Dental Implant Failure & Salvage – Arundel, ME
Saving Your Rebuilt Pearly Whites
It’s a well-known fact that dental implants tend to boast a success rate of 95% or more, even 10 years after being placed in the jawbone. While they’re one of the most comprehensive, long-lasting, and reliable methods for rebuilding missing teeth, they can still have a very slight chance of failure. Even if you do begin to experience signs of a failed metal post, our team at Arundel Family Dentistry can provide dental implant salvage treatment to preserve your results. Keep reading to learn about the indications of implant failure and how we can help you.
Why Do Dental Implants Fail?
In very rare cases, a titanium post can fail after being placed, regardless if it’s been several weeks or a few years. For dental implants to work, the jawbone needs to be healthy enough to support them. Without proper care, your metal posts can end up failing later on. That said, the biggest culprit for failure turns out to be peri-implantitis—a form of periodontal disease that attacks and destroys the connective tissues surrounding the implant. This can occur due to a lack of poor oral hygiene, as bacteria might accumulate underneath the gum line and impact the jawbone. Other reasons for failure may include insufficient jawbone density, failed osseointegration, and facial trauma.
Symptoms of Failed Dental Implants
Should a dental implant begin to fail, some of the common early signs for it tend to include bleeding, puffy, and red gums. For more advanced symptoms, you might notice:
- Loose dental implants
- Discomfort around your implant site
- Receding gum line
- Alterations in your bite
- Pus forming in the gums around the implant
How Dental Implant Salvage Works
Our team will first evaluate your situation entirely so that we can determine the exact reason for your failed dental implant. Once we’ve confirmed the root cause, we can develop the proper method for saving your metal post(s). This may involve services like gum disease treatment or even bone grafting to fortify the structure and volume of your jawbone. If the dental implant failure is due to a medical condition, then we can work closely with your primary physician to increase the chance of preserving your new smile.