I wanted to save money on dental implant and went to a dentist in Mexico. He seemed ok, so I went ahead and had the procedure done there. We got through the surgery ok and the healing process went fine, but then it started to feel loose. I made the trip back to Mexico and the doctor said it was just the crown that was loose, and that he’d be able to take it off and recement it. Instead, he pulled the whole dental implant out. He offered to redo it, but I’m more than a little worried since I still don’t understand why it came out in the first place. Was it just because he pulled too hard?
Thanks,
Brandon – California
Dear Brandon,
Your dental implant should have been rock solid if it was healthy. Pulling on it would not have made any difference at all. When it’s healthy, it’ll integrate fully with the bone. So, the real question is why it was loose to begin with.
An implant needs time for oseointegration. The bone will surround and secure the bone. Based on the timeline, it sounds like the crown may have been placed too soon. If it hasn’t had time to fully integrate, the pressure from biting will cause it to become loose. There’s no set timeline on how long it takes for one to integrate. For some people, it’s around a year, but it could take more or less time.
Another cause of a loose implant is an infection. But, since you didn’t report any pain or other symptoms of infection, it seems unlikely.
The other possibilities typically include issues in how the dental implant was placed. Perhaps the implant, itself, wasn’t sturdy enough or cheap “parts” were used. It could have been that there wasn’t enough bone to begin with. In those cases, a skilled dentist would have recommended bone grafting before the procedure.
At this point, a new dental implant can’t simply be placed. You’ll probably need bone grafting done to fill the hole and that will have to heal before you can have a new one placed. Going forward, this is not something you want the same dentist to do for you. It’s far better to have it done in the US, where there are quality guidelines and standards in place. The same thing could have happened here, but it’s highly unlikely and you would have recourse. With the care being done in Mexico, you’re largely at the mercy of the dentist, and that isn’t a good situation to be in, especially with what you’ve already endured.
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