Introduction
A dental implant is a metal pin, usually made of titanium, which is inserted into the jawbone to replace a tooth root. After a generous healing phase (up to 4 – 6 months), the tooth is reconstructed on this dental root replacement, i.e. a crown, bridge or similar is placed on it. Since these attachments are made of tissue-friendly materials, there is a risk of bacteria settling there and plaque forming.
Plaque is a bio-film that consists mainly of food residues and waste products of bacterial metabolism. Plaque can lead to the formation of deep gum pockets, through which further bacteria can migrate into the environment of the dental implant. Dental implants may not be able to grow properly into the jawbone and must be removed. The bacterial colonization can also lead to inflammatory processes and/or the formation of abscesses. These articles may also be of interest to you: Inflammation at the dental implant, peri-implantitis
How painful is the removal of an implant?
Surgical procedures such as this are naturally performed under general or local anesthesia. However, pain can still occur if the anesthetics are not effective. The most common cause of local anesthetic failure is an existing inflammation.
The pH value in the focus of the inflammation is too low for the syringes to work properly because the surrounding environment is acidic due to cell excretion and the active substance of the anesthetic cannot reach its site of action. The reason for having to remove an implant at all is often an inflammation of the bone in the area of the implant body. In the case of acute inflammation a simple local anesthesia may not be sufficient.
Depending on the size of the surgical procedure, a larger operation with an anesthetic may be necessary. After removal, pain may occur again because the soft tissues were finally cut open and stung during suturing. A piece of bone is also removed from the jaw. The body will also notice this. It is therefore advisable to continue taking painkillers after the operation.
