When you look into dental implants a little bit, one of the first things that you’ll discover is their remarkable durability. They routinely outlast other methods of tooth replacement by two-to-one, with a majority surviving well over 30 years.
However, there are instances where dental implants can fail, or could start to feel loose. If you ever notice this happening, here’s what your next step should be.
My Dental Implant is Loose — What Do I Do?
First of all, if you notice that your dental implant is starting to come loose, you should contact your dentist. This is a sign of impending implant failure, meaning that you’ll probably require professional intervention in order to have any chance of saving your dental implant.
This is especially true if this feeling is associated with pain, swelling, or bleeding. These symptoms indicate that the metal post could be coming out of the jaw.
What Can Cause a Dental Implant to Come Loose?
Without knowing more, a “loose” feeling could mean a few things. First of all, it may be that the restoration is coming apart from the metal implant, potentially due to damage.
In more serious situations, the metal post itself could come loose from the jawbone. This only happens in extreme scenarios, like if an infection has caused the degradation of the jaw. If you’ve just gotten your implant, it could also be the case that the metal implant failed to integrate with the jaw. This can occur if you have an impaired capacity to heal, or if you’re a bit careless during the recovery process.
How to Protect Your Dental Implant
Now that you have some idea of what to do if your dental implant comes loose, it may be worth touching on how you can protect them in the first place.
For one, it’s necessary to talk to your dentist if you have any pre-existing health conditions that could impair your ability to heal after the surgery. Infection is also one of the largest risks when it comes to your dental implant, so you should be sure to keep up with consistent dental hygiene.
Finally, you may want to reconsider certain lifestyle decisions that could harm your dental implants, like smoking. Talk to your dentist— they’ll have recommendations tailored to you.
About Our Practice
At Midtown Family Dentistry of Dallas, we strongly believe that everyone deserves immaculate oral health and a dental team that will help them to achieve it. We understand that dentistry can be complex, and sometimes scary, but you can be sure that you’ll always feel welcome at our practice. Whether you need a simple checkup or a mouth full of dental implants, we’ll have you covered!
If you have any questions about dental implants, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (469) 529-6016.