Making the decision to get a dental implant is a great plan to have if you are missing a tooth, but have you ever wondered how successful dental implants are? After all, they are expensive options for replacing teeth. The good news is that dental implants have an extremely high success rate, which means the money you spend for one will be well worth it.

What is the success rate of implants?

The first thing to understand is that dental implants have a success rate that is equal to around 95%. In other words, very few implants fail, and this is an important statistic to know if you are leery about spending money to get one. When implants are installed, they are placed in the jawbone of a person's mouth and will eventually fuse to the bone. As this occurs, the implant and the bone become one, and this is often referred to as the process of osseointegration. If osseointegration occurs with a dental implant, it is considered a successful implant. When something goes wrong in this process, it can lead to a failed implant.

What factors can affect the success of an implant?

The implant a dentist places in a person's jawbone is used like a tooth root in a sense. It is there to hold the crown in place with a titanium post. Without the implant and bone fusing together, this could not take place. In other words, the implant could become loose and fall out, or it could have a higher chance of becoming infected. Here are some of the factors that can lead to the success or failure of a dental implant:

• The density of the jawbone – If an implant is placed in jawbone that is not dense or thick enough, the two parts may fuse together; however, the bone might not be strong enough to hold the implant permanently in place. This is why dentists test and evaluate a person's jawbone in great depth before installing an implant.
• The health of the individual – The other key factor that can lead to success or failure of an implant is the person's health. Healthy people tend to have more success with implants compared to people with health issues. Health issues can weaken a person's immune system, which can make them vulnerable to infections, and can also prolong healing. If healing doesn't occur fast enough, an infection is likely to form.

Your dentist will ask you questions about your health and will evaluate your jawbone thoroughly before going through with the dental implant procedure, and he or she will also be able to tell you if you are a good candidate for an implant. To learn more, contact a dentist like Davis R Troup DDS PA.