What Is Peri-Implantitis?
Peri-implantitis is a dental implant infection that causes inflammation and bone loss around the implant. At Smile Cliniq, we provide our patients with both non-surgical laser treatment for peri-implantitis as well as surgical options.
What Causes Peri-Implant Disease?
Peri-implantitis is a multi-factorial disorder and bacteria plays a huge role in causing dental implant infection. This can eventually lead to dental implants failure.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Poor oral hygiene
- Heavy smoking
- Diabetes
- Bruxism ( Teeth grinding)
- History of periodontitis / gum disease
If you have dental implants, you must be aware of these common causes and the signs and symptoms of a dental implant infection.
Dental Implant Infection Signs & Symptoms
Similar to periodontal disease (gum disease), peri-implantitis develops as a result of the build-up of bacterial plaque around the implant. Therefore, if you are a patient who has lost teeth due to severe gum disease, you must be vigilant and carefully monitor your dental implants as they are less resistant to progression of gum disease than your natural teeth.
The signs and symptoms of peri-implantitis may include:
- Redness or swollen gums
- Bleeding gums or pus
- Fever
- Pain around the dental implant area ( usually associated with acute infection)
- Halitosis ( Bad breath)
- Complications with your bite
- Loose implant
- Swollen lymph nodes
Peri-implantitis or peri-implant disease is preventable and treatable. If you have any of the symptoms from the above list please get into contact with us. Our dedicated team is ready, willing and able to guide you into the most effective treatment that will help you to combat this problem.
Dental Implant Infection Home-remedy
Our patients often ask us if there are home remedies for dental implant infection. Although preventable, peri-implantitis does not go away simply by waiting or applying home-remedies such as brushing or mouthwash.
At Smile Cliniq, Dr Chasioti, our specialist periodontist provides laser treatment for peri-implantitis as well as surgical treatment for the best effective solution for the treatment of peri-implantitis.
It is important to see your dentist if you experience any discomfort around the area as it is best to catch such an infection early before it causes any further damage.
Detecting peri-implantitis early gives you the best chance of avoiding further surgery and preventing dental implant failure.
This is one of the reasons why it is essential to implement a strict oral hygiene routine before, during and after implant surgery. By doing this you can reduce the risk of infection dramatically! Diligently following the recommended dental implant aftercare will help prolong the life of your new teeth.
Can you Save an Infected Dental Implant?
Yes! It is possible to save an implant from a dental implant infection. However, this will depend on the amount of bone lost and the esthetic impact of the dental implant in your case. To make sure you have the best chances of success with your implant failure, it is vital you see your dentist for a regular check-ups and maintenance.
It is crucial that the gum around the implant is thick, keratinised and non-mobile, as this has been shown to prevent and decrease bone loss around the implants.
In the event that the gum is thin and mobile, we provide several gum grafting procedures to increase the gum thickness around the implants for a higher chance of success.
What Treatments Are Available For Peri-implantitis?
At Smile Cliniq we provide both non-surgical laser treatment such as the laser therapy for peri-implantitis and surgical options for a more severe case of peri-implantitis causing dental implant failure.
The non-surgical laser therapy for peri-implantitis
The innovative laser therapy for implantitis includes using a diode laser to remove infected tissues and reduce bacteria around the implant. The infected site is cleaned and sealed using the laser. Our gum specialist will always recommend a non-invasive treatment where possible. However there might be some cases where surgical treatment is required due to excessive pockets in the gum and bone loss.
The surgical treatment for peri-implantitis
Surgical treatment may be recommended by our gum specialist for many reasons including failing non-surgical therapy. The surgery involves raising the gums so the area can be inspected and treated accordingly. The treatments may be varied depending on your individual case and these may include;
- Bone Regeneration using bone grafts where there is excessive bone loss
- Resective surgery to remove bony ledges and flatten bone irregularities around the implant or;
- Implantoplasty, where the threads on the screw of the implant are removed to leave a polished implant surface.
Additional Consideration
It is essential that your gum around the implant is thick, keratinised and non-mobile as it has been found to prevent and decrease bone loss around the implants.
If you are concerned that your gum is thin and mobile, we provide several gum grafting procedures to help you increase the thickness of your gums around the implant.
Why is Smile Cliniq the best for peri-implantitis treatment in London?
We understand that an infection around your dental implant can be a frustrating and a potentially painful experience. If you have any concerns about your dental implants or want to treat peri-implantitis, there are several reasons why you should choose Smile Cliniq.
- Whether you’re a confident or nervous patient, our friendly and experienced dentistry team here will always work hard to create a calm and relaxing environment so you can remain confident throughout your experience.
- Our specialist perio-dontist Dr. Evdokia Chasioti is one of the leading experts in her field and continues to perform a vast range of surgical and non-surgical treatments to correct the functions and the aesthetics of the gums including implant surgery for full mouth rehabilitation and other complex surgeries such as sinus lift operations.
- Our dental team are experienced and knowledgeable in not just dental implantology but all forms of general and cosmetic dentistry and will be able to spot the signs of peri-implantitis from a simple oral inspection of your mouth. We will be able to assess the severity of the infected implant and recommend the best course of action to avoid a complete dental implant failure.
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Finchley
02083431133
St Johns Wood
02073281200