How To Tell If Your Dental Implant Is Failing
When dental implant treatment is successful, which it usually is, your dental implant should last decades — if not a lifetime. But sometimes, patients experience complications with their dental implants. When this happens, early intervention is necessary in order to save the failing dental implant.
If you think your dental implant might be failing, then look out for the following signs.
Pain That Doesn't Abate After the First Few Days
Since you have just had a titanium screw placed into your jawbone, it is normal to experience some pain for at least a few days after your operation. But if the pain continues past a few days, and seems to get steadily worse, then this is a sign that your dental implant could be failing.
Inflammation Around the Implant
Another sign that your dental implant might be failing is tissue inflammation near the dental implant. This tissue inflammation will present itself as swollen, red gums that might bleed. You will also feel pain whenever you touch the area with your tongue.
Inflammation around a dental implant is a common sign of infection, and it could mean that you are suffering from peri-implantitis. Peri-implantitis is an infection that usually affects healing dental implants, and this infection requires urgent treatment before the implant fails.
Gum Recession Around the Implant
When gums are irritated by trauma or infection, they sometimes recede away from the teeth that they protect. This happens both with gum disease and with failing dental implants. If you can see the titanium posts of your dental implant because your gums have receded, then your dental implant is failing.
Mobility of the Implant
Another common sign of dental implant failure is mobility. In the early stages of the healing process, your dental implant still hasn't fully integrated with the jawbone, you shouldn't be able to feel it move around when you speak or eat. If your implant is moving around, then this means that it isn't secured in your jawbone.
Can You Save a Failing Dental Implant?
If you get to your dentist soon enough, they can treat the infection with antibiotics and save the dental implant. However, in some cases, they might need to remove the implant and place a bone graft into your jaw before they can replace the dental implant.
Time is of the essence. If you suspect that your dental implant is failing, don't wait for the situation to improve by itself. Call your dentist immediately. If they stop the infection early enough, you can save your dental implant. For more information about dental implants, contact a local dental office.
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