Are Dental Implants Safe?

When you decide to invest in your smile, you aren't just buying a procedure; you are entering a partnership with your clinical team.

While dental implants have a remarkable 95% success rate, no medical procedure is entirely without risk.

At our practice, we believe that being "in good hands" means having a dentist who is honest about what can go wrong—and experienced enough to prevent it. We categorize these risks into three areas:

The Short-Term: The Healing Phase

The first few months are all about osseointegration—the process of the bone fusing to the implant.

The Integration Risk: In rare cases, an implant may not fuse.

This is often linked to "over-complexity"—trying to do too much at once.

For example, placing a temporary tooth on the same day as the implant is convenient, but it requires the patient to be extremely careful not to put pressure on it (yes, even a crusty baguette can cause an early-stage failure!).

Infection Management: While post-surgical infection is rare, we mitigate this risk through strict clinical protocols and pre- and post-operative antibiotics. Following your medication schedule is the simplest way to protect your investment.

Healing Expectations: Swelling and bruising are not "risks"—they are normal parts of the healing journey. Most of our patients find that any discomfort is easily managed with standard over-the-counter relievers.

The Long-Term: Maintenance is Key

Once your implant is healed and your new teeth are fitted, they require the same care as natural teeth.

The "Gum Disease" Myth: Many believe implants are immune to disease because they aren't "real" teeth. In reality, implants can develop a version of gum disease called peri-implantitis.

Design & Cleanability: A major long-term risk is "poor prosthetic design." If the replacement tooth is shaped in a way that makes it impossible to clean underneath, bacteria will eventually cause the implant to fail. This is why we prioritize designs that are as functional and cleanable as they are beautiful.

The "Financial & Trust" Risk: Managing Expectations

Perhaps the most significant risk in high-end cosmetic dentistry isn't biological—it’s the risk of the "missed expectation."

Dental implant treatment is a significant financial commitment. The "Trust Risk" occurs when the end result—whether it’s the way your speech feels or the specific shape of the inner surface of the teeth—doesn’t quite match the picture in your head.

Open Dialogue: We talk openly about speech and aesthetics before we ever begin.

Rational Partnership: We use advanced digital processes to show you what your result will look like, but we also acknowledge that every human body adapts differently.

The "Fit" Factor: Occasionally, we may suggest that we aren't the right fit for a patient if their expectations exceed what is clinically possible. We do this to protect your time, your money, and the integrity of the final result.

Experience as the Ultimate Safeguard

The best way to minimize every category of risk is to work with an experienced clinician. A skilled team knows when to slow down, when to separate procedures for better healing, and how to design teeth that last for decades rather than just years.

If you would really like to take a deep dive, check out some of the hundreds of videos I have on my YouTube Channel (but you wont find this series on there).

To see what we are doing day to day, you can join us on Instagram, where you can either follow Dr Gurs Sehmi, or The Wraysbury Clinic

Speak soon!

Gurs

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