Can You Get Dental Implants With Gum Disease?

Dental implants can significantly improve quality of life, nutrition, and confidence for people who miss their natural teeth. But can you get dental implants with gum disease? In this article, we answer that question and discuss the most common gum disease treatment options.

Can You Get Dental Implants If You Have Gum Disease?

If you have active, uncontrolled gum disease, you can not get dental implants. Gum disease is an infectious condition that, in advanced stages, affects not only the gums but also the underlying jawbone. Any infection in the mouth makes implant surgery risky and leads to complications during healing. If gum disease has reached the jawbone, it compromises its structure and likely leaves it too thin to support implants.

However, you may be able to get dental implants after you treat or sufficiently control gum disease and restore the gum and jawbone tissue.

Pre-Implant Surgery Gum Disease Treatment Methods

Treatment for gum disease is typically chosen based on its stage. Often, a combination of multiple methods is used to achieve the best results:

Improved Daily Oral Hygiene

Improved daily oral hygiene at home is non-negotiable when treating gum disease, as it's caused by bacterial growth in most cases. Since bacteria live primarily in tartar, plaque, and food residue on teeth, you need to ensure your teeth are free of them.

We recommend brushing your teeth for two full minutes twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and a soft or medium brush. Also, floss thoroughly every evening to remove debris between your teeth. Adding a water flosser as the first step in your evening routine can loosen plaque and food residue before traditional flossing and brushing, and help clean along the gumline and in hard-to-reach areas.

Regular Professional Cleanings

When plaque hardens, it turns into tartar that cannot be removed with at-home hygiene tools. Tartar harbors bacteria and prevents gums from healing. During regular professional cleanings, your dental hygienist will use special instruments to remove tartar. People with gum disease may be recommended to have professional cleanings every 3 to 4 months.

Scaling and Root Planing

Scaling and root planing is a deep cleaning used when plaque and tartar build up in enlarged periodontal pockets (spaces where the gum tissue meets the teeth). During this procedure, your dentist uses special instruments to remove tartar from under the gumline and smooths the roots of your teeth to help the gum tissue reattach.

Periodontal Pocket Reduction Surgery

Surgical procedures can reduce enlarged periodontal pockets to prevent tartar from accumulating under the gum line and minimize gum inflammation.

Medications

In some cases, your dentist may prescribe antibacterial medications, along with other methods, to help reduce infection and inflammation of the gum tissue.

Gum Grafting and Guided Tissue Regeneration

Soft tissue grafts are used to promote tissue regeneration when its structure is damaged by infection. Both gum grafting and guided tissue regeneration are surgical procedures that use naturally derived or artificial tissue to prompt the tissue in your mouth to regenerate around it.

Bone Grafting

Bone grafting is used when gum disease affects the jawbone tissue, destroying its structure. Like gum grafting, bone grafting helps stimulate bone regeneration, allowing it to support dental implants in the future.

Get Dental Implants at Our Office

If you are considering dental implants, schedule a consultation with a leading periodontist and implant specialist, David Kao DDS. We will carefully examine your oral health to determine if you are a good candidate for dental implants. We are looking forward to your visit.