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Saving Failing Implants – Treatment Options Explained

Worried about a loose, sore or bleeding dental implant? Courthouse Dental & Implants in Marlow explains how a failing implant is assessed and the options for saving, rebuilding or replacing it.

📍 The Old Courthouse, Trinity Road, Marlow | 🦷 Dental Implant Care | 🕗 Late Opening Wednesdays

When something goes wrong with an implant, you want facts, not guesswork. Is it infection? Is the bone still sound? Can the implant be saved, or does it need replacing? Working that out properly takes an examination, the right imaging, and an honest assessment of the evidence.

At Courthouse Dental & Implants in the Old Courthouse on Trinity Road, we help patients from Marlow and across the Thames Valley and the Chilterns who are worried about an implant. This guide sets out how a struggling implant is reviewed, what the findings can mean, and the treatment options that follow.

Short answer: Many implants in difficulty can be saved when problems are found early, through a specialist clean, surgical treatment or rebuilding of lost bone. If an implant can’t be kept, it can usually be removed and replaced after healing.

Why Implants Run Into Trouble

An implant is a titanium post that fuses with the jawbone to support a crown, bridge or denture. Most last well, and failure soon after placement is uncommon. Our own audited records show early integration rates of over 99%, and Dr Satinder Dhami, who leads our implant team, has placed more than 2,500 implants. But problems can still develop, most often years later, when the tissues around an implant become infected and the supporting bone starts to be lost. This is called peri-implantitis.

Things that raise the risk include:

• Plaque building up around the implant
• A history of gum disease
• Smoking
• Diabetes that is not well controlled
• Grinding or clenching the teeth
• Missing hygiene and check-up visits

Presenting Symptoms

The “evidence” in a case like this usually starts with what you have noticed. Please get in touch if you see any of the following:

• Bleeding or tenderness when you clean around the implant
• Swollen, red or shiny gums
• A bad taste or ongoing bad breath
• Pus, or a small spot on the gum
• Gum shrinking back so the implant looks longer
• Aching when you bite
• A crown or implant that feels loose

Early inflammation is often painless, so don’t wait for it to hurt before booking a check.

Reviewing the Case: What an Assessment Involves

A proper review looks at the whole picture:

Your history. When the problem began, what has changed, and any relevant medical history, smoking or gum disease.

The examination. We check the implant, the crown and the gum for movement, bleeding, swelling and pocket depth.

Imaging. X-rays, and where helpful a CBCT 3D scan, show the level and quality of bone around the implant.

The findings. We explain what we have found in plain language, and what each option would involve, before you decide anything.

The Possible Findings and What Follows

How well rebuilding treatment works depends on the shape of the bone defect and on how well the area is kept clean afterwards, so we will be realistic about what is likely to work for you.

If an Implant Has to Be Replaced

Replacement is often possible. First we need to understand why the earlier implant struggled, so that the new one has the best chance of lasting. That might mean treating gum disease, improving cleaning access, rebuilding bone with a bone graft or sinus graft, or addressing grinding. We would also discuss alternatives such as an implant-supported bridge or denture, so you can choose with the full picture in front of you.

Keeping Your Implants Healthy

• Clean around implants every day, using the interdental brushes we recommend
• Keep your hygiene appointments and regular check-ups
• Stop smoking, or ask us for support
• Keep conditions like diabetes well controlled
• Wear a night guard if you grind your teeth
• Contact us at the first sign of bleeding, swelling or movement

Finding Us in Marlow

Courthouse Dental & Implants is in the Old Courthouse on Trinity Road, a short distance from Marlow Bridge and Higginson Park. Bus routes 800 and 850 stop opposite the practice, and there is a pay-and-display car park next door, although spaces can be limited at busy times. We are close to the A4, A404 and M40. We are open Monday and Tuesday 9am to 5:30pm, Wednesday 9am to 8pm, and Thursday and Friday 9am to 5:30pm.

We welcome patients from Marlow, Bourne End, Cookham, Maidenhead, Henley-on-Thames, High Wycombe and across the Chilterns, including those with implants placed elsewhere.

Frequently Asked Questions