Can I Fix My Failing Dental Implant?
Do you have a failing dental implant in your mouth? Dental implant placements are highly predictable and successful. However, like various other dental procedures, the treatment might not always work for everyone. Nevertheless, failed implants are usually are rare, and if it happens to you, there is no reason to panic.
This article reviews the failure of dental implants and how you can fix them by seeking additional treatment from the dental implant in Mississauga. Please continue reading to realize when your dental implant needs further evaluation.
Anatomy Of Dental Implants
Dental implants consist of three parts. They are a titanium implant body embedded into the jawbone, an abutment attached to the implant, and a dental crown fixed to the abutment and aligned with your remaining teeth. You can develop issues with any three parts if they become loose or breakaway.
The dental implant itself is made from metal. However, it is a biological process called osseointegration that allows it to function. During the process of osseointegration, the titanium post integrates with your body when it produces living bone cells that grow around the post to anchor it to your jawbone. With time healthy bone continues surrounding the implant. Unfortunately, when osseointegration doesn’t happen as planned, it can cause problems around the implant placement.
How to Recognize a Failed Implant?
When osseointegration doesn’t occur around the implant, movement is often the primary indicator. Initially, the movement might remain slight and unrecognizable even by a dentist. Unfortunately, a failed dental implant that hasn’t integrated with the jawbone will feel wobbly and begin to move when you speak or chew. An implant that hasn’t integrated with your jawbone remains consistently movable.
You may also experience pain, swelling, or infections with a dental implant that has lost osseointegration. If the Erin Mills dental office notices that your implant is mobile, they recommend x-rays to check the bone growth. X-rays of failed implants generally show significant loss of bone around the titanium post.
Risk Factors Affecting Dental Implants
The success of the dental restoration procedure depends on many factors. However, some habits and medical conditions can increase the risk of a failing implant. For example, gum disease and bruxism can damage a healing implant. In addition, osteoporosis that attacks the strength of your bone and density can make it challenging for the implant screw to anchor. Radiation therapy to the head or neck also inhibits osseointegration to cause the failure of the implant.
Implant failure can also result from some medications. People taking antidepressants that contain a compound that affects the rate of bone metabolism can be affected by osseointegration failure. The location where the dental implant placement occurred in the mouth besides smoking also increases the risks of implant failure.
Treatment for Failed Implants
If you have a failed implant, you can have it removed from the dental office in Mississauga under local anesthesia. If the bone around the location of the removed implant is intact, you may not need bone grafts.
Unfortunately, if bone loss has occurred, the dentist might recommend a bone graft to strengthen the site before replacing the implant. However, you must wait to recover from the bone grafting surgery before having your new implant placed. During your recovery, your dentist will discuss methods to reduce the risk factors for dental implant failure, like quitting smoking or delaying any cancer treatment. If the cause of implant failure was gum disease or bruxism, the dentist might recommend getting the conditions treated to ensure they don’t impede your healing after the bone grafting.
Before getting dental implants, you help yourself by discussing the risk factors that might limit the success of dental implants with your dentist. For example, changes in your medical condition or the medications you have can affect the healing and inhibit the integration of the implant with your jawbone. Therefore you must always inform your dentist of any changes to your health and medical history.
Excellent dental hygiene is also crucial to avoid dental implant failure. You must make every effort to ensure plaque buildup doesn’t accumulate around your teeth and the implanted post. You must brush two times a day with fluoride toothpaste, floss every day regardless of the time and get regular checkups and cleanings to ensure your gums are healthy and the bacteria are kept at bay as your new tooth settles into place.
If you think you have a mobile dental implant that needs re-evaluation, please don’t hesitate to contact Smiles of Canada — Mississauga to have your dental restoration fixed if required.