Dental implants restore the patient’s functionality and smile.
Prostheses ensure that the lack of one or more teeth is no longer a problem, so it is an intervention that provides many benefits.
After undergoing the intervention, the osseointegration process and seeing how the teeth are complete again, it is necessary to take care of the implants so that they last as long as possible.
Although they have a 97% success rate, they are not free of complications.
Peri-implant pathologies
As with our teeth and gums, dental implants also suffer from periodontal diseases, although in their case we are talking about peri-implant pathologies.
These are divided into two types:
Peri-implant mucositis.
Mucositis is a disease that occurs when the soft tissues (mucosa) around the implant become inflamed.
It is a reversible pathology, which affects between 30 and 70% of patients with prostheses and does not involve bone loss.
This pathology could be compared to gingivitis suffered by the gums.
Periimplantitis
On the other hand, we find peri-implantitis, which is the disease equivalent to periodontitis.
In the case of peri-implantitis, in addition to the inflammation of the soft tissues surrounding the implant, the hard tissues are also damaged.
In other words, the bone supporting the implant may be destroyed, endangering the survival of the implant.
In contrast to mucositis, peri-implantitis can produce esthetic sequelae such as gum recession.
Peri-implant mucositis
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PERI-IMPLANT PATHOLOGIES
Without adequate treatment, there is the possibility of losing the affected implant.
In both cases, mucositis and peri-implantitis, tissue inflammation is caused by accumulated bacterial plaque.
Although mucositis is a mild stage of the disease, prolonged exposure of the tissues to tartar can cause the pathology to progress, leading to severe peri-implantitis.
How is peri-implant mucositis detected?
As in the case of gingivitis in patients without implants, mucositis has some symptoms that the patient can notice:
Inflammation of the gums
Bleeding
Reddening of the periodontal tissue
Suppuration of pus
Although the person may sense that he/she is suffering from mucositis, it is important to visit the dental clinic regularly so that the professional can follow up.
PROBLEMS WITH YOUR IMPLANTS? ASK FOR AN APPOINTMENT
The implantologist will be able to recognize lesions caused by bacterial plaque at an early stage and thus initiate treatment if necessary.
Thanks to the periodontal probe, the dentist is able to determine the depth of bacterial plaque.
Probe to measure plaque depth
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PERIODONTAL PROBE
Causes of mucositis
As previously explained, the main reason for the development of peri-implant diseases is the accumulation of bacterial plaque.
This congregation of bacteria can be caused by several reasons:
Poor or insufficient dental hygiene leads to serious consequences for dental implants.
The food remains that accumulate between the teeth end up favoring the appearance of bacteria.
It is essential to apply a correct brushing technique and to complement it with the use of dental floss and mouthwashes.
Tobacco has harmful effects on oral health and negatively affects the correct osseointegration of implants.
By reducing the body’s defensive capacity against possible external agents, it reduces the amount of blood supply to the periodontal tissues and causes tartar accumulation.
If you eliminate or, at least, reduce your daily consumption of tobacco, you will have more chances for an implant to heal correctly.
Smoking also compromises the long-term survival of implants due to the inflammation it causes in the gums.
There are some people with a certain genetic propensity to develop periodontal diseases.
Periodontics also has a relationship with other pathologies, such as diabetes.
But it is not only biological factors and the patient’s lifestyle that play a role.
Sometimes the disease develops as a result of poor implant placement.
Likewise, an inadequate design of the prosthesis or its own characteristics (such as a rough surface, for example) can end up favoring the accumulation of bacteria.
Peri-implant disease progression
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MUCOSITIS AND PERI-IMPLANTITIS
In addition, the absence of regular dental care after implant placement, which will allow monitoring of the evolution of the implant, can also be a risk factor for peri-implant mucositis.
What is the treatment against peri-implant diseases?
The best way to avoid peri-implant diseases is prevention.
As we have pointed out throughout this article, bacterial plaque is the cause of these pathologies, so proper hygiene is essential.
The patient should follow the dentist’s instructions to clean his dental implants correctly and thus avoid complications in the future.
Although the success rate of implants is 97%, it is necessary to take care of them and visit the dentist regularly so that they last for a long time.
Mucositis can be eliminated by controlling the cause of the mucositis – tartar.
Peri-implantitis, however, requires an intervention for its eradication.
The dentist must perform an access surgery to completely clean the implant and eliminate all the bacteria inside the gum.
Subsequently, it will be necessary to reconstruct the damaged area and make a bone graft if necessary.
In these cases the dentist usually prescribes antibiotics.
Placement of a dental prosthesis
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DENTAL IMPLANT
It is advisable that the patient’s dental prophylaxis be combined with a supervised maintenance program.
In this way, the expert implantologist will obtain an accurate diagnosis of peri-implant diseases.
Therefore, if you think you are suffering from any type of pathology or complication related to your dental implants, the best thing you can do is to put yourself in the hands of specialists.
At DrAW Dental Clinic we will give you an accurate diagnosis of your problem and will be at your disposal expert dentists who work exclusively in their field of specialization.
With your first visit we will attend you completely free of charge and you will receive a free estimate.
