Archive for the ‘Single Tooth Implants’ Category

I think my dental implant is failing

Sunday, August 19th, 2012

Hello,

I am a dental implant patient. About a month and a half ago I had the implant surgically implanted. I have been a smoker for most of my adult life and recently I quit because I was getting the dental implant. Then, last week I started smoking again. When I brushed my teeth I happened to notice some bleeding on my toothbrush and near my gum line. Do you think my dental implant is failing? I go back next month for the next appointment to have everything finalized. Do you think I should quit smoking?

- Tina in Ohio

Tina,

It is no secret that smoking is bad for your health. It is also not good for your dental health. But, the bleeding is probably not related to you beginning to smoke again. Most likely, the implant site area is still healing since it was recently placed. You may have brushed to hard and that may have caused the bleeding. Although, dental implant failure happens far too often. The symptoms associated with a possible failure include pain, bone loss around the implant area, and mobility. It would be in your best interest to quit smoking for many reasons, including the increased risk for gum disease. Bleeding gums can be an indicator of gum disease, as well as bone loss. You should definitely discuss the bleeding with your dentist at your next appointment. If the condition worsens, you may want to get in for an appointment sooner than the one scheduled for next month so infection around the implant area can be ruled out.

Some patients are motivated by cheap dental implants which can also result in failure. Hopefully this was not the case for you and your issue is due to the healing process. For those reading, it is worth mentioning that there are over 200 companies that manufacture dental implants and only six companies have documented research to validate their safety. It is very important to research your dentist’s credentials and experience. Cheap materials and dentists that cut corners will end up costing you more in the long run.

This post is sponsored by Cleveland implant dentist Hylan Dental Care.

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How long should I wait for an extraction to heal before having an implant?

Monday, February 20th, 2012

What is the normal time to wait after a tooth with an infected root canal is extracted before the implant can be placed? It never felt right, and a year later the tooth had to be extracted, and they want to put in a dental implant. So in my mind this infection was probably developing the entire year. Now that an oral surgeon has removed the tooth what is my reassurance that there isn’t infection harboring in the bone? How much time should be given to new bone growth and how will the infection be diagnosed as no longer a problem before the implant is placed. I appreciate information that you can provide.
- Loretta

Loretta,
When a tooth becomes infected, the tissue inside it dies. Then, since there is a small opening in the tooth at the apex of the root, infected matter continues to spill out into the bone around the end of the tooth. Your body fights the infection in the bone, but there is no way to get antibodies or white blood cells into the tooth to actually eliminate the infection, because that tissue is dead and there are no longer any blood vessels in it.

When the tooth is extracted, two important things happen. First, the source of the infection is eliminated, enabling your body defenses to quickly wipe out the remnants of the infection in the bone. Second, the missing tooth leaves a wide drainage opening into the bone to the heart of the infection. Because of this, there is rarely any problem with residual infection after a simple extraction.

Now in the case of an infected and impacted wisdom tooth, the infection is not inside the tooth and spilling out into the bone, but is in the space between the tooth and the gum. Additionally, the surgery to remove an impacted wisdom tooth requires cutting into the tissue and the bone, which can allow the infection to spread into that surgical area. Then the wound is usually sutured closed. For these reasons, an infection after the removal of an impacted wisdom tooth is not rare, and many dentists routinely prescribe antibiotics during the healing period to help prevent infection.

This blog is sponsored by Cleveland implant dentist Dr. Brad Hylan.

Click here to read reviews of Clear Choice Dental Implants Centers.

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