Healing Screw Issues

A most neglected part of the dental implant process is the use of a healing screw. This object will only occupy your mouth for a few weeks, but while it is in there, problems can of course occur with it. These problems are very rare, and because of this, solutions to problems with healing screws are also extremely rarely offered.

What Is A Healing Screw?

A healing screw is a tiny screw like contraption that is inserted into your dental implant, once an uncovering has taken place. After your initial healing time, when your jaw heals over, your dental implant will be uncovered, the gum on top of the dental implant will be removed. At this time, the top of the dental implant, which is basically an indentation meant to house the abutment that the crow goes on, will be exposed. In to this indentation is where the healing screw will be placed. It i meant to fill the dental implant, and to help you with stabilization of said dental implant.

What Can Go Wrong

Pretty much the only thing that can go wrong with the healing screw is that it can become loose. This means that it will become slightly unscrewed, and you will be able to feel it moving around. The only solution to this problem is to go and have it tightened, this can be done even by a general dentist, and the expertise of a dental implantologist will not be needed for the tightening of a healing screw. I must stress though, that tightening the healing screw should not be done at home, in DIY fashion, as damage to the dental implant, the healing screw, and your mouth can occur when this is attempted. Dental implants and the objects that are associated with them require a very specific sort of tool kit, one that most people simply do not have lying around in their homes. There are no approximations either, a screwdriver will not help you with tightening the healing screw. This is why I urge patients to get an appointment to see their dentist if they feel that a screw might be loose, and to not try and fix it, as any damage incurred will not be paid for, and the entire implantation process might have to be repeated all over again if a botched attempt at healing screw tightening results in damage to the structures inside the mouth. This sort of DIY dentistry may also have unforeseen circumstances. If the healing screw is miraculously tightened without any visible damage, the dental implant may last for a shorter period of time, and seeing as it has been compromised, no guarantees will be assumed for the existing dental implant, as almost all dentists have a policy that guarantees are void if the dental implant has been tampered with.

But a check up with your dentist to tighten the healing screw will usually be offered free of charge, and the procedure will not take more than 15 minutes, and should be entirely painless. This is why it is highly recommended to get the healing screw tightened by a trained medical professional.