Blog Credits:
https://smileshiners.com/
Can a dental implant get infected?
Unfortunately, dental implants can be infected. The Condition in which dental implants get infected is called Peri-implantitis. In most cases, a dental implant is successful, which provides sturdy tooth replacement that has the potential to last a lifetime. Peri-implantitis causes inflammation in the surrounding gum and bone that supports implants.
Symptoms of dental implant infection are gum surround that implant bleeds easily while brushing and swollen gums. This condition drastically increased the chances of implant failure if neglected and left untreated.
Diagnosis of infected Dental Implant
The first thing that dentist will do is a dental x-ray, to check radiographic bone loss, the severity of infection, and inflammation. A major concern regarding this condition is that it often doesn’t create any pain and as a result, patients are frequently unaware that an implant is infected. Peri-implantitis can be induced by problems such as poor oral hygiene, implants being placed too much close to each other, angulation of implant, poor bone quality, stuck cement that leftover on the implant, systemic issue like diabetes, smoking habit, and fracture of implant and overloading of the implant.
Treatment of infected Dental Implant
Prevention of implant infection is the best way to address this by maintaining good oral hygiene. But what if, despite your effort at prevention, you end up with an infection around a dental implant? Once dental implant infection is diagnosed, treatment will depend upon the severity of the infection and the amount of bone loss. The dentist will clean the surface area of the infected dental implant and regenerate the lost supporting bone through bone grafting if possible.
There are different ways to clean the surface of the implant through surgical and non-surgical therapy such as local debridement, implant surface decontamination, and antibiotic therapy. If the infection is left untreated then the severity of the infection becomes more occurring more bone loss resulting removal of the implant itself.
Can infected dental implants be saved?
The future of that infected implant is decided by the amount of infection. If infection and bone loss are at the initial stage, bacterial plaque and calculus could be removed non-surgically along with antibiotic therapy and maybe by modifying the crown structure of the implant. The earlier an infection is treated, the better the chances of success. What if the dental implant has already become lost? In that condition, it may not be possible to save it. In that case, the implant will need to be removed and the site will be grafted with bone. It may be possible to place another dental implant at a later stage after all infection is removed and the formation of new bone is confirmed.
If you do have a dental implant, it is important to do a regular check-up at the dentist every six months. This allows for checking any signs of early inflammation and infection so that prompt action can be taken if anything is found abnormal.
Blog Credits:
https://smileshiners.com/