Failing dental implant in Brooklyn
My dental implant feels loose or infected. What now?
Get it looked at this week, and do not assume the implant is lost. A loose crown is a common and easily fixed problem that is not implant failure. Infection around the implant with bone loss is peri-implantitis, which is treatable, often without surgery. True failure, where the implant itself is mobile, means removing it, grafting the site, and replacing it later. Brooklyn Periodontics evaluates and treats failing implants placed at any office, and we do not need your original surgical records to see you.
Dentists and other specialists refer failing implants here, including implants they placed themselves. It is a normal part of specialty practice, and there is nothing awkward about it.
Call us today versus mention it at your next visit
Not every symptom is an emergency, and knowing the difference saves you a panic.
Call today: the implant itself moves
If the implant, not just the crown, shifts or rocks, it has lost integration with the bone. Chewing on it can worsen the bone loss. Stop using that side and call.
Call today: pus, drainage, or a bad taste
Discharge from the gum around an implant means active infection. This is the symptom most likely to be costing you bone right now.
Call today: swelling, throbbing, or pain that started long after healing
Discomfort in the first days after placement is expected. Pain that appears months or years later is not, and it needs an exam.
Call this week: bleeding or puffy gums around the implant
Bleeding when you brush or floss around an implant is the earliest reliable sign of trouble. At this stage it may still be reversible, which is precisely why it is worth an early visit.
Call this week: the gum has receded and metal is showing
Exposed implant threads collect bacteria and are hard to clean. It also often signals thin tissue or bone loss underneath.
Usually not failure: the crown came loose or came off
A loose or detached crown, or a loose abutment screw, is a restorative problem, not a failed implant. Keep the crown, do not chew on the site, and call. It is often fixed quickly.
Three different problems, three different answers
Peri-implant mucositis
Gum inflammation with no bone loss. Reversible with non-surgical cleaning and a change in home care.
Peri-implantitis
Infection that has taken bone around the implant. Treatable, starting non-surgically, with the goal of keeping the implant. Our peri-implantitis page walks through the full treatment ladder.
Implant failure
The implant has lost integration and is mobile, or the remaining bone cannot support it. It is removed, the site is grafted, and a replacement is planned once the bone has healed.
What a salvage workup involves
01
History and symptoms
When it was placed, when the symptoms started, what changed. Bring the crown if it came off. Original records help but are not required.
02
Probing and clinical exam
Depths and bleeding at multiple points around the implant, tissue quality, and a check of whether the movement is the crown, the abutment screw, or the implant itself.
03
3D imaging
In-office cone beam imaging showing exactly how much bone remains and the shape of the defect, which determines whether the site can be regenerated.
04
The bite and the restoration
Excess cement, an overloaded bite, an over-contoured or uncleanable crown. Correcting the cause is part of the treatment, not an afterthought.
05
A written plan with the honest option included
Whether we treat and keep the implant, or remove it, graft, and replace it later, with a realistic timeline and the fee in writing. If the implant can be saved, that is the plan we recommend.
If the implant does have to come out
Removal is usually straightforward and is done under local anesthesia, often with sedation available. The site is grafted at the same visit to rebuild the bone, healing takes a period of months, and a new implant is placed once the foundation is solid. You leave with a written sequence and a realistic date, not a vague reassurance.
Questions patients ask
Failing implants, answered
- Can a failed dental implant be replaced?
- In most cases yes. The failed implant is removed, the site is grafted to rebuild bone, and after a healing period a new implant is placed. The timeline depends on how much bone was lost.
- How do I know if my implant is failing?
- Movement of the implant itself, pus or drainage, pain that started well after healing, bleeding or swollen gums around it, and gum recession exposing metal are the main signs. A loose crown alone is usually not implant failure.
- Will you treat an implant that another dentist placed?
- Yes, routinely. Many of these cases are referred to us by the dentist or specialist who placed the implant. We do not need the original surgical records to evaluate you.
- Is a loose implant crown the same as a failed implant?
- No. A crown or abutment screw can loosen while the implant remains perfectly integrated. It is a common, usually quick fix, and worth having checked rather than ignored.
- Can an infected implant be saved?
- Often. If the infection has caused bone loss but the implant is still integrated, treatment starts non-surgically to stop the infection and keep the implant. Surgical access or grafting is used when that is not enough.
- How long does the replacement process take?
- It varies with the amount of bone lost and whether grafting is needed. We give you the sequence and a realistic timeline in writing after imaging, rather than a generic estimate.
- Should I go back to the dentist who placed it?
- You are welcome to, and many patients do. Some prefer an independent evaluation, and some are sent here by that dentist. Either way we share our findings with your dentist and hand the restorative work back to them.
- What if it is painful right now?
- Call the office. Acute problems, including abscesses and failing implants, are worked into the schedule, and after hours you can reach either doctor directly.
Related
Peri-implantitis treatment
The full treatment ladder for infection and bone loss around an implant.
Second opinion
An independent read on a plan you are not sure about.
Dental implants in Brooklyn
How implants are planned, placed, and restored.
Before and after surgery
What recovery involves if treatment is surgical.
Do not wait to find out which problem you have.
The difference between saving the implant and replacing it is usually how early it was looked at.