Either immediately after your weeks after your dental implant or other parts of it fell out or they loosen and you don’t know what to do. Here is your guide to learn what to do if a dental implant falls out and how to protect the pieces.
As you experience the process, you know there are many pieces forming an implant. Each of the pieces differs in severity when falling down. But you don’t need to worry, let’s dive into the details!
What to do if your implant falls out?
In some conditions, it is possible for an implant to fall, but still, a dental implant is an excellent alternative to a natural tooth. There are always solutions for dental parts falling, let’s name the parts and guide you on what to do if it falls or loosens.
- Be careful about your oral care
- Make an appointment ASAP
- Protect the fallen pieces
Let’s see the details!
If the permanent crown fell out
You may have faced this situation if the bonding was not strong enough, or if you behaved hard on your crown. In case the permanent crown fell out, do not use the surgical area for chewing food, the exposed area is sensitive and at risk of infection. Mouthwash and gentle brushing of teeth go along very well. You have the option of using temporal dental cement to reattach the crown in its place to avoid further harm to the crown and yourself as well.
You will need to have an emergency appointment with your doctor ASAP because the temporary cement serves for a few days only. Therefore, the doctor will clean it and fit it back into its place or set a new one.
Make sure not to lose the permanent crown, because the dentist will have to remake the implant and a new permanent crown takes a few weeks to be ready, and only then it can be implanted.
Can I glue my crown back on?
Many people confuse gluing when it comes to dental crowns. You should not use any sort of super glue, it contains chemicals that will harm you and even put your life at risk.
Gluing your own crown back is a temporary solution using temporary dental cement that is available in pharmacies usually. Eventually, you need to visit your doctor to examine your situation and the crown itself, and either clean the dental crown or replace it with a new one.
If the temporary crown fell out
Temporary implants are generally used for front teeth and if it falls down, your biggest worry will be aesthetics. The worst-case scenario is, the temporary crown fell off on weekend and you cannot go to the dentistry office. First of all, there is no need to panic, if the temporal crown is damaged, you need to keep the area clean by rinsing it off with warm water to wash away food particles. Also, do not lose the fallen parts and keep them stored in a plastic bag to have them checked by your doctor or if it is lost already, make a call to your doctor to get a new crown placed.
In case you want to place your temporal crown back if it’s not damaged, you need to clean the crown and use a temporal dental cement that can be found in pharmacies to glue it back in its place.
The temporal dental crown is placed for many uses such as protecting the underlying tissue of the crown, therefore, it will prevent gum disease, and also, perform balanced bites.
If the healing abutment falls out
Putting a healing abutment is the first phase of the implant process. It is essential for the gum tissue not to close until the final abutment is placed. Healing abutment’s falling down will lead the gum tissue to close and the dentist has to re-open it to place the final abutment.
A fallen implant abutment is most likely not a bad sign for a big emergency, the gum tissue would close the gap that leaves behind in a matter of hours, meanwhile, the gum wants to heal the area rather than keep it exposed. In such cases, avoid eating that requires chewing or crunching because the healing gums are sensitive and require oral hygiene to stay healthy. Otherwise, there is a chance for the small particles to be in the hole and the gum tissue covering it, according to that you will definitely damage your gum and you may feel unnecessary pain.
Attempting to retighten the healing abutment will be of no use because it needs a new abutment either screw-retained or cement-retained crown bridges. Visiting the doctor is the only solution to solve this problem, there will be small tissue removal because the gum tissue has already built itself around the implant.
If the dental implant falls out
Generally, this is not a very common situation at all. In this case, you might not know what to do if the dental implant falls out. First, press the area with soft cotton. You should immediately call your dentist. You need to be conscious and clean, if it is going to take you time to visit your dentist. You need to keep your mouth hygienic by rinsing your mouth and brushing your teeth gently except for the sensitive area. Eating soft food like oatmeal, mashed vegetables, and not-hard-to-chew fruits. Rinse your mouth with salty warm water at night to kill as much bacteria as possible to avoid infection and further damage.
Dental implant is the most essential part of an implant and it looks like a screw. Your dentist is most likely to re-open a place to put the fixture. Also, your entire implant procedure, unfortunately, needs to start from the beginning. Although we have to mention, if the fixture has fallen, it might mean that your jaw bone does not accept the foreign item and your dentist should find another solution for you.
What to do when your dental implant is loose
Your implant will be loose if you are facing these conditions; if your implant is not properly attached; if your implant did not bond with your jaw bone; if you’re facing jaw bone loss or have damage around the surrounding area.
You might feel like your implant is loose or it’s loosened over time. There could be many reasons lying behind it. However, any of the reasons don’t change the fact that you immediately need to visit your doctor. By the time of your appointment day, all you can do is stay hygienic and don’t disturb the loose implant with your tongue or finger.
The dentist will check if there are any signs of infections like bleeding or bacteria. Regarding the check-ups, the dentist will decide your treatment. Sometimes, the jaw bone does not adapt to the foreign item, like the implant itself. If that’s the case, then the dentist should go for another solution for you.
References:
Froum SJ. _Dental Implant Complications: Etiology, Prevention, and Treatment_. John Wiley & Sons; 2015. Accessed November 1, 2022. https://books.google.com.tr/books?id=QecbCQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=dental+implant+goes+loose&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=dental%20implant%20goes%20loose&f=false
