Thinking About Getting Dental Implants? Protect Your Gums from Gum Disease
Posted on: 29 June 2018
If you have lost one or a few teeth and are looking for a permanent treatment option, dental implants are an excellent solution. These tooth restorations are surgically inserted into the gum to replace the lost tooth and a dental crown placed on the top of the implant. They are permanent restorations that will last a lifetime when properly maintained. However, for your implant treatment to be successful, you need healthy gums that are free from disease. So if you are considering this treatment option, read on to understand the relationship between implants and gum disease.
What is gum disease?
Also known as periodontal disease, gum disease is a condition that is characterized by the inflammation of the tissues that hold the teeth in place (the gums). Individuals suffering from gum disease usually experience swelling, pain, and bleeding in the gums, bad breath, and gum recession. Their teeth may also feel loose as the tissues that are supposed to support them are inflamed and infected.
Now, for an implant treatment to be successful, your gums should be able to hold the titanium post that is usually inserted during the first stage of the procedure. When you suffer from gum disease, your tissues are infected, sore, painful, and they start to move away. This means that they cannot provide adequate support for the implant.
Can you get implants when you have gum disease?
Dentists recommend that you first treat gum disease before attempting to undergo any restorative oral procedures. However, if you did get implants while suffering from periodontal disease, your treatment would not be successful. That's because the gum tissue would not be able to hold the implant in place. As a result, it would become loose due to the infection. Placing an implant on inflamed gums can also expose you to further infection which can be detrimental to your oral health. Therefore, it is advisable to get cleared by a dentist before considering implants as a tooth replacement option.
Can you suffer from gum disease after treatment?
One may wonder if it's possible to suffer from gum disease after getting implants. The answer is yes. Gum disease is usually a result of poor dental hygiene such as failing to brush and floss regularly. If you stick to poor dental habits after getting implants, you can still suffer from periodontal disease. In this case, your implants will become loose and fail to last for many years as anticipated. That's why you need to observe proper dental hygiene after treatment to preserve your dental implants.
Gum disease can affect your candidacy for oral implants and even cause treatment failure in the future. Visit a dentist for an oral check-up before pursuing this treatment option.
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