Dental Implant Failure & Salvage – Waco, TX
Safely Restore Damaged Dental Implants
Dental implants placed by a qualified dentist such as Dr. Winarick are usually still functional even ten years after being placed, and those that receive excellent care may last several decades or even a lifetime. However, it is possible for implants to be compromised by oral injuries and infections. Here’s a brief guide to why dental implant failure happens, a few symptoms it can cause, and how the team at Dental Station Family Dentistry can help you keep your smile healthy and complete with implant failure and salvage services, but please contact our office online if you’d like to know more.
Why Do Dental Implants Fail?
Dental implants usually fail for one of the following reasons:
- Physical trauma: Blows to the mouth and poor oral habits such as grinding, chewing aggressively, gnawing on materials like wood, plastic, metal, and ice, and using your smile to open packages can damage your real teeth and dental implants.
- Failed osseointegration: This refers to when the dental implant does not adequately fuse with the patient’s jawbone tissue, which will make it easier for the device to break loose or fail early.
- Peri-implantitis: This refers to when the gum tissue or jawbone structure supporting an implant is eroded due to oral infection, and it is usually the result of poor dental hygiene habits.
Symptoms of Failed Dental Implants
Dental implant failure can happen at any time regardless of how recently the device was placed. A few common signs of a compromised implant include:
- The device being loose in the gum tissue.
- Pain or discomfort around the implant.
- Recession of the gum tissue supporting the implant.
- Discomfort when chewing or biting.
- Swollen gums.
- A persistent foul taste in the mouth that doesn’t go away after several thorough oral hygiene sessions.
How Dental Implant Salvage Works
If you believe your dental implant is not healthy and secure, please contact our office in Waco to schedule an appointment. Our team will be happy to evaluate the problem and determine an appropriate solution, and it’s always best to have the issue addressed as soon as possible. In some cases, we may be able to resolve the issue with gum disease treatment and help the implant reintegrate with your oral tissues, but a device that cannot be saved will have to be removed and replaced.