Signs Your Dental Implants Are In Need Of Help

Dentist Blog

If you've had dental implants for a long time but haven't had them restored, you could be one of those lucky ones who just took really good care of the implants -- or you could be experiencing problems that built up so slowly that you haven't realized you need help. Take another look at your dental implants in the mirror and if you see or feel any of these problems, it's time for a trip to the dentist.

Stains

If the implant crown shows any noticeable stains and the stain is out of place and highlights the fact that the crown is different from your other teeth -- it would be a good idea to get another crown. If your current crown stands out as dark and dingy, it can make your mouth look like it hasn't had any dental work done on it in years, even if you've been keeping up with cleanings and x-rays. Sometimes the stains can be bleached out, but other times, you may have to have the crown replaced. But that is rather straightforward and a lot better than having people question your dental hygiene.

Wobbly Crowns

Gently check out the crown and see if you can wiggle it a bit. If it can move even a tiny bit, get it checked. Implants should be stable and if you can move the crown, it could be that the crown has cracked a bit, or worse, the implant base itself could be coming loose. That would imply there's been bone loss. This is not something you should leave alone. Contact your dentist for an appointment as soon as possible. If the crown itself is just a little damaged, that can be fixed quickly. But if you have bone loss, that could start to affect the surrounding teeth.

Constant Tenderness and Infections

If you've been having several problems with the implant, you may want to get it checked out again, even if the problems seem to have subsided. If you had infections in the past or if you seem to have mild tenderness that comes and goes, those aren't good signs. You should get the implant checked out again because there could be another infection forming. You would think you'd notice tenderness and get it checked out immediately, but very mild tenderness is often brushed off as anything from biting down too harshly by accident to sleeping in a strange position. If you thought those were the culprits, stop -- call your dentist.

Your implant should be able to be saved. However, you have to have it examined first so that your dentist can determine if you just need to restore a crown, replace the crown, or have work done on the implant itself. Click to find out more about implants.

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14 March 2017