South Ogden
Implant Restoration
Implant Restoration in South Ogden and Kaysville, UT
Dental implants have become the top choice when it comes to replacing missing teeth. They restore your beautiful smile, allow you to eat and speak properly and help to maintain the strength, and shape, of your jawbone. In a majority of cases, implant surgery is successful. However, in some cases, they can fail. At Cassity Implants and Periodontics, not only do we place dental implants, we can help restore them if they begin to fail.
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What Causes Implant Failure?
Implants can fail for several different reasons, and sometimes before they’ve even fully healed. Improper placement of the implant at the time of surgery can lead to the implant breaking or being loose. The implant could also fail because it doesn’t fuse with your jawbone. The strength and stability of the implant (and your false teeth) depend upon this factor. In some instances, for reasons not always known, the implant can fail to fuse, leading to a loose implant. It may even fall out.
Implants can fail due to infection as well. Known as peri-implantitis, this infection causes inflammation in the gum tissue and bone around the implant, which leads to bone loss and the implant becoming compromised.
Symptoms of Failing Implants
There are a few different signs that can point to a failing implant:
- Pain and discomfort. Some pain is to be expected during the healing process after receiving your dental implants, but this pain should dissipate over time. If the pain does not go away, becomes unbearable, or gets worse over time, it is a signal that something is not right.
- Swelling and inflammation. Just like pain, some swelling is to be expected initially after surgery. Moreover, like pain, it should get better. If the swelling gets worse, or you notice inflammation and swelling after you have already healed, it can point to an infection.
- The implant feels loose, or you can wiggle it. You may even notice a change in your bite.
Risk Factors for Failure
Certain factors can increase your risk for implant failure:
- Smoking and tobacco products. Smoking slows your healing process and increases your risk of infection.
- Chronic diseases, such as diabetes.
- You suffer from bruxism and grind or clench your teeth.
- You have significant bone loss in the jaw.
- Poor oral hygiene. Just because implants cannot experience decay, does not make you immune to oral bacteria. The ceramic teeth can still collect plaque and bacteria, and cause gum disease.
Diagnosing Implant Failure
If you are experiencing an issue with your dental implants, it is important that you contact us immediately. We will conduct a thorough visual examination of your mouth. We will also take digital x-rays or an image with a 3-D cone beam CT scanner. This will allow us to see exactly what is going on with your implants, and help us make a proper treatment plan.
Treatment Options
Your treatment plan will depend upon what the exact issue with your implants is. For peri-implantitis, we can often remove the infection with a deep cleaning. We can achieve this with a periscope, a small dental camera that goes under your gums that allows us to thoroughly clean your implants without surgery.
In some instances, a lack of bone mass (either before the implant or that has been lost after the implant was initially placed) is the cause of failure. If there is only a small amount of bone missing, we may be able to regenerate it with a minimally invasive procedure that involves applying growth proteins.
If the bone loss is too severe, or the implants were placed incorrectly, the best option may be to remove the implants and replace them entirely. We can perform a bone graft, and then start fresh.
If you have noticed any symptoms of implant failure, contact Cassity & Legacy Implants and Periodontics right away at South Ogden: 385-835-3630 or Kaysville: 385-786-9652 to schedule your consultation!