Peri implantitis

Peri implantitis is an inflammation around the outside of the dental implant. Here is what happens, the implant has microscopic porosities on it’s surface. Bacteria can get into those spaces and cause an inflammation which is very hard to treat. Firstly the access to get to thos bacteria is complicated. Very often the patient is unaware that this is even taking place.  The problem is that this painless inflammation, cause severe bone loss around the implant , ultimately causing the loss of the implant.

So what can we do to treat and prevent peri implantitis ?

Peri implantitis can happen at any point in the life of the implant ant it is primarily due to insufficient dental hygiene. Simply put, if you keep the implant immaculate, then you should not have to suffer from it. That means brushing twice a day for 2 minutes each time, it means using floss and some sort of an interproximal stick or brush. It means it needs to be done every day of your lives, forever. It is a shame that people invest so much money, time and effort to get implants and do not take proper care of them afterwards.

Bone Loss

Bone loss is really the effect of the inflammatory process. The inflammation causes the body to release all sorts of chemicals to try and fight the bacteria and part of what they do is destructive to the bone. People with underlying disease that affect healing like, osteoporosis,and diabetes are at a higher chance of this problem. Smoking is another of the prime  factors in bone  loss and peri implantitis. It cuases great problems with the body’s repair mechanism.

All in all, you need to invest energy and time to keep you mouth healthy