I had two dental implants placed about three months ago. Everything seemed fine until recently. I had some weird pains and tingles in it the last few days and today the area surrounding the two implants seems spongy. I don’t know if that’s the right way to describe it, but the gum was moveable. My implant dentist is on vacation. Can this wait or do I need an emergency dentist?
Candace
Dear Candace,
It’s good that you are attentive to what’s going on with your dental implants. That alone could help save them. This need to be looked at before your dentist returns. You could have an infection brewing.
Infection is the leading cause of dental implant failure. So you’ll want this looked at as soon as possible. Your implant dentist should have a protocol in place when he’s not available. Usually, they will have a colleague who will stand in for them if a patient needs urgent care.
If by chance your dentist does not have that in place, you’ll need to see an emergency dentist.
Ideally, you’d want one versed in the dental implant procedure, but if you can’t find one, they could at least prescribe you a broad spectrum antibiotic which should hold off any infection while you’re waiting on your dentist’s return.
If Your Dental Implants Fail
Though with an experienced implant dentist there is a very high success rate (around 98%), sometimes, even when everything is done right, the dental implants will fail.
When that happens, there is still hope. You can get bone grafting done to build back up the area and then try again.
Cosmetic Opportunities with Implants
As you are adding teeth to your smile, one thing you can do is use it as an opportunity to update your smile a bit. Teeth whitening is an inexpensive cosmetic procedure and dramatically transforms your smile’s appearance.
The reason I bring it up is the color your implant crowns are made with is permanent. If you decide later you want to whiten your teeth, the porcelain crowns will have to be re-made.
It saves you money to do your whitening now, so you can have the crowns made a color you will be proud to keep for years to come.
This blog is brought to you by Auburn Family Dentist Dr. Raymond Bolt.