A Threat Against Dental Implants

Dental implants are great, and if you know much about them, you’ll know that they are a permanent restoration. If cared for properly, an implant will last you for the rest of your life! When you compare that to the 10-15 years offered by comparable restorations, you realize that an implant really is in a class by itself! With all of it’s wonderful benefits for the patient, there is one major problem that can cause the end of your healthy implant experience: gum disease.

About 4 out of every 5 Americans has some form of gum disease. Most have mild cases that can be taken care of at the next dental exam, but others are walking around losing teeth because their infections are so advanced! If gum disease is powerful enough to cause the loss of teeth, you had better believe it is powerful enough to cause the loss of a dental implant!

What Happens

An implant is a titanium post that is inserted into the jawbone. Gum disease, if allowed to advance, weakens the bone causing it to lose its grip on your natural tooth or implant, whichever is there. If not treated quickly and efficiently, you will lose your tooth or implant. To prevent this from happening, all you need is to practice good oral hygiene to remove bacteria from your teeth and gums. Maintain routine cleanings here at the office to keep gum disease at bay.

With the proper care, your implant will last for the rest of your life, but if you allow gum disease to creep deep into your bone, you will lose the only restoration that has the ability to be permanent. Contact us today with your questions about gum disease and its effect on implants. We’d love to get you the information you need!

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