6-year Implant Follow-up

My patients with missing teeth often ask "Can implant fail?"  The answer is very rarely if it is being taken care of. 

Ms. Ou has lost a molar tooth for quite a while (Fig.1 *).  Finally she decides to have an implant placed (Fig.2 I).  A few months later a crown is installed (Fig.3 C) so that she can eat normally.  In fact Fig.3 is taken 3 years 10 months after surgery.  A new X-ray image is taken today, six years after surgery.  There is no sign to show that this implant is going to fall out soon.

What is special about Ms. Ou?  She brushes well, flosses daily and has professional cleaning every 6 months.  These steps are critical in maintaining our own teeth and implant(s). 

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Xin Wei, DDS, PhD, MS 1st edition 04/18/2016, last revision 04/18/2016