Gum disease and having a dental implant Melbourne fitted

Before you consider having any cosmetic dental work done, your oral health has got to be in good shape.

And, if you have or are considering having oral implants fitted, one of the key things that our team at High Dental Implants Melbourne will check for is gum disease.

At High Dental Implants Melbourne, whether we are planning to fit a single prosthetic tooth or an entire set of dentures to a dental implant Melbourne, we need to ensure that your gums and health, in general, are in good condition. That way, we can more accurately predict the lifespan of your implants, allowing you to make the most of having this procedure.

So, with that in mind, here, our team at High Dental Implants Melbourne will talk about what gum disease is and how it can impact the fitting of a dental implant Melbourne.

What is gum disease?

Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, is an exceedingly common condition where the gums become red, swollen and sponge-like in texture.

Some of the other symptoms also include spitting blood when you brush, having persistent bad breath and discomfort when eating. The underlying cause of gum disease is an excess amount of plaque in the mouth, which our team will always aim to remove during biannual checkups.

If you have gum disease, then we will need to treat it before fitting even a dental implant Melbourne.

Can you get oral implants if you have gum disease?

When you attend a meeting with our team to have oral implants fitted, if we detect any signs of gum disease, we will not be able to fit the implants.

This is because gum disease can cause your teeth to become loose and fall out, while also affecting the surrounding jawbone. And, as implants are essentially false roots that are fitted into your jaw, leaving gum disease untreated can heighten the chances of them falling out too.

Can you have oral implants after recovering from gum disease?

This will depend on how serious the gum disease was.

In extreme cases, it can cause the jawbone to become thin and brittle, which would make it unsuitable for standard oral implants. However, if you have had mild to moderate gum disease and make a full recovery, then there should be no reason to avoid having implants fitted.

If our team decides that you are unsuitable for oral implants following your gum disease, we can always offer you a different restorative, such as dentures or bridges.

Preventing gum disease after having oral implants fitted

One of the best ways to prevent oral implants is with diligent, regular brushing. And yes, if you have oral implants, you should be doing that anyway, but if you use an antibacterial mouthwash and toothpaste, you will reduce the chances of gum disease coming back.

We also recommend using interdental brushes to keep your prosthetic teeth clean, and, of course, all patients who have oral implants must attend checkups at least twice a year.

This will allow us to detect gum disease early and treat it more completely.

DISCLAIMER

All treatment carries risks. Individual consultation is required with one of our practitioners to ensure that the treatment is right for you.