Can you treat failing dental implants?

Gum disease can develop around dental implants in the same way as it can in natural teeth. Around dental implants, gum disease is called Peri-implatitis. If left untreated, this can lead to failure of a dental implant.

How to prevent peri-implantitis?

Preventing peri-implantitis is mostly about good oral hygiene and regular maintenance.

🦷 Patient-based prevention

• Excellent daily cleaning: removing plaque from around implants is essential and we recommend cleaning twice a day, using interdental brushes or floss designed for implants- this is something our dental hygienist will show you.

• Antimicrobial rinses: are sometimes recommended but shouldnt be routinely used. There is no substitute for physically removing plaque bacteria from around the implants.

• Avoid smoking: smoking significantly increases risk of loosing dental implants as well as natural teeth.

• Control systemic conditions: especially diabetes.

• Routine dental visits: professional cleaning and early detection of mucositis before it progresses.

  
  

🏥 Dentist-based prevention

• Careful treatment planning: proper implant placement is important to enable cleaning but also to ensure there is adequate bone and soft tissue support around the implant.

• Prosthetic design: ensuring the crown/bridge allows for easy cleaning (no overhanging margins, no excess cement).

• Regular maintenance: professional monitoring of peri-implant pockets, probing, and X-rays when indicated.

• Early intervention: treating peri-implant mucositis promptly before bone loss occurs.

How do we treat peri-implantitis?

Treatment of peri-implantitis depends on how advanced the condition is. The goal is to stop inflammation, decontaminate the implant surface, and preserve as much bone as possible. Early detection is important in giving treatment he best possible prognosis.

🩺 1. Nonsurgical Treatment (early or mild cases)

• Mechanical cleaning: Professional cleaning of plaque bacteria from around the dental implant surface and working with you to help keep the area clean so plaque doesnt re-form. This is the most important step.

• Antimicrobial therapy: sometimes we yse local antibiotics (minocycline, doxycycline gel) or antiseptic rinses (chlorhexidine).

  
  

🔧 2. Surgical Treatment (moderate to severe cases)

a) Resective surgery

• Reduces pocket depth by reshaping bone and gum tissue.

• Often combined with implant surface decontamination.

• Indicated when regenerative techniques are not possible.

b) Regenerative surgery

• Aim: rebuild lost bone around the implant.

• Techniques: guided bone regeneration (GBR) with bone grafts and membranes, sometimes biologic agents (e.g., enamel matrix proteins, growth factors).

• Works best in defects with contained bone walls.

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💊 3. Supportive Care

• After treatment, strict maintenance program (every 3–6 months).

• Regular professional cleaning and monitoring of probing depths and X-rays.

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🚫 4. Implant Removal

• If bone loss is too advanced and the implant is mobile or non-restorable, removal is the last option. This may seem drastic, especially if an implant is still firm but preservation of any remaining bone is critical. If implant disease is so advanced it is impossible to stop further progression, taking the implant out allows any remaining bone to be preserved and the implant procedure can be repeated.

  
  

👉 In summary:

• Early peri-implantitis → nonsurgical cleaning + antimicrobials.

• Moderate–severe peri-implantitis → surgical resective or regenerative treatment.

• End-stage → implant removal.

Our expert dental implant team have years of experience managing complex implant cases and we receive referrals from dentists around the North East to treat these complex cases. For more information, please call us on 0191 286 3398