The dream of a restored smile, built on a foundation of dental implants, can turn into a nightmare if the viability of your implants is threatened by failure. So what causes dental implants to fail and what can be done to treat them? Find out what peri-implantitis is, find out about other potential threats to your dental implants and learn what an experienced dentist can do to save your implants from failure.
Signs of Peri-Implantitis
It normal to have discomfort in your gums and around your dental implants during the healing stage. But if the discomfort never quite goes away and even worsens, in the near term of just a year or two after placement, it’s a clear sign you need intervention by a dental implant specialist. The specialist can determine if you have peri-implantitis, essentially gum disease for dental implants.
Here are some of the telltale signs of that dental implants are under threat:
· Your gums are agitated or inflamed
· An implant is loosening
· The area around your implants hurt
· It’s hard to chew due to discomfort
The sooner you reach out to a good dentist for help with your concerns about your dental implants, the more treatment options you’ll have available, and the more likely it is your condition will be treatable.
Treatment of Peri-Implantitis
It’ll take a two-front effort, at home and in the dentist’s chair, to stop the spread of peri-implantitis. At home, you’ll need to make sure you thoroughly care for your implants, gum, tongue and replacement teeth.
This is what your dentist can do for you in-office:
Deep cleaning – a deep cleaning procedure can stop the spread of the infection that is eating away at your implants and supporting structure. The procedure would entail clearing away decaying material and recontouring the gum
Bone grafting – bone material can be grafted into the area of the jawbone bone that has suffered severe decay as a result of the infection
Periodontal maintenance – this is a series of deep cleanings, meant to get the most severe cases back on course with cleaning and exams every quarter year.
More on Dental Implants in Van Nuys, CA
Reserve an appointment with a local dentist to learn more about what a local dentist can do to care for your dental implants in Van Nuys, CA and help you avoid catastrophe.