What is periimplantitis?
Periimplantitis is a disease of the gums around a dental implant. Without treatment, this inflammation can deepen in the area of the dental implant and thus destroy the bone. In the early stages, this disease is called mucositis, i.e. a gum disease which can subside on its own. In its later course, the disease irreversibly destroys the implant bone and causes the loss of the implant without treatment.
Causes
The causes of periimplantitis are varied, with several factors usually playing a certain role at the same time. The development is comparable to the development of periodontitis (periodontal disease), since here too the cause is the increased formation of plaque. Due to improper oral hygiene, bacteria and plaque settle at the gum transition and can cause inflammation there.
This inflammation grows together with the concrements (solid, calcified plaque) as on the natural tooth in the direction of the tooth bone and triggers a decrease of the bone. Furthermore, there are some risk factors that can cause and contribute to periimplatitis. These include, for example, smoking, which damages the body’s self-healing powers, thieves, periodontitis that occurs simultaneously on healthy teeth, various medications, hormonal changes or prolonged stress. However, the most important factor is oral hygiene. If this is carried out regularly and checked by the dentist, periimplantitis may not spread as much or not develop at all.
Diagnosis
The dentist makes the diagnosis of periimplantitis using several diagnostic methods. By looking at the implant and the surrounding gums, an inflammation is already visible at first glance. The dentist obtains information about the already advanced bone recession by palpating the bone with a special instrument (the PA probe), which can be a little painful during treatment and by checking whether the implant is already wobbling.
In addition, an X-ray can be taken to see the exact size of the regression. The x-ray image shows a funnel-shaped bone resorption on the right and left side of the implant. While in a healthy implant the bone on the right and left should be approximately at the level of the last turn of the implant or even slightly higher and flush with the implant, a bone loss can be seen in a diseased implant. Several turns of the implant are exposed and only the last few millimeters are firmly embedded in the bone.