How Do You Know If Your Body Is Rejecting a Dental Implant?

Dental implants mimic your natural tooth and are secured with screw-like titanium posts into your jawbone. After dental implant placement, the structure integrates with your jawbone to serve as a foundation for one or more artificial teeth created from dental crowns. Like many things, dental implants can fail, but you can do something about it.

What Are the Signs of a Dental Implant Failure?

It would help if you watched for the following signs to determine whether your dental implant failed.

• Insecure Implants

Dental implants placed in your mouth should feel natural, like your natural teeth. You shouldn’t be able to differentiate between your natural teeth and the implant if the procedure went well. Unfortunately, if your implants feel conspicuous in your mouth and wiggle or move around, you should contact your dentist immediately.

• Pain

You will experience some pain during the healing process after getting implants placed. However, you shouldn’t expect to feel excessive pain because the dentist will prescribe or recommend painkillers to help ease the discomfort. However, if you feel the pain that radiates throughout your mouth or jaw and is sharp, your implant may be failing. If the pain increases without subsiding, contact your dentist immediately.

• Gum Swelling

Swelling in the gums is expected after dental implant surgery. However, the swelling must subside without spreading. Reddish gums indicate an infection that can spread throughout your mouth and eventually into your bloodstream to cause various problems. Contact the dentist near you immediately if you notice the pain and swelling are not subsiding or increasing.

• Challenges when Chewing

Dental implants are supposed to resemble your natural tooth, and if you are in pain or discomfort when eating or chewing foods, it indicates something is wrong with your implant. Implants pain when chewing indicates implant failure.

Causes for Dental Implant Failure

Dental implant failures are relatively rare but occur in approximately six to ten percent of implant placements. Four causes are attributed to implant failures. They are:

1. Early Rejection: Some patients do not tolerate foreign objects in their bodies like steel rods or dental implants. In addition, some patients are allergic to metals like titanium. As a result, your body can reject the implant before your jawbone has a chance to osseointegrate with it. If your dental implant doesn’t heal correctly, you start experiencing the above symptoms.
2. Late Rejection: the similarities between early and late rejection are identical. Unfortunately, late dental implant rejection results from poor dental hygiene or post-operative trauma, causing similar problems. You start experiencing the symptoms described above, and your teeth do not feel well.
3. Older Implants: If you had dental implants a decade ago, the implant in your mouth has possibly worn out. Dental technology moves fast, and the materials and procedures used by dentists a decade ago may not hold up under the wear and tear of time.
4. Poor Dental Hygiene: Your dental implants are invulnerable to decay because they are not natural teeth. Unfortunately, they remain susceptible to infections which can result in implant failure. Excellent oral hygiene practices such as brushing, flossing, and regular dental visits for dental exams and cleanings are essential to keep your implants in prime shape.

What Can You Do about Filling Implants?

As mentioned earlier, dental implant failures are rare. However, if you are one of the unfortunate few and suffer from dental implant failure, Stony Brook Dental Group can help.

For more information, browse through our “Dental Implants in Stony Brook, NY” service page.