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Implant complications

Implant complications are biological (gum and bone problems around the implant) or technical (loose screws, chipped porcelain, broken parts). Most technical events are repairable; they are common enough that regular checkups are part of treatment.

Two kinds

Complications are grouped as biological or technical in the systematic reviews.12

  • Biological. Problems in the gum and bone around the implant, such as soft-tissue inflammation, peri-implantitis and bone loss.1
  • Technical. Problems with the parts, such as loose screws, chipped porcelain, loss of retention and broken components.1

Risks listed by the FDA

The FDA lists these risks of dental implants:3

  • Damage to natural teeth next to the implant.
  • Injury to surrounding tissue during surgery.
  • A loose or twisting feeling in the tooth.
  • Infection, which the FDA links particularly to uncontrolled diabetes.
  • Numbness or nerve impingement after the procedure.
  • Difficulty cleaning around the implant.

How often, by restoration type

RestorationMeasureRateSource
Single crownScrew loosening at 5 years8.8 percentJung 20121
Single crownSoft-tissue complications at 5 years7.1 percentJung 20121
Single crownPorcelain fracture at 5 years3.5 percentJung 20121
BridgePatients free of any complication at 5 years66.4 percentPjetursson 20122
BridgeVeneer fracture at 5 years13.5 percentPjetursson 20122
Full archBridges free of complications at 5 years29.3 percentPapaspyridakos 20124
Full archBridges free of complications at 10 years8.6 percentPapaspyridakos 20124

The full-arch review noted that these events often do not cause the implants or bridge to fail, but they add repair time and cost.4

Factors that change the rate

  • Screw or cement. Screw-retained reconstructions had fewer technical and biologic complications than cemented ones.5
  • Crown material. Monolithic zirconia crowns showed less chipping than metal-ceramic crowns over 1 year.6
  • Maintenance. Implants under regular maintenance had fewer failure events.7

General information about dental implants. Treatment decisions are made with a licensed dentist.

Sources

  1. Jung RE et al. Survival and complications of single crowns on implants: systematic review. Clin Oral Implants Res 2012. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Pjetursson BE et al. Survival and complication rates of implant-supported fixed dental prostheses. Clin Oral Implants Res 2012. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  3. U.S. FDA: Dental Implants, What You Should Know. fda.gov
  4. Papaspyridakos P et al. Complications with fixed implant rehabilitations for edentulous patients. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 2012. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  5. Wittneben JG et al. Screw- vs cement-retained fixed implant reconstructions: systematic review. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 2014. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  6. Tajti P et al. Monolithic zirconia vs metal-ceramic implant single crowns in the posterior region. J Prosthet Dent 2024. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  7. Monje A et al. Impact of maintenance therapy for the prevention of peri-implant diseases. J Dent Res 2016. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evidence

Sourced facts

Each line links to the study or the specialty body it comes from.

  1. The FDA lists risks of implants including damage to nearby teeth, injury during surgery, a loose feeling, infection, numbness and difficulty cleaning.

    U.S. FDA: Dental Implants, What You Should Know · checked October 2, 2026

  2. For implant single crowns, screw loosening occurred in 8.8 percent and porcelain fracture in 3.5 percent over 5 years.

    Jung RE et al. Survival and complications of single crowns on implants, mean follow-up 5 years: systematic review (EAO). Clin Oral Implants Res 2012 · checked October 2, 2026

  3. For implant bridges, 66.4 percent of patients had no complication of any kind after 5 years.

    Pjetursson BE et al. Survival and complication rates of implant-supported fixed dental prostheses after at least 5 years: systematic review (EAO). Clin Oral Implants Res 2012 · checked October 2, 2026

  4. For fixed full-arch bridges, 29.3 percent were free of complications at 5 years and 8.6 percent at 10 years.

    Papaspyridakos P et al. Complications with fixed implant rehabilitations for edentulous patients: systematic review. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 2012 · checked October 2, 2026

  5. A meta-analysis found screw-retained reconstructions had fewer technical and biologic complications than cemented reconstructions.

    Wittneben JG et al. Screw- vs cement-retained fixed implant reconstructions: systematic review (ITI). Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 2014 · checked October 2, 2026

  6. The FDA notes that infection-related implant failure is more likely in people with uncontrolled diabetes.

    U.S. FDA: Dental Implants, What You Should Know · checked October 2, 2026

  7. Monolithic zirconia crowns showed 0 percent chipping versus 7.61 percent for metal-ceramic over 1 year.

    Tajti P et al. Monolithic zirconia vs metal-ceramic implant single crowns in the posterior region: systematic review of RCTs. J Prosthet Dent 2024 · checked October 2, 2026

  8. Implants under maintenance therapy had fewer failure events than those without.

    Monje A et al. Impact of maintenance therapy for the prevention of peri-implant diseases: systematic review and meta-analysis. J Dent Res 2016 · checked October 2, 2026

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Dr. Michael Pawlus
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Dr. Michael Pawlus

Periodontist · Sarasota

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Doctor page(941) 923-2288
Featured doctorDr. Michael Pawlus · Sarasota