Are you contemplating dental implants because of loss of teeth from gum disease ? It often comes as a complete surprise when you are told that you have gum disease because this condition does not necessarily cause pain. Teeth can become loose quite suddenly without an adequate hygiene programme in place. In every mouth several hundred species of bacteria co-exist, some which cause advanced gum disease and some are responsible for serious infections around dental implants.
To protect your investment in dental implants, this risk of dental implant failure needs to be minimised.
This is a cross section of a tooth and gum to show you the debris and bacterial infection just under the gum-line. These accretions need to be thoroughly and professionally cleaned by your hygienist.
It is also vital that your implant surgeon puts into place a very tight professional hygiene programme. This will reduce infection and minimise progression of gum disease around teeth and implants. Dental Implants can be placed after a period of disease stability has been achieved. The implants themselves need to be cleaned as the accretions form around the implants as well. You will be taught how to use some special oral hygiene tools around your teeth and implants to ensure your investment in dental implants was well made.
Before you embark on your dental implant journey it is very important that our implant surgeon identifies your risk for gum disease. Scientific studies show that if you have lost teeth due to severe gum disease, you will be at increased risk of having implant infections as well. The implant surgeon must identify disease around the remaining teeth, and treat this by referral to a hygienist or a periodontist (gum specialist) before starting your implant treatment.
Other factors, such as smoking, stressful life-style, conditions such as diabetes, and use of some drugs will aggravate gum and implant disease disease (these factors are called co-morbitities) . Your implant surgeon needs to take a thorough history to ascertain all other possible co-morbidities so that you can receive the correct advice for your dental implant treatment.
It is very important to stabilise gum disease before implant therapy. Within Cambridge, Linton and Royston Implant Centres we will advise you on necessary gum treatments before embarking on your implant journey. If we feel that your gum disease is affecting your general health we will advise you appropriately and would be happy to liaise with your doctor on our findings.
We would be delighted to provide you with more information about your specific needs by connecting you with one of our treatment coordinators.
