Chapter 06 • Question 7
What Happens If a Dental Implant Fails?
📺 12:00 video📖 21 min read
Reviewed by Dr Tim Fleming
BDS – Dental Surgeon (GDC Reg: 83324)
If a dental implant fails, the typical process involves removing the failed implant, treating any infection, allowing the area to heal for 3-6 months, and then usually replacing it with a new implant that has an 80-90% success rate. Early failures (first 3-4 months) are often straightforward—the implant is removed, the socket may receive a bone graft, healing occurs, and replacement proceeds with high success. Late failures (after years) are more complex, typically involving extensive infection treatment, bone grafting to rebuild lost bone, longer healing periods of 6-12 months, and sometimes the decision not to replace if bone loss is severe.
💡 Key Takeaways
- Failed implants are removed under local anaesthetic in a 15-60 minute procedure, with early failures being straightforward and late failures more complex requiring extensive cleaning
- After removal, bone grafting is usually needed to rebuild bone lost to infection or removed during surgery, requiring 3-12 months healing before replacement
- Replacement success rates are 80-90% for second attempts and 85-95% for early failure replacements when the underlying cause is addressed
- Many dentists warranty early failures (0-6 months) at no additional charge, but late failures are typically patient responsibility at £3,500-6,000+ total cost
- Healing timeline is 3-6 months for early failures and 6-12 months for late failures before replacement can proceed
- Temporary solutions during healing include removable partial dentures (£400-800) for front teeth or leaving gaps for back teeth
- Success on replacement requires addressing the original failure cause—quitting smoking, improving oral hygiene, controlling diabetes, or choosing more experienced surgeon
- Alternative treatments include traditional bridges (£1,000-2,000, 10-15 year lifespan) or partial dentures (£400-1,200, removable) if patient prefers no surgery
- Financial costs for complete failure-to-replacement journey range from £500-1,500 (warranted early failure) to £5,000-8,000+ (late failure with major grafting)
- Psychological impact is normal—disappointment, anxiety, and doubt are common but most patients eventually succeed on retry with proper changes
- Not replacing is a valid choice if medical contraindications develop, financial hardship exists, or patient prefers predictable alternatives