I had a dental implant placed. I felt like something wasn’t right and went in to have it looked at. My dentist said the crown was probably loose so he started to take it off and re-cement it. However, it wasn’t coming off and he had to use a special tool. When he finally did get it to come off, the implant came out with it. He said that happens sometimes and we can just replace it, but I’ve never heard of that happening. Is this common?
Celine
Dear Celine,
No, not only is this most definitely NOT common, I am having a hard time fathoming the level of incompetence it took for your dentist not to realize the crown wasn’t loose. You see, when a dental crown is loose it certainly doesn’t require a special tool. In fact, it is likely to fall out on its own with no help from anyone.
It was obviously the dental implant that was loose the entire time. There are a few reasons why a dental implant can come loose. One common reason is an infection, but you didn’t mention any pain or fever, which makes me think it wasn’t that.
Another possibility is the premature placement of the dental crown. It is important before the dental crown is placed that the bone has time to integrate with the implant. If the crown is placed too soon, the added stress is too much and the dental implant comes loose.
Finally, it is possible there was not enough bone structure to begin with. If he didn’t do the right diagnostics or he was unable to recognize the problem then your implant wouldn’t have been able to integrate no matter how much time passed.
Replacing a Failed Dental Implant
It is not going to be as simple as simply replacing the dental implant and trying again. Even if there were enough bone structure, there won’t be now. You lost bone when you lost the implant. Before you re-do everything, you will need to have a bone grafting procedure done.
In your place, I would demand that your dentist pays to get this fixed properly by a different dentist. Make sure the dentist is one of your choosing. You have significant legal leverage here so he shouldn’t give you too much trouble about that.
This blog is brought to you by Libertyville Dentist Dr. David Potts.