor Quality), the experience of the dental professional (there is no set standard of training a Dentist requires to place implants - at least not in Australia), to the individual patients biology (this can include a patients overall health, pre-existing conditions, etc).

Most Dental Manufacturers actually offer lifetime warranties for their dental implants, in which case if the implant fails, the cost of repair should be minimised from this. This is again unfortunately on a case by case, dentist by dentist basis as dentists can still charge for time/equipment. In the case that an implant fails early on in the placement (say after 1 year), dentists would be more likely to try and fix for a nominal fee.

One of the big problems in the industry is that Non-Genuine (or “compatible”) parts are being swapped out. To explain, an implant is made up of.2 main parts:

  1. The dental implant (screw in jaw)
  2. The dental abutment (acts as a connection between the crown/bridge/denture and the implant itself).
    The abutment part is the worrisome one - as this gets swapped out (for a “compatible” part) anywhere between the 30-50% mark. Companies don’t have any long-term data to see how Manufacturer A’s implant part will perform over time with Manufacturer B’s abutment part. Also, if a complication occurs in this case, the warranty is voided by the Implant Manufacturer as the abutment wasn’t their product, and that is what voided the warranty.

This is one of the main issues our registry is trying to fix. As a “middle-man”, we work with dentists to register both implant parts on the DIR, giving patients access to their own information. This allows all future treatment to be carried out safely (as your treating dentist can access your info - privacy laws apply), but you are also provided full transparency by your initial dentist to see what parts you are receiving (and if they are Genuine/High Quality).

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our team directly at admin@dentalimplantregistry.org.au

Also, if you were needing to seek treatment on your implant, please feel free to look for a DIR Registered Dentist near you here: https://www.dentalimplantregistry.org.au/find-dir

Kind regards,
The DIR Team

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