Can You Have Dental Implants with Gum Disease?

Tooth loss is a nightmare for most of us. However, we may experience tooth loss due to genetic, environmental or physical factors. The main causes of tooth loss include inadequate oral hygiene, age-related erosion, bad habits, excessive sugar consumption, untreated gum disease and trauma to the teeth.

Not only does tooth loss disrupt chewing and biting functions, making the first stage of digestion more difficult, it also causes a loss of self-confidence due to aesthetic concerns. For this reason, people who experience tooth loss need a fast, highly aesthetic and practical treatment option that will last a long time.

Following tooth loss, dental implants are the first solution that most patients are interested in thanks to their comfortable use, durability, and natural appearance. However, a dental implant is a surgical procedure. Once the treatment is complete, patients can use their prostheses comfortably and confidently, just like their natural teeth.

For this surgical procedure to be performed, however, patients must also meet certain conditions. One of these is that the gums must be healthy. If you have gum disease, this must be treated first. Once your gum disease has been completely treated and your gums are healthy again, you can start your dental implant treatment. Otherwise, the treatment will not be successful.

In order for the dental implant to successfully fuse with the jawbone and surrounding tissue, your gums must be healthy. Infected gums will prevent the implant from attaching firmly to your bone.

What is a dental implant?

A dental implant is a surgical treatment used following tooth loss. After administering local anaesthetic, an incision is made in the area where the implant will be placed. A high-biocompatibility screw is then inserted into the jawbone and the incision is closed with medical sutures. Following this procedure, the implant is expected to fully adapt and integrate with the bone and soft tissue.

This process takes an average of three months. To ensure the patient is comfortable during this time, a temporary fixed prosthesis is attached. This allows the patient to undergo the healing process without experiencing the functional and visual difficulties caused by the missing tooth. However, for this procedure to be performed, the patient must have sufficient bone volume and density.

In addition, the gums must be healthy. Only under these conditions can the implant attach properly and securely to the bone. Once the healing process is complete, a permanent fixed prosthesis is placed on the implant.

With proper aftercare, patients can safely use their implants for a lifetime. Due to its long lifespan and natural appearance, the dental implant is a very advantageous treatment method. Once the healing process is complete, most patients accept their prostheses as their own teeth. Therefore, they are very comfortable to use. However, to sustainably experience these advantages of implant treatment, patients must pay attention to oral hygiene and attend regular check-ups.

What problems does gum disease cause?

Gum is the soft, living tissue that protects the teeth and jawbone. It acts as a cushion, preventing the bones and teeth from being negatively affected by food residue, mouth bacteria and the pressure created by chewing. If the gums cannot perform their barrier function adequately, it becomes easier for opportunistic bacteria to settle and multiply at the tooth root and spread to other areas of the body via the nerves. These bacteria cause infection and can lead to teeth becoming loose and eventually falling out over time.

Therefore, paying sufficient attention to oral hygiene is very important. If oral hygiene is not maintained through regular routines, the number of bacteria increases. This increased bacterial population causes gum disease.

The first stage of gum disease is called gingivitis. At this easily treatable stage, symptoms include bleeding gums when brushing or eating, redness and swelling. At this stage, your dentist can perform tartar cleaning to help treat the condition. Afterwards, it is important to maintain regular oral hygiene and dental check-up routines.

If you do not receive treatment for gingivitis, the disease will rapidly progress to periodontitis. At this stage, the infection spreads from the gums to the tooth root and jawbone. This process begins with gum recession and continues as bacteria progress through the gap created by the receding gum. Over time, as the inflammation progresses, the tooth root will no longer be able to hold onto the jawbone. Gaps open up between the teeth due to gum recession. Therefore, the teeth cannot be provided with sufficient support.

Treatment is also difficult at the periodontitis stage. Deep cleaning is required to clean the tooth root and the jawbone. This can result in loss of jawbone and gum tissue. For this reason, bone and soft tissue grafting is required after the infection has been cleaned.

FAQs

If I lost teeth because of gum disease, am I still a candidate for implants (bone loss, grafting)?

Patients who have lost their teeth due to gum disease may be eligible for dental implants. However, preliminary treatment is required for the procedure to be successful. Firstly, the gum disease must be treated. Otherwise, the infection will prevent the implant from fusing successfully with the tissue. Without this fusion, the implant cannot hold and cannot provide the necessary support for the prosthesis. For this reason, the gum infection must be completely cleared.

If tooth loss has occurred due to gum disease, this indicates that the disease has progressed to the second stage. In this case, the jawbone may also have eroded. For dental implant treatment to be possible, the bone density and volume must be at a certain level. To compensate for bone deformation caused by gum disease, bone and tissue grafts should be used as preliminary treatment. This strengthens the bone and tissue in the area where the implant will be placed.

Once these preliminary interventions have been carried out, depending on your oral health, dental implant treatment can be performed safely.

Does gum disease increase the risk of implant failure (peri-implantitis)?

If dental implants are fitted without first treating gum disease, the success rate of the procedure will definitely decrease. For dental implants to be successful, gum disease must be treated first.

Gum disease is an infection caused by an increase in the bacterial population in the mouth. This condition results from the proliferation of opportunistic bacteria and prevents the implant from integrating with the tissue. The infection also spreads to the prosthesis and implant. The dental implant, which can be thought of as an artificial root, becomes loose in the same way as a natural tooth root and loses its stable position. To prevent this, which can also result in jawbone loss, and ensure the implant is successfully stabilised, gum treatment is indispensable.

Patients with healthy gums must also regularly and carefully perform oral and dental hygiene and attend regular check-ups with their dentist after treatment to avoid such conditions.

Can dental implants themselves cause gum disease or peri-implantitis?

Dental implant treatment does not cause gum disease. However, it is normal to experience gum sensitivity, redness or swelling after the implant is placed. However, these are temporary and expected conditions. If you follow your dentist’s aftercare recommendations, these symptoms should clear up within about a week.

However, if you neglect your oral hygiene or fail to attend your dentist appointments after the treatment, you may experience gum disease, which can also affect your natural teeth.

For this reason, it is very important to maintain good dental hygiene regularly. Otherwise, a rapid increase in opportunistic bacteria may cause gum bleeding, gum recession and resorption of the jawbone, resulting in your implant becoming loose and losing its stable position.