Depression Drugs linked to Dental Implant failures

You’ve heard the saying “You are what you eat,” well, that goes the same for medications. You are what medicines you take, and some of them have side effects that are still unknown. For people with implants or who may be considering an implant, the following information may be helpful. Doctors remain aware of the medications their patient’s are taking because they are the one’s usually prescribing them. But you should also report your medications to your dentist. A recent research study has shown a connection between a popular anti-depressant and the failure of dental implants.

Anti-Depressants

According to statistics from 2011, about one in 10 Americans take anti-depressants, including 23 percent of women in their 40s and 50s. That’s a lot of dental patients. Each anti-depressant comes with its own list of side effects, but there are long-term side effects that may not yet be known, or are just getting discovered. Why does this matter? A recent research study by the International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR) has been published in the Journal of Dental Research (JDR) that indicates a link between anti-depressants and the failure of dental implants. Because the most widely used anti-depressants, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), have been reported to reduce bone formation and increase the risk of fractures, the association between dental implants and SSRIs was studied.

Study Results

Of the 490 patients studied, the results indicated that over 10.6 percent of patients taking SSRIs experienced dental implant failures compared with only 4.6 percent of patients who were non SSRI users. The results led researchers to believe that SSRIs are associated with an increased risk of implant failure. Therefore, you should make sure your dentist is aware of any medications you are taking while discussing dental treatments.

Learn more about a popular depression drug affects the success of dental implants

Aside from providing dependable general, implant, and restorative dentistry services to our community, Dr. James Fondriest also holds respected academic appointments at the Pankey Institute in Key Biscayne, FL, and the Spear Institute in Scottsdale, AZ, and he is a former adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Prosthodontics at the University of Florida Dental School. Dr. Fondriest combines his impressive array of experience with modern technology and caring, compassionate, knowledgeable staff, and we proudly serve patients from the Chicago Metro area.