I Damaged My Dental Implant – How Serious is it, And What Do I Do?

Dental implants are constructed to be tough and designed to last dozens of years, often for a lifetime.

The very first ‘modern dental implant did last a lifetime.

At Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants, our expertise is in dental implants Hoppers Crossing, and we can help you take advantage of this remarkable and sturdy dental technology.

We can repair your bite and smile, to give you an improved smile, and continued oral and general health.

Implants are typically manufactured of metal and porcelain, to create a tooth that looks and functions naturally.

Just like your natural teeth; however, your implant is not indestructible – it can chip or break if you bite too hard, grind your teeth, or suffer trauma.

At Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants, we build and place our implants to stay, but if something should happen to your implant, you must know what to do.

How long should they last?

With good luck and good care, a dental implant should last a lifetime, and be expected to last for decades. This is one of the reasons that they are such an effective and popular tooth replacement.

But as anyone with any kind of dental restoration knows (e.g. crown or bridge), restorations can fail, and for a wide range of reasons. And even the sturdy crown can be damaged or broken.

The good news is that implants are much less likely to fail than other restorations. They don’t always work perfectly, but when properly installed by experts such as Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants; they have up to a 98% success rate.

But what if damage does occur?

How are implants damaged?

A dental implant is constructed of three components; a titanium post (technically, the actual implant, though in a conversation we often refer to entire restoration as an implant, a permanent crown on top, and an abutment between to attach the implant to the crown.

It is very rare for the titanium implant to be damaged. If it is properly installed, it is tucked inside the bone and attached to it by a process known as osseointegration.

In rare cases, gum disease or improper implantation can lead to problems.

In most cases, however, it is the abutment or crown that becomes damaged, typically be some kind of trauma or repetitive stress. The crown, like natural teeth, can be chipped or broken.

If anything happens to your implant, what should you do?

Don’t Panic!

First, stay levelheaded. If a dental implant is chipped, broken, or knocked loose, secure whatever loose pieces are around, and call your Hoppers Crossing dentist immediately.

If a dental implant is broken, save the pieces in a secure container and call us! We may be able to reset to implant and/or created a new crown for the implant.

If the actual implant is broken or out, we may need to install a new implant.

How do we fix implants?

In the case of a problem with an abutment or crown, Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants will replace the broken sections of the implant, not the implant (post) itself.

When a crown cracks or breaks, we’ll take a mould of your mouth in our office, to manufacture crowns that fit the space in your mouth and look natural.

This is fairly similar to replacing or placing a ‘regular’ crown on a natural tooth.

If the post is broken, however, things become more complex. In this case, the post needs to be removed and replace, and bone grafts may be necessary before the post can be replaced.

If a bone graft is needed, a few months will be added to the procedure time.

Loosened dental implants are almost always the same as broken ones, with the implant needing to be removed and replaced.

The replacement process

You will likely need surgery to remove your implant. The area will also be cleaned, and the jawbone grafted if needed. You will feel little discomfort and no pain as this all takes place under anesthesia.

Your recovery will feel similar to the initial implantation, meaning the possibility of discomfort, swelling, and soreness.

If one implant is loose or damaged, are my other implants threatened?

It’s rare enough that one implant is loose or damaged, and far more unlikely that more than one is compromised. So, if one is damaged, your others are likely fine. Still, if an impact or injury caused your implant to fail, you should have Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants examine all your teeth and implants.

Smiles in Hoppers Crossing!

At Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants, we believe everyone deserves high-quality dentistry, and we are here to help you achieve this.

Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants is a multi-surgery practice caring for the oral health needs of the communities. At Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants, our focus remains on providing patients with exceptional General, Orthodontics and Implant dentistry.

We have a particular interest in implants, orthodontics, and smile rejuvenation via veneers, crowns, and bridges. We are also expert at dealing with unexpected dental emergencies we all dread.

Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants serves local communities in Tarneit, Truganina, Werribee, Werribee South, Williams Landing, Wyndham Vale, Laverton, Laverton North, Altona, Altona Meadows, Altona North, Point Cook, Seabrook, Sanctuary Lakes and Alamanda.

FREE Dental Implants Consultation

To learn more, call us on (03) 9749 1178 or request your appointment online.

We are located at 483 Sayers Road in Hoppers Crossing.