One of the services being offered by dentists is the installation of dental implants in Columbia, MD. A dental implant is an artificial root that serve to hold a dental bridge or a replacement tooth. As with any other surgical procedure, it may be inevitable that there could be incidences of a dental implant coming loose. Although they are designed to be 99% permanent, there are a variety of factors that may lead to an dental implant becoming loose.
Causes of Loose Dental Implants
A tooth implant is considered a failure when it becomes wobbly, mobile, or if it falls out. The following are the most common factors that may lead to the loosening of dental implants:
a. Incorrect positioning of the tooth implant.
b. Bone density and volume is insufficient.
c. Surrounding tissues are damaged.
d. Overloading (failure that happens due to unnecessary forces or pressure placed on the crown and protruding abutment).
e. Osseointegration (a process wherein the bone tissue directly binds to the tooth implant).
f. Sudden impact.
g. The dental implant gets fractured.
Procedure for Fixing Loose Teeth Implants
The first step when a dental implant gets loose is to book an appointment with the oral surgeon who placed it. Most likely, the dental implant has failed to integrate and therefore, has to undergo a four-step process.
1. The dental implant that has come loose is removed. The surrounding area is then cleansed to get rid of debris and bacteria.
2. A bone graft procedure is done to allow the empty socket to heal. This is an essential process to avoid bone recession and for sufficient bone tissue to grow.
3. After four months, the oral surgeon will check the growth of bone tissue from the bone graft. There needs to be sufficient bone tissue for the dental implant to attach.
4. If there is sufficient bone tissue, the implant is then reinstalled. Should there not be sufficient bone tissue yet, additional bone grafting will be performed to make sure that the dental implant will insert adequately onto the bone.
In some cases, it may be difficult to remove all components of the dental implant. The difficulty of implant removal will depend on the prosthetic components used, as well as the severity of the mobility of the implant. Prior to refitting the implant, patients will be prescribed with analgesics to eliminate any pain that accompanies the wobbling of a loose dental implant.
Aftercare and Recovery
Here are the steps that patients should take after getting their dental implants reinstalled.
Drink cold drinks, and avoid eating until the local anesthetic wears off. Avoid strenuous movements such as exercise, and take care to avoid hot food and drinks for the first day.
Reduce any swelling by holding ice packs onto the cheek for up to 10 minutes.
Take painkillers such as ibuprofen before the local anesthetic wears off.
If minor bleeding, swelling, and pain persists after 2-3 weeks, a visit to the oral surgeon is recommended to make sure an infection is not developing.
