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A person who gets dental implants doesn’t expect mistakes during planning, placement, or follow-up care to interfere with their function and appearance. Sometimes, these errors are the result of preventable mistakes by dentists and other professionals, and patients may have grounds to file a dental malpractice claim.
Did Your Dentist Prepare You for Implants?
Whether a dental implant procedure succeeds or fails may depend on how well your dentist prepared. Before they placed your implant, your dentist should have evaluated your oral health, bone structure, medical history, and other factors that could affect your ability to heal. They should also have performed imaging to confirm the proper placement of the implant.
If your dentist failed to identify foreseeable risks or didn’t prepare properly for the procedure and you’re facing complications as a result, you may reasonably question whether you received an appropriate standard of care.
Dental Errors Made During Implantation Procedures
Errors during implant surgery can affect healing, function, and the long-term success of the restoration. Preventable mistakes like these may support a dental malpractice claim when they cause injury:
- Incorrect Implant Positioning and Angulation – Implant angle depends on the treatment plan, but placement should generally follow the intended prosthetic axis. An implant not straight (or more than about 15 degrees off) may create functional or cosmetic problems. Angled abutments can compensate for some alignment issues, but they cannot correct improper implant placement or incorrect positioning by physically moving an implant.
- Inadequate Bone Support – An implant should be surrounded by enough healthy bone to remain stable. Placing one where bone support is insufficient can increase the risk of loosening, bone loss, or failure.
- Improper Implant Spacing – Implants placed too close to neighboring teeth or other implants can affect the surrounding bone or gum tissue and the final restoration.
- Implant Breakage – Poor positioning, excessive bite forces, or inappropriate implant selection may contribute to fracture of the implant or its components.
- Nerve Damage – Incorrect positioning near a nerve can cause pain, numbness, tingling, or other changes in sensation that may be long-lasting.
- Osseointegration Failure – An implant may fail to fuse with the jawbone because of infection, inadequate bone, movement, or placement errors. Looseness, pain, and bone loss may signal failure. Negligence may be involved when preventable mistakes caused the problem.
- Bone Grafting Errors – Improper graft placement, poor technique, or proceeding before the graft has healed adequately may leave too little bone to support the implant.
Who Is Not a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?
Not every patient is a good candidate for dental implants. Contraindications may include uncontrolled diabetes, active gum disease, insufficient bone density, smoking, immunosuppression, ongoing cancer treatment, and teeth grinding. Dentists who fail to screen patients for conditions that could interfere with healing or increase the risk of implant failure before recommending surgery may face exposure to a dental malpractice claim if the patient suffers harm as a result.
When Failure to Refer Leads to Preventable Errors
A dentist may need to refer a patient to an oral surgeon or periodontist when implant placement involves significant bone loss, difficult anatomy, grafting, or other complications beyond the dentist’s training and experience. If a dentist attempts a case that requires more advanced care and harms the patient in the process, the patient may have grounds to pursue a dental malpractice claim.
Failed Dental Implant – What It Looks Like on an X-Ray
X-rays can help identify placement errors or complications that warrant further evaluation. A properly placed dental implant should appear stable, well-aligned, and surrounded by healthy bone, without significant gaps, when viewed on an X-ray. By contrast, a misplaced or failing implant may show poor positioning, contact with nearby structures, bone loss around the implant, or areas suggesting that the implant hasn’t integrated properly.
Contact a New York Dental Malpractice Attorney Today
If your dentist made a mistake and now you’re dealing with the effects of a failed dental implant, turn to Lance Ehrenberg, Esq., for the support you need in pursuing a dental malpractice claim. Contact us today to get started with a free consultation.