For failing implant cases, referring will give your patient all the options
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 2nd May 2023
No dental treatment comes with a guarantee but, in any scenario, failure is frustrating – for the team that delivered it, as well as the patient. During the consent process, the patient would have confirmed they understood all the risks, also the risks of doing nothing. They would have also confirmed their role in keeping the result stable, by practising good oral hygiene behaviours and attending regular maintenance appointments.
Fundamentally, every patient has the same expectation, which is that the dental team will always put their – the patient’s – needs first and provide quality care that is appropriate and safe. When dentistry is founded on partnerships, communication and trust, the patient will have confidence that, in the event of treatment failure, their dentist and team will facilitate a solution. In certain cases, this can mean being referred to another practice where there is the greater depth of knowledge, experience and training required to achieve a stable result.
Timely referral, to save and restore
The failure of dental implant therapy is particularly frustrating – not least because it would have cost the patient a lot of money. Also, until it started to fail, they would have enjoyed a wealth of benefits, some which they may not have expected and that could have been life-changing. The ability to smile again with confidence, eat a wide range of foods and look in the mirror and like what they see – failure of a dental implant doesn’t have to mean losing these, and going back to square one.
Patients need to know when to take immediate action, such as if they have started to experience pain, or there are other signs of infection, like red, swollen gums. A dental implant should feel as stable as natural dentition, so if there is any movement, they must also get in touch with you asap.
With a timely referral, it may be possible to save and restore the implant. An implant team with the collective expertise to diagnose the problem correctly, then offer appropriate treatment option(s), will allow the failed implant to be treated quickly. Your patient can get on with their life, knowing that you have acted to protect their oral health, and keep their implant viable for many more years.
An implant team will consider the problem holistically, and take into account all the possible reasons why it has become mobile. These can be mechanical, patient related (local/systemic), or connected to surgical technique (including materials used).[i] Knowing why an implant has started to fail is key to finding the right solution.
Referring your patient will help them understand the process required to restabilise their treatment, and the pros and cons of all their options for what to do next. More than any other area of dentistry, for quality implant therapy, teamwork is critical. The implant team will ensure your patient is well looked after, and treated with kindness and empathy. They will give them all the support and information they need to make the right decision, also the confidence for a good outcome. The core implant team will have well-trained individuals with the clinical expertise to perform any additional procedures that may be required to mitigate failed osseointegration in house. In cases of insufficient bone volume, width or density, these could include things like bone grafting or a sinus augmentation. This is where the sinus floor is lifted, to provide sufficient bone under the maxillary sinus to make it ‘taller’.
Experienced implant teams, such as the team at The One to One Dental Clinic, have the knowledge, skills and techniques to offer an alternatives to removing a failed implant, if that is appropriate. They will support your patient on their journey, empowering them with solutions that meet their expectations and that have a good success rate. With the insight to diagnose, they will work with you, as the general practice, to help ensure that, by working in partnership they are able to enjoy not just a stable dental implant, but a lifetime of good oral health.
When an implant fails, this can be an emotional blow but it does not have to be a disaster, if a timely referral is made. Step one is identifying reasons for failure before giving the patients their options. Referring them promptly can prevent any dissatisfaction escalating and underline how you are invested in their ongoing health and wellbeing – implant treatment doesn’t end after it has been placed. Ultimately, referring them out shows your commitment to gold-standard care to keep them smiling for many years to come.
To find out more, visit
https://121dental.co.uk or call 020 7486 0000.
Dr Fazeela Bio
Dr Fazeela Khan-Osborne is the founding clinician of the FACE dental implant multi-disciplinary team for the One To One Dental Clinic based on Harley Street, London. She has always had a passion and special interest in implant dentistry, particularly in surgical and restorative full arch rehabilitation of the maxilla. She has been involved in developing treatment modalities for peri-implantitis within clinical practice.
Dr Khan-Osborne is also the Founding Course Lead for the One To One Education Programme, now in its 20th year. As a former Lead Tutor on the Diploma in Implant Dentistry course at the Royal College of Surgeons (England), she lectures worldwide on implant dentistry and is an active full member of the Association of Dental Implantology, the British Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry and the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.
[i] Dutta SR, Passi D, Singh P, Atri M, Mohan S, Sharma A. Risks and complications associated with dental implant failure: Critical update. Natl J Maxillofac Surg. 2020 Jan-Jun;11(1): 14-19. doi: 10.4103/njms.NJMS_75_16. Epub 2020 Jun 18. PMID: 33041571; PMCID: PMC7518499.
