Dental Implant Failure & Salvage – Chicago, IL

Protecting Your Smile After Dental Implant Failure

With the right maintenance, well-placed dental implants in Chicago can often last for decades. But on rare occasions, an issue could occur that ultimately causes your dental implant to fail. If this ever happens to you, your first move should be to call the team at United Dental Centers of Chicago. You can count on us to figure out what the underlying problem is and point you toward your best option for dental implant salvage.

Why Choose United Dental Centers of Chicago for Dental Implant Salvage?

  • Team of Highly Experienced Dentists
  • Family-Owned and Operated Practice
  • Flexible Financing Options Available

Why Do Dental Implants Fail?

Illustration of bone loss around a dental implant in the lower arch

Dental implant failure can occur for a variety of reasons, including:

  • Infection: Poor oral hygiene practices can lead to an infection around your dental implant known as peri-implantitis. An untreated infection can cause the gum tissue and underlying jawbone to deteriorate, which can ultimately cause your implant post to come loose.
  • Failed Integration: When dental implants are inserted into your jaw, a natural process called osseointegration takes place. This allows the implant posts to form a strong bond with the surrounding bone. However, in certain circumstances, osseointegration may not occur, thereby compromising your implant posts.
  • Physical Trauma: While dental implants are very sturdy, they can still be damaged. A sudden blow to the face or mouth could ultimately cause an implant post to break.

Symptoms of Failed Dental Implants

Older man in sweater sitting on couch and rubbing his jaw

One of your dental implants may have failed if:

  • The implant post moves when you touch it or has completely fallen out of your mouth.
  • You are experiencing severe discomfort in the area around the implant post.
  • There is bleeding and swelling around the implant post (which often means that an infection is present).

How Dental Implant Salvage Works

Senior woman sitting in dental chair and giving thumbs up

The exact steps of the dental implant salvage process depend on what caused your dental implant to fail in the first place. For example, an infection around the implant post may call for a deep cleaning. We’ll need to examine your implant post and the rest of your mouth carefully before we can devise a plan for restoring your oral health.

Our team will try to save your current implant posts whenever possible, but in certain cases, we may have no choice but to remove them. Fortunately, it’s often possible to place new dental implant posts once your mouth is healthy again.