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There are various dental implant infection signs. This article will focus on how to tell when your dental implant is infected and how to deal with it. Please visit CP Dental’s clinic in Emerald, QLD for any of your dental needs.
Complications from tooth implants
The most common complication that any type of dental procedure can have would be some sort of infection that would develop on the site where the procedure was performed. The most common type of infection that can develop on a dental implant would be a gum disease called peri-implantitis. This disease, if left untreated can cause gum loss and implant failure.
Dental implant infection signs
There would be certain signs that you can look out for, in case you would be worried about infection.
Severe swelling. If there is severe swelling that will no go down with an ice pack or the anti-inflammatory medicines that your dentist prescribed, it may be a sign of infection.
Pain. Pain is normal, but then if the pain you are experiencing would be too severe and does not subside as time would pass, this would be an indication of infection. The pain that would usually be present would be a throbbing pain that would not subside, even when you take medication.
Fever. Running a fever would also be a sign of infection. Although having a slight fever right after the implant would be put in would be fairly normal, your temperature should go down after a few hours following the surgery. If the fever would be persistent, then you might have an infection.
Bleeding. If you experience continual bleeding after 24 hours, this could also be a sign of infection.
Can an infected implant still be saved?
It would still be possible to save a dental implant, even if it has an infection. A laser treatment called Laser-Assisted Peri-implant Procedure can be used to save the implant as well as regenerate bone that was lost because of the infection. Antibiotics can also be used in the process to save an implant.
The success of any of the procedures done to save the implant would vary from one patient to another. Your dentist will be who can tell you which method would be best for your case.
Prevention
Statistical data would tell us that at least half of the people who get dental implants would get some sort of infection. Some would get an infection that is more severe than the others, but then the importance of proper care of the implant would be very high.
If you practice good oral hygiene habits, there would be fewer risks of your implant developing an infection. After the dental implant procedure, your dentist will likely give you a set of instructions on how to clean your implant and make sure that no bacteria forms on the implant.
If you have read this far and you have some or all of the signs that indicate that your dental implant might be infected, it would be a good idea to talk to your dentist. They would be able to tell you if it is infected and provide you a range of treatment options that would be right for your case.
