Did you get a dental implant? It is one of the best tooth replacement solutions that mix natural teeth with the entire structure. These implants also provide outstanding function apart from looking extremely beautiful. However, you should not feel that they are invulnerable to any complication.
There are situations where people did experience dental implant emergencies that are not only painful but might even lead to the failure of dental implants. What causes dental implant failure? What to do when implants do not function properly? You must read below to understand and find answers to these critical questions.
Understanding dental implant emergency
A dental implant emergency is a situation that will jeopardize your implant function and viability. Such as
- At times, a hard impact can break the dental implant or even damage surrounding gum tissue.
- An infection in the tissue surrounding the dental implant, and as you see the infection progressing, it will destroy the base or support of the implant.
In such a scenario, you must say it is an oral health emergency, and you should immediately talk to your dentist. Do not delay but take prompt action to save your implant and remove significant pain.
How to handle a dental implant emergency?
It would help if you immediately contacted the emergency dentist Dr. Pagniano at the first sign of dental implant failure. If you notice there is an infection, then waiting will only make the condition even worse. When you call your dentist, describe the problem in minute detail. Your dentist fixes an appointment as soon as possible. If, in case, due to some issues, you have to wait for a couple of days before your appointment comes in, there are a few things that you can do to ease your dental problem.
- Do not do anything that will disturb the implant or the tissue surrounding it. Avoid eating crunchy or tough foods. And under no circumstances should you smoke tobacco.
- Oral hygiene should become your priority. You should continuously floss and brush your teeth, even the prosthetic ones. Any harmful bacteria will make the situation worse. However, during brushing, you need to remain gentle more so because your gums are sore.
- Clean the implant area. If you can remove your prosthetic teeth, then you should thoroughly clean the area around the implant to make sure there are no bacteria.
- You might also take painkillers to stay comfortable while waiting for the appointment.
When you visit your dentist, they will try to save the implant. If that is not an option, then you have to remove it. Initially, they will focus on helping you recover from the trauma infection, and then only you can get a new implant. You must know that dental implant emergencies are not common; they are very rare, and if they happen, it is not easy to handle them, but there is no point in panicking. You must follow dental guidelines to protect your smile.
