Bleeding or swollen gums, a bad taste, pus, receding gum, pain when biting, and a loose implant or crown. Early signs are often painless.
Saving Failing Implants – Treatment Options Explained
Not sure if your dental implant is healthy? Puresmile Bethnal Green Dental & Implants shares a simple at-home implant check and explains the options for saving a failing implant.
📍 29 Roman Road, Bethnal Green, London E2 | 🦷 Dental Implant Care | 🚇 Short Walk from Bethnal Green Station
Most implant problems don’t announce themselves. There’s rarely a sudden jolt of pain. Instead, there’s a bit of bleeding you put down to brushing too hard, or a crown that feels slightly different, or a taste you can’t place. By the time it hurts, more may have changed than you’d like.
At Puresmile Bethnal Green Dental & Implants on Roman Road, we see patients from Bethnal Green, Shoreditch, Hackney and across East London who want to know whether an implant is healthy. This guide offers a simple at-home check you can do in a couple of minutes, then explains what we do and the options for saving a struggling implant.
Short answer: Many struggling implants can be saved if they’re checked early. Treatment ranges from a thorough clean to surgery and bone rebuilding, and if an implant can’t be kept it can usually be replaced after healing.
The Two-Minute Implant Check
Try this every month or so. It’s not a diagnosis, but it helps you catch changes early.
Look
- Is the gum around the implant pink and firm, or red, puffy or shiny?
- Has the gum shrunk back, so the implant or crown looks longer than before?
- Is there a small spot or bump on the gum, or any sign of pus?
Notice while cleaning
- Does it bleed when you brush or use interdental brushes around it?
- Is it tender when you clean?
Notice while eating
- Does it ache when you bite down?
- Does the crown feel loose, click or shift?
Notice throughout the day
- Is there a bad taste or smell coming from around the implant?
If you answer “yes” to any of these, book a check-up. Don’t wait for pain, as early problems are often painless.
When to Get in Touch
What You Notice How Soon to Call Occasional bleeding or mild tenderness + Book a check-up in the next few weeks Persistent swelling, bad taste, aching on biting or receding gum + Call this week A loose or moving implant or crown, or pus + Call as soon as you can Facial swelling, fever or feeling unwell + Contact NHS 111 or seek urgent medical advice, and let us know What’s Behind It?
In long-established implants, the usual culprit is infection around the implant. Confined to the gum, it is called peri-implant mucositis and is usually reversible. Once it has spread to the bone, it is called peri-implantitis, and the supporting bone is gradually lost.
Risk factors include plaque build-up, a history of gum disease, smoking, diabetes that isn’t well controlled, teeth grinding, and missed hygiene and check-up visits. Sometimes the problem is simply a loose crown or screw on an implant that is otherwise firm.
What We Do at Your Appointment
- Ask about your symptoms, medical history, smoking and any history of gum disease
- Examine the implant, crown and gum, checking for movement, bleeding, swelling and pocket depth
- Take X-rays and, where useful, CBCT 3D scans to see the bone around the implant
- Explain what we have found and what your options are, before you decide anything
The Options, From Gentle to Surgical
- Specialist clean and home-care coaching for early gum inflammation
- Non-surgical cleaning and disinfection of the implant surface for early bone loss, sometimes after temporarily removing the crown
- Surgical cleaning under local anaesthetic for established or persistent infection
- Bone grafting and soft tissue grafting to help rebuild support around a stable implant
- Repair or replacement of a loose crown or screw when the implant itself is firm
- Removal and replacement when too much support has been lost, with time to heal, and bone rebuilding such as a bone graft or sinus graft if needed, before a new implant, bridge or denture
How successful rebuilding is depends on the shape of the bone defect and how well the area is looked after, so we’ll be realistic about what is likely to work in your case. If an implant does have to be replaced, we’ll aim to understand why the first one struggled so the new one lasts.
Keeping Your Implants Healthy
- Clean around implants daily with the brushes we recommend
- Keep your hygiene appointments and regular check-ups
- Stop smoking, or ask us for support
- Keep diabetes and other conditions well controlled
- Wear a night guard if you grind your teeth
- Get changes checked promptly
Find Us on Roman Road
Puresmile Bethnal Green Dental & Implants is at 29 Roman Road, a short walk from Bethnal Green Underground station, with the number 8 bus serving Roman Road and metered parking on the nearby side streets. We are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, and closed on Saturdays.
We’re a short distance from Columbia Road Flower Market, Bethnal Green Gardens and Young V&A, and we welcome patients from Bethnal Green, Shoreditch, Hackney, Whitechapel, Stepney, Mile End, Cambridge Heath and Bow, including those with implants placed elsewhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the signs of a failing dental implant?
Can a failing implant be saved?
Often, particularly if caught early. Treatment ranges from a professional clean to surgery and bone regeneration. If it can’t be saved, it can usually be removed and replaced after healing.
What is peri-implantitis?
An infection and inflammation around an implant that leads to loss of the supporting bone. Its milder gum-only stage, peri-implant mucositis, can usually be reversed.
Is a loose crown the same as a failed implant?
No. The crown or a screw may have loosened while the implant is firm, which is usually simpler to fix. It still needs prompt checking.
Will treatment hurt?
Treatment is done under local anaesthetic, and we explain what to expect beforehand.
Can I have another implant after one fails?
In many cases, once the cause is understood and the area has healed. Bone grafting is sometimes needed first.
Do you see implants placed elsewhere?
Yes, we are happy to assess implants wherever they were placed.
Can I rely on the two-minute check instead of a dental visit?
No. It’s only a way to spot changes early. Regular check-ups and X-rays are the only way to see what’s happening to the bone.
Spotted Something? Get It Checked.
The sooner an implant is checked, the more options you are likely to have. Book an appointment with Puresmile Bethnal Green Dental & Implants for a clear assessment and honest advice.
BOOK AN APPOINTMENT
Puresmile Bethnal Green Dental & Implants, 29 Roman Road, Bethnal Green E2 0HU | 020 8980 2890
