I have been considering getting dental implants, but what my friend is going through right now terrifies me. I’m seriously reconsidering it. She had her dental implants done more than a decade ago and has had no problems with them what so ever. She’s one of the reasons why I wanted to get my own- she was always raving about them and has a great smile. Well, a few weeks back, she said she felt a lump on her gums beneath one, so she looked up the name of a local dentist and went in to get it checked. He said that her dental implant failed. Not only that, but she had an infection and bone loss, so she couldn’t just get a new one. It’s going to be a whole big thing for her. My dentist told me there was some risks, but that they were on the onset of treatment, not ten years down the road. What happened to hers and how can I be sure it doesn’t happen to me?

-Devon

Dear Devon,

Your friend had a rare complication known as peri-implantitis. Typically, if someone is going to have issues with their dental implants it happens up front. Peri-implantitis is different. It can occur years down the line. There are usually some warning signs that something is off, such as bad breath or a bad taste in your mouth. These are the results of an infection.

When you mentioned that your friend had to look up a dentist, this told me she had not kept up with her dental care. Maybe her problem could have been caught early enough to save her procedure. But, because she wasn’t getting regular check-ups, it went unimpeded. It’s very likely that she had gum disease, which led to the problem.

A good implant dentist will tell you the risks, but also emphasize the importance of your oral health care. Your mouth must be taken care of, if you want your dental implants to make a positive contribution to your bite and smile.

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