Managing Dental Implant Disease and Complications

Dental implants offer a revolutionary solution to tooth loss by replacing your natural tooth root for a titanium fixture that is fused to your jaw bone. This permanent support pillar can support a range of tooth or teeth replacement options and  can be a great solution  for patients suffering a range of dental problems.

Like teeth, dental implants are prone to a range of complications and diseases that can reduce the longevity of your restoration or dental implant fixture. Dental implant complications are able to rapidly progress and become costly and difficult to fix, so its important to address issues promptly when you notice them.

Two of the most common dental implant complications are peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis. Peri-implant mucositis refers to bleeding gums around a dental implant which does not cause loss of the supporting bone, whilst peri-implantitis involves the loss of the bone supporting a dental implant. If left untreated, peri-implantitis can cause the implant to become loose and need removal to prevent infection spreading elsewhere in your mouth.

Our specialists are trained to identify and manage your risk factors for developing dental implant complications to maintain your dental implants in the best possible health. As always, prevention is better than cure, and an ongoing maintenance and supervision plan is important for your dental implant.

A preventative maintenance plan will be constructed by our Periodontist based on your medical and dental history as well as clinical findings. In addition to your preventative maintenance plan, there are a few simple actions you can take to ensure your dental implants are healthy and are not at risk of dental implant diseases. These include:

Managing dental implant disease is extremely important as a condition such as peri-implantitis can be highly destructive to your dental implants. Be sure to consult with our periodontists if you need further advice in managing dental implant diseases.