Dental Implant Moving
Dental implants are growing in popularity since it allows people with missing teeth to have them replaced with natural looking implants that can last for decades. Everyone’s oral makeup is as unique as their fingerprints, so dental implants can become loose over the years.
Statistically around 98% of dental implant patients experience success with their implants for years and years, but even small issues can arise. If a dental implant crown becomes loose, the patient should schedule an appointment with their dentist, preferably the same one who placed the implant crown.
A dental implant is meant to grow firmly into the jawbone. In fact, it should not be moving whatsoever. If you do notice any kind of movement, the first thing to do is to avoid pushing it with your tongue or attempting to adjust it with your fingers. This might cause it to come out of place completely, which will then become a dental emergency.
Why Your Dental Implant Should Not Be Moving
Before addressing what to do if your dental implant seems to be moving, let us first address why this should not happen. Your natural teeth actually do move a tiny bit. This happens because your natural teeth are attached to a piece of soft tissue called the periodontal ligament. It is a type of stretchy material that sometimes can allow for very slight movement. However, any movement that is more than a hundredth of an inch is a sign of gum disease and is a reason for an examination.
Dental implants, however, are not attached to a periodontal ligament. They are placed and secured directly into the jawbone. This means there should be no movement at all once the dental implant has been surgically inserted and the fusion to the jawbone has occurred. If there is indeed movement, it is a sign that the implant is failing in some way, either because of a structural issue with the implant itself or a problem with your bone tissue.
Symptoms Of Loose Implants
To further investigate if a tooth implant is moving is to identify other signs of a fundamental problem with it. Some loose dental implant symptoms are:
* Your gums are painful.
* You can feel the tooth moving.
* The gums are swollen around the tooth.
* There is bleeding around the tooth.
* You cannot chew properly.
* You cannot bite down properly.
* The implant tooth came out completely.
* There is bone loss around your jaw.
* There is obvious discomfort around the area where the implant is loose.
* An infection around the implant.
Is Your Dental Implant Moving?
If you feel like you have a loose dental implant, it is probably just the artificial crown and not the dental implant itself. If your dental crown has come loose call your dentist immediately. If you do have a loose dental implant, then you could have a rare dental implant failure. Your dentist is trained to deal with this issue as well. A loose dental implant is a problem because the implant is designed to be strong, stable, and secure. Therefore, if one of the components is loose it definitely needs to be corrected. Dental implant loosening can occur after many years of biting and chewing pressure.
Failed implants, even though rare, are indeed possible and it can happen when the jawbone cannot support the implant anymore because it might be taken over by gum tissue. The treatment in this situation is to remove the original dental implant and insert bone grafting material. Once the graft has fused again with the jawbone a new dental implant can be inserted to enhance your quality of life in the immediate future.
To prevent dental implants loosening, restorative dentists, might recommend their patients wear a specialized mouth guards while they sleep. Immense pressure can be placed on the teeth without the person’s knowledge while sleeping so it is important the dental implant and artificial crown are properly guarded to protect against loosening and other forms of damage.
Dental Implant Pain
Are you experiencing dental implant pressure pain? This could be a sign of an unusual dental implant rejection. Dental implants should not be painful or create any gum swelling. If there is soft tissue swelling around the implant site or tooth, then it is possible the dental implant post has become infected. Call your dentist as soon as possible to get on antibiotics right away and to then have an implant evaluation.
Dental implants infection symptoms include pain, swelling, loosening, or an infection. Sometimes this could result in the removal of the dental implant. An infected dental implant is best to be removed, bone grafted, and then replaced with a new implant.
See a Dentist and Get the Appropriate Treatment
Even if you are not experiencing too much discomfort around your moving dental implant, you should schedule a dental appointment. Your dentist can look directly at your implant by carefully removing the crown and exposing it. By doing so it simply allows for a better look at the implant. You will also most likely need to have X-rays taken so identify and confirm the source of the problem. In some cases, the problem could be an issue with how your jawbone is healing, especially if you are noticing some movement shortly after you had your implant placed. Treatment could involve:
* Antibiotics to treat a bacterial infection.
* Tightening the crown if the movement you are feeling is the crown and not the implant itself.
* Removing all components to see if anything is broken or damaged.
* Replacing any damaged components.
* The actual insertion of a new dental implant.
If you do need a new dental implant placed, the area where the implant is located is cleaned allowed to heal for a few months before another implant is inserted.
As mentioned, if you believe a dental implant is moving you need to see your dentist as soon as possible. Their experienced team is prepared to evaluate the situation, perform the necessary examination and tests, and then offer a solution that is right for you.