Dental Implant Fell Out
One of the major reasons people choose dental implants to replace their missing teeth is the permanent nature of the implant. The implanted post is made of either zirconia or titanium which are biocompatible materials that can fuse with the jaw bone to secure the implant in place for 30 years or more. While this is the case for most dental implant procedures, there are complications and problems than can lead to the implant loosening and falling out.
How to Care for Your Implants
The dental crown sits on top of your gum line where it is attached to the implanted post with an abutment. When the implant procedure goes according to plan, the post fuses with the bone and heals into place. The post acts like a natural tooth root for the dental crown. In order for the implant to remain secure and sturdy, the jaw bone must maintain a certain density and strength.
As you get older, you will most likely suffer bone mass loss, like most adults. After a certain age, you may no longer be a good candidate for dental implant surgery because of your brittle or weak bones. To prevent bone mass loss in the first place or prevent it from getting worse, your dentist or doctor may suggest certain vitamin supplements. The dentist will help treat your jaw bone health as well your gum health before any implant surgery moves forward.
After you have had the implant surgery there are steps you can take to ensure that your dental implant lasts as long as possible. Certain foods are not ideal to bite down on; hard foods can put too much pressure on the implant. Sticky foods can allow food particles and debris to remain between your teeth where it is difficult to remove with brushing alone. Popcorn and nuts can also leave behind small bits that can irritate your dental implant.
Taking care of your dental implants should be no more difficult than maintaining good health for your natural teeth. Making time to brush and floss your teeth twice a day and using an oral rinse is a great start. Be sure to keep your twice-yearly dental appointments for exams and cleanings so the dentist can monitor your oral health. Doing your best to keep your mouth as healthy as possible will help keep your dental implants securely in place. Preventing gum disease will keep your gum tissue strong and able to support your dental implant properly. If you find that the pain from your dental implant surgery is not improving as you start to heal, then be sure to contact the dentist for a postoperative check-up.
What are the signs to watch out for?
The dental implant will not just fall out of your mouth when you are walking down the street one day. It will show signs of being loose before that happens. There are specific signs and symptoms that will let you know your implant is starting loosen from where it is supposed to be fixed in place. Reaching out to the dentist when you start to notice changes will prevent more serious and complicated problems from happening. These are signs that your implant is not OK:
- Pain or discomfort
- Noticeable bone loss near the implant site
- Bleeding gums at the site of your dental implant
- Gum and tissue discoloration around the dental implant
It is important to address these warning signs as soon as possible by contacting the dentist for a professional evaluation. The dentist may be able to keep the dental implant in place while stopping future problems.
What happens if you don’t fix a loose dental implant right away?
The most serious and expensive of the answers to this question is that the dental implant will fall out and you will need to pay for the replacement of the implant. But a loose dental implant will have other negative effects on your surrounding teeth, your whole mouth and potentially your overall health. When a dental implant starts to loosen, over 500 species of bacteria can enter your body through that site. So your neck, brain, and heart can experience bacterial infection and even sepsis. As much as this may seem like a scare tactic, the importance of attending to your loose implant is a way to safeguard your well-being.
What to Do If an Implant Comes Out
It is important to know that dental implant surgeries have a success rate around 94%, but there are some rare cases where the implant surgery is not successful. If you are one of the few people whose implant moves or falls out, you need to schedule an appointment with the dentist immediately. Depending on your case and the reason your implant came out, the dentist may be able to just re-insert your implant. In other cases, it may not be the implant that was affected but the dental crown detached from the post. The crown can be reattached without creating too much of a problem. The abutment that holds the dental crown to the implant may become damaged. In most cases, the broken abutment can be removed and replaced with a new one.
When the implant is moving below the gumline, this is the most serious of the reasons your dental implant fails. Your jaw bone may not be able support the implant due to bone mass loss or advanced periodontal disease. Depending on how advanced the gum disease is, the dentist may be able to address it with antibiotic treatments and suggestions on how you can improve your oral hygiene at home. If you can treat the periodontitis promptly, then you should be able to have the implant re-inserted.
You will not be able to determine what the best treatment plan is without having an exam completed by a dentist. The exam may include x-rays to determine the health of the jaw bone. Once the dentist has determined why the implant has come out, then the dentist can make suggestions on the next steps to treat the problem. If your dental implant will not be able to be re-inserted, the dentist can review your alternative tooth replacement options.