Dental Health Magazine Dental Health Magazine Issue 8 | Page 29

Issue #8, December 2017
7
How to make dental
implant crown/
bridge last?
Dental implants have been used successfully for many
decades and we know that, with proper maintenance, they will
function for many years. In many dental implant researches,
95% of implants last for more than 5 -10 years, but most
are likely to have a much longer lifespan. To increase the
longevity of your implant, you are strongly advised to avoid
smoking and to continue with a very thorough oral hygiene
program at home as well as to attend regular recall visits at
your dentist for careful cleaning of your implant, teeth and
gums. This will allow you to have your implant and teeth be
professionally attended to and enable any problems to be
dealt with immediately before they jeopardize the stability of
your dental implant prosthesis.
With tip top personal oral hygiene, regular recall dental visits
and avoidance of smoking, your dental implant has every
chance of lasting for many years.
8
What can cause
dental implant to
fail?
9
Are mucositis and
peri-implantitis
detectable and
treatable?
Assuming there have been no complications with the healing
process after dental implant insertion, the most likely cause
of failure is inadequate personal oral hygiene care. If teeth are
improperly clean, bacteria will build up on the implant surface
and cause inflammation of the gum surrounding the implant –
mucositis. If left untreated, this can worsen to a more serious
stage called peri-implantitis, in which there is inflammation and
bone loss around the dental implant. Eventually, the implant will
lose its anchorage in the bone and becomes loose.
It is not easy for you to detect when mucositis or peri-implantitis
is present. Often, the only warning sign is an increased tendency
for the gums to bleed during brushing and interdental cleaning.
Some bleeding is expected during the healing phase after
implant placement, but when bleeding occurs for prolonged
period after implant restoration, it is a danger sign of underlying
inflammation. Other noticeable changes are gum swellings, bad
breath or a bad taste, oozing pus and loosening of the implant,
bridge or dentures.
Regular recall appointments with your dentist will help ensure
that any adverse changes are detected early so that peri-
implantitis can be avoided. It is vital that you contact your
implant dentist as soon as possible if you notice any signs of
inflammation around your implant in between your scheduled
dental visits.
The earlier the detection and treatment of mucositis and peri-
implantitis, the better are the chances of prolonging the lifespan
of your dental implant restoration
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