My implant crown feels loose, is that an emergency?

Get it checked within a few days. A loose crown can often be re-secured, but if you keep chewing on it the screw or the implant itself can suffer more damage.

Can a failed implant be replaced right away?

Sometimes, but often the site needs to heal and may need bone grafting first, especially if there was infection or bone loss around the failed implant.

What does peri-implantitis feel like?

Swollen or bleeding gum around the implant, sometimes pus, bad taste, or a bad smell. It needs treatment before it progresses to bone loss.

Broken or failed dental implant repair in Columbia, SC

A dental implant that comes loose, cracks, or gets infected (peri-implantitis) is not something to sit on. Pain, swelling, or a mobile crown usually means the implant, the abutment, or the surrounding bone needs to be looked at quickly before the problem spreads.

This is a different job from getting a first implant placed. It usually starts with an exam and imaging to figure out whether the fixture itself failed, whether the crown or abutment came loose, or whether gum and bone around the implant are infected. From there the fix might be as simple as re-tightening or replacing a crown, or as involved as removing a failed implant and grafting bone before a new one can go in.

Loose, rocking, or spinning implant crown
Pain, swelling, or bad taste around an implant site
Implant that feels like it shifted or dropped
Screw loosening or abutment fracture
Peri-implantitis (gum and bone infection around an implant)

Oral surgeons and periodontists in the Columbia area who place implants are generally the ones equipped to diagnose and treat these failures, since it can involve surgical revision, not just a restorative fix.

What it costs

Cost depends heavily on what's actually wrong. A loose crown re-cementation or screw tightening is a minor visit. A failed implant that needs removal, bone grafting, and a new implant later is a much bigger undertaking closer to the cost of a new implant placement plus grafting. Imaging (a CT scan) is often needed to diagnose the problem before anyone can quote a fix.

Top 3 by our score

Ranked from our published scoring of public Google reviews for oral & maxillofacial surgery.

1. Carolinas Center for Oral & Facial Surgery
4.9★ · 1170 reviews

93
2. Carolinas Center for Oral & Facial Surgery
4.9★ · 467 reviews

90
3. Columbia Dental Health Center
4.9★ · 1070 reviews

88

FAQ

My implant crown feels loose, is that an emergency?: Get it checked within a few days. A loose crown can often be re-secured, but if you keep chewing on it the screw or the implant itself can suffer more damage.
Can a failed implant be replaced right away?: Sometimes, but often the site needs to heal and may need bone grafting first, especially if there was infection or bone loss around the failed implant.
What does peri-implantitis feel like?: Swollen or bleeding gum around the implant, sometimes pus, bad taste, or a bad smell. It needs treatment before it progresses to bone loss.