Peri-implantitis is an inflammatory condition that affects the gum and bone surrounding a dental implant, similar in many ways to gum disease around a natural tooth.
This disease is typically caused by a bacterial infection around the implant, resulting in rapid loss of bone support around the implant. While dental implants cannot get cavities (like natural teeth can), they are still prone to bacterial infection, gum inflammation, and bone loss. Unfortunately, if these problems arise, they tend to happen much more aggressively around a dental implant than they would a natural tooth.
Common signs of peri-implantitis include bleeding or swelling around the implant, tenderness, and a change in how the surrounding gum tissue looks or feels. Successful treatment relies on decontamination of the implant surface, and in many cases, replacing lost bone.
As with natural teeth, the goal is to control the disease, stabilize the site, and preserve the implant as long as possible.
Because peri-implantitis can progress quickly, patients with implants are encouraged to keep up with regular maintenance visits so that any early signs of inflammation or bone loss can be caught and treated before they become more difficult to manage.
