When you get dental implants, you can expect them to be successful. In fact, 95 percent of the time, they work perfectly and stay in good condition even 10 years after placement. But that does leave a 5 percent chance of implant failure.
Although rare, dental implant failure does occur, but it usually doesn’t pop up out of the blue; it often develops over time, and there are symptoms and signs that failure is coming. What are the signs that you should watch for? How can you prevent implant failure from sabotaging your smile? Keep reading!
Red, Swollen Gums
The first sign of an infection called peri-implantitis, the most common reason for implant failure, is red, puffy gums. Bad oral bacteria cannot infect the implant itself, but it can irritate and harm the gum tissue. When in this state, the gums can also bleed easily or feel sensitive while you brush your teeth.
Early on, a professional dental cleaning to remove plaque is usually enough to reverse the irritated gums.
Receding Gums
Although gum recession can happen as a result of brushing too vigorously, it could be just another step toward dental implant failure. To escape the bacteria in plaque and calculus, the gum tissue pulls away and recede from teeth, creating pockets where plaque and bacteria hide and exposing teeth’s roots to plaque.
At this point, the infection can still be managed by sister procedures called scaling and root planing. When scaling, the dentist delves into the trapped pockets to clear out bacteria. Then, root planing entails making the rough root surfaces smooth to stop plaque from attaching again in the future. Sometimes, a topical antibacterial treatment is also applied to ensure complete eradication.
Loose Implant or Teeth
If you eat an apple or another harder food and feel instability or weakness in your bite, it could mean that your prosthetic teeth are no longer secure. The infection may have spread from the gums to the jawbone, deteriorating the hold and support the jawbone gives dental implants. Without immediate treatment, the implants could come out altogether!
By this time, the dental implants may still be salvageable, but in some cases, the best course of action is to take out the implants, get the infection under control and try again.
If all this talk about implant failure has you worried about your smile, put your fears to rest. For the most part, as long as you keep up healthy oral habits, including brushing and flossing daily and visiting your dentist for regular checkups, any signs of failure should be caught well before your implants are in danger. But now you know what you can keep an eye out for!
About the Practice
With six locations around Lincoln, Williamsburg Dental is never far away, and we welcome patients of all ages. We provide complete care from simple dental checkups and cleanings to implant salvage and placement. If you think your dental implants may be failing, don’t hesitate to contact one of our offices for an appointment. We’ll happily answer questions and make sure your smile stays on track.