Dental implant procedures are currently the most effective and safest solution to rehabilitate the oral cavity when one or more teeth have been lost.
Implants, like teeth, can be lifelong, but they can also suffer from certain pathologies. The most important of these is an inflammatory disease that leads to the destruction of the supporting tissues of the implant.
When the disease only affects the gum, it is referred to as a Mucositis, but, if not treated in time, it can lead to the destruction of the bone around the implant, which is known as the Peri-implantitis.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
Due to their nature, implants rarely cause pain, so we must be much more attentive to the symptoms, and go periodically for check-ups. Some of these symptoms are:
- - Redness of the mucosa surrounding the implant.
- - Bleeding and oozing.
- - Enlargement of the space between the implant and the gum.
- - Bone loss around the implant.
- - Discomfort when chewing or clenching teeth.
- - Progressive implant mobility in more advanced cases.
CAUSES
- - Previous periodontal disease: having suffered from untreated gum disease is the main risk factor for the development of peri-implantitis.
- - Tobacco and alcohol: both weaken the body's defences and facilitate invasion by pathogenic bacteria.
- - Poor oral hygiene: good hygiene is essential to keep our implants healthy, and in the absence of it, we are certain to have pathologies.
- - Unhygienic prosthetic rehabilitations: if the design of the covers or prostheses that we put on the implants is not adequate, they will retain a lot of dirt and it will be difficult to keep them clean.
TREATMENT AND PREVENTION
The main goal of treatment is to stop progressive bone loss by controlling the bacterial infection.
Bone destruction is faster and more aggressive on implants than on teeth, so we must act as soon as possible to stop peri-implantitis. To do this we would combine:
- - Surgical treatment: consists of removing the infectious tissue around the implant and subsequent bone regeneration to recover part of the bone damaged by this disease.
- - Antibacterial treatment: by prescribing drugs orally or by local application in the form of a gel.
But as the saying goes: prevention is better than cure. And to prevent peri-implantitis, the most important thing is to maintain good hygiene, both at home and by attending regular check-ups at the dental clinic. In these check-ups we will clean the whole mouth, but with special emphasis on the implants, and using specific instruments that are different from those used on teeth.
If you have any questions about your oral health or any treatment such as invisible orthodontics, dental veneers, dental implants, invisible orthodontics or other treatments do not hesitate to contact our team at Vélez y Lozano.