If you’ve invested in dental implant retained restorations, your new smile should stay whole, healthy, and properly functioning for two or more decades. Unfortunately, some patients are not so lucky. When the dental implant tooth replacement process is completed correctly or implants aren’t cared for properly, the result can be a loosened or failing implant. Keep reading to learn more about the causes of loosening dental implant posts and how to talk to your dentistry team about dental implants.
Loose Implants Immediately After Placement
One of the main reasons patients experience loose dental implants is when the replacement teeth are attached too soon. Innovative immediate load techniques can be effective, but they dramatically increase patients’ risk for dental implant failure. Another reason patients experience loose implants is failed osseointegration. This is the process by which the dental implant fuses with the soft tissue and jawbone recreating the lost root structure. When the implant doesn’t fuse with the jawbone, it cannot support the weight of the restoration leading to implant failure.
Loose Implants After Treatment is complete
In some cases, patients experience loose implants one or more years after successful implantation. This can occur because the patient’s teeth cleaning routine isn’t as thorough as it needs to be, resulting in gum disease. Peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis are the dental implant counterparts to gingivitis and periodontitis respectively. As gum disease affects natural smiles causing the connective soft tissue to break down, the same can happen with gum disease and dental implant posts. As the connective tissue is broken down, implants loosen and can break away from the gums and jawbone entirely.
Caring for Your Dental Implants
The best way to prevent loosened or lost dental implants is to care for your implant supported restorations. You need to brush your teeth at least two minutes at a time at least twice a day and floss daily. If you have an implant supported crown or denture, you may need to invest in specialized flossers to clean between the restoration and the gums. Visit your dentist at least twice a year for checkups. If there are signs of gum disease or implant failure, your dentist may be able to help prevent implant failure.
Meet Dr. Neslund
At the Carlisle dental office of Thomas Neslund, DMD, we offer patients safe, effective dental implant placement and restoration. Because we complete the entire dental implant process in our office, we are able to create a seamless plan that ensure patients’ implant retained restorations remain firmly rooted in place for decades. If you’re experiencing trouble with a loose dental implant post or implant retained prosthetic, call our office to schedule a consultation with the Carlisle Family & Cosmetic Dentistry team. We’ll examine your implant, review your options, and help you create a plan to repair or replace your implant supported restoration.