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Saving Failing Implants – Treatment Options Explained

Loose, sore or bleeding dental implant? Woodgreen Dental & Implants in Wood Green explains what to do while you wait for an appointment, and the options for saving a failing implant.

📍 65 Bounds Green Road, Wood Green, London N22 | 🦷 Dental Implant Care | 🚇 Near Wood Green Station

Noticing a problem with an implant tends to prompt two questions: “What should I do right now?” and “What’s going to happen when I get seen?” Both matter, because what you do in the days before your appointment can make a difference, and knowing what to expect makes the appointment itself far less daunting.

At Woodgreen Dental & Implants on Bounds Green Road, we help patients from Wood Green, Bounds Green and across North London who are concerned about an implant. This guide starts with what to do while you wait, then covers how we assess the problem and the treatments available.

Short answer: A struggling implant can often be saved if it is treated early. Treatment ranges from a thorough clean through to surgery and rebuilding of lost bone, and if an implant can’t be saved it can usually be replaced after healing.

While You Wait for Your Appointment: Do’s and Don’ts

Do:

• Keep the area clean. Brush gently around the implant with a soft brush. Don’t stop cleaning because it’s tender, as plaque left in place makes inflammation worse.
• Use the interdental brushes you’ve been shown, if you have them, as gently as you can.
• Chew on the other side if biting is uncomfortable.
• Note what you notice: when it started, whether it’s changing, and any bleeding, swelling or taste.
• Keep any part that falls out. If a crown comes off, keep it safe and bring it along.
• Tell us about changes in your health or medication.

Don’t:

• Don’t try to tighten or glue a loose crown yourself.
• Don’t poke or pick at the gum around the implant.
• Don’t smoke if you can avoid it, as it slows healing and raises the risk of infection.
• Don’t ignore it hoping it will settle. Early problems often progress quietly.
• Don’t delay getting advice if you have facial swelling, a fever or feel unwell. In that case, contact NHS 111 or seek urgent medical advice.

What We Will Do at Your Appointment

• Ask about your symptoms, medical history, smoking and any history of gum disease
• Examine the implant, crown and gum, checking for movement, bleeding, swelling and pocket depth
• Take X-rays and, where helpful, CBCT 3D scans to see the bone around the implant
• Explain what we have found and your options, before you decide anything

The commonest cause of trouble in a long-standing implant is infection around it, called peri-implantitis, which damages the supporting bone. The earlier gum-only stage, peri-implant mucositis, is usually reversible.

The Treatments Explained

Specialist cleaning and improved home care
What it is: A thorough professional clean around the implant, with personalised advice on cleaning technique.
When it’s used: Early inflammation of the gum, before bone loss.
What to expect: A comfortable visit and a review to check the gum has settled.

Non-surgical treatment of infection
What it is: Cleaning and disinfecting the implant surface without an operation, sometimes after temporarily removing the crown.
When it’s used: Early bone loss.
What to expect: Follow-up checks to confirm the infection is under control.

Surgical cleaning
What it is: A small procedure under local anaesthetic to access the implant directly and remove infected tissue.
When it’s used: Established or persistent infection.
What to expect: A short healing period and careful aftercare instructions.

Bone and gum grafting
What it is: Using graft material to help rebuild bone lost around an implant, and soft tissue grafts to strengthen the gum.
When it’s used: Bone loss around an implant that is still stable.
What to expect: Results vary with the shape of the bone defect and how well the area is cleaned afterwards, so we will be realistic about the likely outcome.

Repairing a loose crown or screw
What it is: Refitting or replacing the crown or the small screw holding it.
When it’s used: When the implant itself is firm.
What to expect: Usually straightforward, along with a check on why it loosened, such as grinding.

Removal and replacement
What it is: Removing an implant that has lost too much support, allowing the area to heal, and then placing a new implant, bridge or denture.
When it’s used: When an implant can’t be saved.
What to expect: Time for healing, and sometimes a bone graft or sinus graft first. We will aim to understand why the original implant struggled, so the replacement lasts.

Protecting Your Implants in the Long Run

• Clean around implants daily with the brushes we recommend
• Keep your hygiene appointments and regular check-ups
• Stop smoking, or ask us for support
• Keep diabetes and other conditions well controlled
• Wear a night guard if you grind your teeth
• Get any bleeding, swelling or looseness checked promptly

Getting to Us in Wood Green

Woodgreen Dental & Implants is at 65 Bounds Green Road, on the corner of Park Avenue, about five minutes from Wood Green station on the Piccadilly line. The 221 bus serves the area. Please note there is no parking at the practice, and local roads have restrictions from 11am to 4pm, so public transport is often easiest. We are open Monday to Wednesday 9am to 5pm and Thursday and Friday 9am to 5:30pm.

We welcome patients from Wood Green, Bounds Green, Turnpike Lane, Palmers Green, Southgate, New Southgate, Muswell Hill, Tottenham and across Haringey, including those with implants placed elsewhere.

Frequently Asked Questions