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Dental implants are an incredibly safe way to resurrect missing teeth and prevent further tooth loss. The procedure, known as implantation, is around 98% effective, and is a routine oral surgical procedure. But what about the other 2%? How do we know if a dental implant is going to fail? Usually it is very hard to tell and only the dentist will be able to spot a faulty implantation. But there are some signs that tell you to go to a dentist straight away. We have collected 8 of these tell-tale signs.
1) Movement of the dental implant
If you feel even the slightest movement on your implant, then you should go and get it checked out. Even micro-movements, which are so slight that there is no way you can feel them, can be a great big problem, so any movement that can be felt is definitely worth a visit to your dentist.
2) Bleeding
There will be some residual bleeding after a dental implant has been placed, but it should stop completely after around 48 hours. The bleeding should only be residual, there should be no blood oozing out of the sewn up area, and there should be no fresh blood at all. If there is, it is a sure sign that something is not right, and the dental implant may be causing the soft tissues some damage.
3) Swelling
Some amount of swelling should be anticipated. There is going to be some swelling and even possibly some bruising, and some of the swelling will only start after the procedure is over. After 24 hours, however, the swelling should stop. If the area continues to swell, you may have a problem, as swelling is generally a sign of a bacterial infection.
4) Redness
Even if the area is bruised, redness is a sign of a bacterial infection, and should not be treated lightly. If the swelling has gone down but there is residual redness, contact your dentist to see that there is no infection present.
5) Metallic taste in mouth
After the procedure, you may experience an unpleasant taste in your mouth from blood and disinfectant. This should go pretty soon, and the area should not exude an unpleasant taste. A metallic or unpleasant taste is a sure sign of some kind of discharge or of bleeding, which is a negative side effect.
6) Visible dental implant
The dental implant should not be visible after it is sewn up. If parts of the dental implant are sticking out, or if more of the dental implant is visible than at first, then you need to go and see your dentist immediately. This can mean that the body is pushing the dental implant out, or that it is too high and is coming out of the implantation site.
7) Pain
Some soreness after the implantation is normal, as the body is recovering, but there should be no sharp pain, no pulsating sensation at all. If the area hurts or if the dental implant is causing constant pain then it may be touching a nerve or bothering some other part of your biological apparatus.
8) Pressure
Not only should there not be any pain, but if you feel any sort of pressure, or you can just feel the dental implant “being there”, then you have a problem. The dental implant should be in the jawbone and should not feel like anything at all.
If you experience one or more of these issues, you are likely dealing with a problem during implantation, which can be quickly remedied. If you are experiencing a combination of more of these factors, than you are almost certainly dealing with a case of faulty implantation. Dental implants can usually be re-implanted with a very high rate of success.
