While dental implants are meant to last a lifetime, peri-implantitis can affect the health and longevity of your dental restorations. It’s essential to take the best possible care of your dental implants to avoid any complications so you can have a healthy and strong smile. Here’s what you need to know about peri-implantitis!

What Causes It?

While dental implants are excellent restoration options for your missing teeth, your gum tissue isn’t able to attach to your dental implant in quite the same way that it does to your natural tooth.

Peri-implantitis can happen at any point after your dental implant procedure is complete, whether because the gum tissue hasn’t properly adjusted or because of inadequate oral care. When the gum tissue doesn’t properly attach to your dental implant, it can leave a space where bacteria can enter to cause the gum and bone inflammation we see in peri-implantitis.

Symptoms of Peri-Implantitis

The symptoms of peri-implantitis aren’t dissimilar to those of gum disease. People with peri-implantitis may experience [1]:

• Redness or tenderness in the gum tissue around a dental implant
• Pain or discomfort around the implant
• Bleeding when brushing
• A loose dental implant
• Visible pus or a bad taste in the mouth

Whether or not your symptoms are the result of gum disease or peri-implantitis, getting your dental implant assessed by your professional dentist is essential to determining what the problem is and taking the proper steps for effective treatment!

Risk Factors for Developing the Condition

Certain patients are more at risk to develop peri-implantitis, including those who [2]:

• Smoke or use tobacco
• Have poorly controlled diabetes or osteoporosis
• Have a history or gum disease or bruxism (teeth grinding)
• Have poor oral hygiene

Your dentist will ensure that you are a good candidate for dental implants based on your oral health history and current dental health to increase your chances of proper healing and reduce the risk for any complications.

How Can You Prevent It?

Peri-implantitis can often be prevented; making sure you know how to properly clean your dental implant is important [3]. If you floss too aggressively around the dental crown that completes your implant, you risk damaging the gum tissue’s attachment to the crown.

Like most dental conditions, catching peri-implantitis early can make all the difference to the success of your treatment. With regular visits to your dentist following your dental implant procedure, you can ensure that peri-implantitis isn’t an issue and if it is, make the necessary steps to correct it.

You can also help prevent peri-implantitis by not smoking and keeping your teeth clean. Your dentist is a helpful resource when preventing peri-implantitis, so don’t miss your regular checkups to keep your smile healthy and strong!

Sources:
1. https://www.perio.org/consumer/peri-implant-disease
2. https://jcda.ca/article/e24
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25626479

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