Dental implants are the best form of tooth replacement available because they look, work, and feel just like real teeth. They also carry significant overall health benefits like preventing or reversing bone loss in the jaw, allowing the patient to consume a varied and nutritious diet, and lasting for a lifetime with excellent care, and they boast an impressive success rate of over 95%. However, some patients will still experience complications with them. Here’s a brief guide of what to do if you find that your dental implant feels loose.
How Can I Tell if My Implant Is Loose?
While a patient can usually figure out if their artificial tooth is loose by probing at it gently with their fingers or tongue, it can help to check for other symptoms as well. A few signs that your implant is loose include:
- The artificial tooth moves when you touch it.
- You experience pain when chewing.
- The gums around it have receded.
- The implant bleeds when you touch it.
- The area around the implant has become discolored.
- The artificial tooth falls out.
In any case, it is crucial that you contact a dentist immediately if you find a loose implant to prevent the damage from worsening.
Why Did My Implant Come Loose?
If a dental implant seems loose, it is usually because the artificial tooth has lost its grip rather than the implant itself. This is great news because it means that the artificial tooth just needs to be replaced. However, sometimes the problem is caused by other factors.
If the dental implant was placed recently, it may be loose due to surgical trauma, improper placement, complications during the healing process, or a lack of a stable foundation in the jaw. If the implant was placed long ago, it may come loose due to infection, faulty manufacture of the implant, or the implant and jawbone failing to osseointegrate. If left untreated, any of these causes can lead to implant failure which can require costly repairs and result in complications for the rest of the body.
Only a dentist can determine the cause and proper treatment of a loose dental implant, so take care not to probe at the artificial tooth too much on your own. If you believe your dental implant is coming loose, contact your dentist’s office and set up an appointment to have it checked out and treated.
About the Practice
Barker, Rohner, & Hunt DMD delivers the finest dental health services available in Raleigh, NC. Led by Drs. Brandon Hunt, Bruce Barker, and Walter Rohner, the staff ensures each patient receives care of the highest quality in a compassionate and welcoming environment. Areas of expertise include general, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry in addition to dental implant services. If you think you have a loose implant, dial (919) 847-7100 to schedule an appointment or contact the office online.
