It is important to practice good oral hygiene and implant care to avoid complications that could lead to implant failure. If an Implant is lost, there is no guarantee that it can be replaced again.

Good oral hygiene is critical when caring for your implant. It is important to remember that along with regular dentist and hygienist visits that you know how to brush your implants properly, floss regularly and clean the spaces between your implants with an interdental brush. It is also a good idea to use and antibacterial toothpaste which helps reduce the plaque bacteria.

Poor dental hygiene can lead to the loss of implants. If the implants are not looked after then bacteria can multiply on the surface of the implant to harmful levels. This can result is in inflammation of the gums and if left untreated, bone loss around the implant may result to peri-implantitis. Peri-implantitis is actually the most common cause of loss of implants.

What is Peri-implantitis?

Peri-implatitis is an infectious disease that causes inflammation of the surrounding gum and bone of an implant, leading to the loss of the supporting bone. Most patients are unaware that they have bone loss around the dental implant, it can be painless and symptoms may not manifest for a few years.

Symptoms of Peri-implantitis:

• Gum pockets deepen.
• Pus coming out around the implant and gums.
• Bleeding gums.
• Metal thread of the implant exposed.

Symptoms of Peri-implantitis:

In order to avoid suffering from peri-implantitis it is important that you maintain regular hygienist visits. Our hygienists at Smile NW Dental Practice can help patients with implants learn how to clean their teeth properly using special tooth brushes and will clean around the implants with special instruments.