3 Reasons Why Your Dental Implant Feels Loose and What to Do About It
December 12, 2018
When you got your dental implant, were you told it was permanent and it wouldn’t come out? So why does it feel loose? We outline why this could be happening and what you can expect to feel. However, if you ever have this problem, you should call Melton Dental Group as soon as possible for an evaluation before the problem worsens!
The symptoms of a loose dental implant
- Pain
- Discoloration around your implant
- Bleeding upon touching
- Bone loss and sunken gums
- Artificial tooth moves around
If you’ve been feeling any of the above (apart from the obvious – your implant feeling loose), it most likely means you have a loose dental implant or crown. You don’t want to leave this untreated in the hopes it’ll go away on its own as this can have terrible health repercussions!
An untreated loose implant runs the risk of a severe infection that could spread from your mouth and jaw to your face and neck! Don’t take the risk – reach out to our experts for a quick fix.
What causes a loose dental implant?
There are a few reasons as to why you may be experiencing this. Our experts have outlined the most common factors below:
Loose Abutment
The top of your implant has a hollow area that an attachment (known as an abutment) gets screwed into. This abutment sticks out of the gum and your crown is cemented on top of it. At times it’s possible for the abutment will begin to unthread from the implant, making it loose. This is a pretty straightforward problem to address and it doesn’t affect the actual implant.
Loose Crown
Since the crown is held on with cement, the seal can be broken causing the crown to become unglued. This is a simple solution that will just require more cement.
Gum Disease and Bone Loss
Getting gum disease around your implant (or more accurately put, a case of “peri-implantitis”) is a serious issue. The infection from gum disease eats away at the jaw bone that holds the dental implant in place. It’s possible for the bone to deteriorate so much that the implant doesn’t have anything to hold it, so that it falls out. The same can be said for your natural teeth.
In order to prevent peri-implantitis, gum disease and bone loss, you’ll need to have an excellent home care routine and visit our Melton dentist for regular check-ups and cleanings.
Other possible causes:
Once the implant has been placed on to your jawbone, the process of healing (also known as osseointegration) should ideally have the surrounding bone growing over the implant in order to secure a more concrete bond. This osseointegration can fail to take place if:
- Your body has a weak healing system that’s jeopardized
- If the surgery occurs under undue pressure or if the implant forms an inadequate bond due to not having enough healthy bone to support it.
You won’t have to wait long to notice the symptoms. However, as this happens soon after the surgery takes place, you can schedule a swift appointment with our dentist!
What to do if your implant falls out
First things first, you need to keep the crown, screw or other part safely stored away in a container while you make an emergency appointment with your dentist. You can rinse your mouth out with a mouthwash in the meanwhile- but make sure this has NO alcohol in it. Also, avoid chewing food on this side of your mouth.
How can you prevent this from happening?
For future reference, there are some steps you can take to reduce your risk of dealing with a loose dental implant.
- If you suffer from gum disease, make sure to have this treated by our dentists.
- Follow the after-care instructions outlined by out dentist at the appointment
- Make it a point to brush and floss regularly!
We Can Help!
If your implant feels loose, then give us a call. We perform an evaluation to see what the cause of the problem is. When you’re a patient of Melton Dental Group, you’ll see why the local families have trusted our Melton dentist to take care of their oral health needs for over 25 years. We look forward to seeing you!