4 Effective Ways To Save Your Dental Implants From Peri-Implantitis

Tooth implant installations involve surgical procedures, which are usually successful. Your dentist will recommend keeping up with high oral hygiene to keep the bacteria at bay and avoid complications. Unfortunately, other predisposing factors like smoking, diabetes, and low bone density might increase the risks of peri-implantitis. If you experience pain, swelling, a loose implant, or halitosis after the treatment, you might want to seek help immediately. The following are ways used to treat implant infections successfully. 

1. Open Flap Surgery

Sometimes you could have an implant anchored in a hidden location. If it gets infected, your dentist might resort to a surgical procedure. The specialist will cut open the infected gum site revealing the infection. They may clean the area with a combination of antiseptics before stitching back the gums.  

2. Cleaning

Submucosal debridement involves cleaning shallow pockets near the dental implant that carry the infection. Cleaning the pus pockets can be done using a high-frequency ultrasound device or a carbon fiber tool with special hooks.

Mechanical cleaning involves special hooklike tools that are best applied if the infection is deep within the gums. The specialist will be careful when inserting the tools to clean out the infection to avoid irritation or bleeding. The dentist might administer localized antiseptics after cleaning out the pockets using mechanical tools. It is best to schedule follow-up appointments to see if the cleaning procedure worked.

3. Removing the Implant

Experts recommend reporting infections to a dentist immediately to prevent them from developing into severe peri-implantitis. Severe infections cause a significant loss in bone density. In that case, your dentist might recommend removing the implant. You might undergo a bone graft to increase the density before returning to the dental clinic for reimplantation. During this break, the specialist will treat the infection to ensure the reimplant procedure is conducted on a clean slate. This might improve the chances of a successful implant installation.

4. Antibiotics

If the infection is mild, your dentist will prescribe antibiotics to fight the pathogens and treat the infection. The specialist can also recommend antibiotic treatment after mechanical cleaning to reduce the chances of reinfection. During infection treatment, you are advised to avoid smoking and eat healthy foods to boost your immune system and fight off the bacteria.

Failure to treat dental implant infections can lead to septicemia, which means you should follow your dentist's instructions for a successful surgery. Your dentist will ask you to report any abnormal signs after implant surgery. Remember to keep up your dental appointments and adhere to the relevant recommendations to minimize the risks of implant failure.

Talk to your dentist to learn more about dental implants.


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