How to maintain osseointegrated implants ?
Written by:Osseointegration is a method used for the rehabilitation of edentulous patients, either totally or partially. Dr. Astoreca explains what peri-implant diseases exist and how to avoid them.
During recent years, it has been demonstrated that the tissue and bone integration of dental implants has satisfactory results in the long term.
In spite of this, the tissues that support osseointegrated implants can suffer from various peri-implant pathologies:
1. Peri-implant mucositis: are reversible inflammatory changes limited to the peri-implant soft tissues of a functioning implant.
2. Early failure: occur at weeks or a few months after implantation, before osseointegration occurs, and is caused by factors that interfere with healing, such as bacterial contamination, systemic diseases, smoking, poor bone quality ...
3. Late failure: are failures derived from pathological processes that involve an osseointegrated implant (such as periimplantitis).
They are very similar to periodontal lesions associated with teeth and are related to the oral hygiene of the patient. This has to be exhaustive through the use of brushes, dental floss and oral irrigators.
The best treatment of periimplantitis is its prevention. This is achieved by being rigorous in the diagnosis and treatment plan and getting the patient to attend periodic reviews.
In these reviews, a clinical and radiological control of the implants is carried out or the plaque and tartar present in the patient's oral cavity are eliminated.
Finally, it is necessary to control the presence of parafunctions such as bruxism by using splints of discharge, since they produce overload on the implants.
