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HomeFailed Dental Implants

Failed Dental Implant Repair in McLean & Alexandria, VA

A failed implant can usually be replaced.

An examination and a cone-beam scan show what failed and how much bone is left. Where the implant has to come out, bone is rebuilt first if needed, and the new one is planned in software and placed through a printed surgical guide by board-certified prosthodontist Dr. Esam Nahlah.

Book a free second opinionSigns it is failing
FreeSecond opinion on implant surgery
GuidedThe replacement placed to a plan
Same daySeen for pain or failed work
Patient holding his jaw in discomfort while a clinician reviews a treatment form with him
Signs

Signs an implant is failing.

Some are obvious, and some are easy to live with for months. Any one of them is worth a call, whether the implant was placed here or somewhere else.

  • The crown, or the implant under it, moves when you bite or touch it
  • Gum around the implant that bleeds, swells or pulls back from it
  • Pain or pressure when you chew on that side
  • A bad taste, or pus at the gumline
  • A full arch that rocks, clicks or has cracked

A crown that moves can be nothing worse than a loose screw; an implant that moves has lost its hold on the bone. An X-ray and a cone-beam scan tell the two apart, which is why the first visit starts with them.

Why Implants Fail

Planning, infection, bite load and bone loss.

Most failures start in the plan or the upkeep, not in the surgery itself.

Illustration of implant-supported bridges lowered onto implant posts in a lower jaw model01

Planning

An implant has to sit at an exact angle, depth and position. Placed by eye instead of to a plan, it can end up where the bite overloads it or the bone is too thin to hold it.

Female patient learning how to brush teeth correctly from her dentist02

Infection

Plaque inflames the gum around an implant just as it does around a tooth. Left alone, that infection, peri-implantitis, takes the bone that holds the post.

Why the cleanings matter
Lab model of an implant-supported denture clipped onto implant posts, mounted on an articulator03

Bite load

An implant carries the force of every bite. A crown or arch that meets the other teeth unevenly can put more of it on one implant than the rest, which is why the final teeth are bite-balanced by the specialist who planned them.

How a whole bite is rebuilt
A clinician showing a patient their X-ray beside an implant model04

Bone loss

Too little bone when the implant went in, or bone lost since, leaves the post nothing to hold. Extractions, grafting or gum therapy come first for that reason.

Bone grafting
Replacing It

Can a failed implant be replaced? Usually, in three steps.

All three are planned on your own cone-beam scan before the first one starts, and grafting and implant placement are done in this building.

Single dental implant with a titanium post, abutment and white crown on a plain white background01 · Assessment

Examined and scanned first

An examination and a cone-beam scan show the implant, the bone around it, and whether it has to come out. If it does, removal and healing come before anything else, and you are told how at the consultation.

Clinician in a mask reviewing a panoramic dental X-ray of the full jaw on a monitor02 · Grafting

Bone is rebuilt, if the scan shows it has to be

Where the failure took bone with it, a graft rebuilds it first. Grafting is its own procedure, with several months of healing before anything goes back in.

Two clinicians placing an implant, the planning scan on the monitor beside them03 · Placement

A new implant, placed to a plan

The replacement is positioned in software on the cone-beam scan and placed through a printed surgical guide, then restored with a crown or arch from the practice's own lab.

How implants work
A person standing in a panoramic X-ray and cone-beam scanner, chin on the rest
Second Opinions

What a free second opinion here includes.

Second opinions on implant surgery are free, whether the original work was done here or somewhere else.

  • An examination and a cone-beam scan of the implant and the bone around it
  • A straight read on what failed and why, from the specialist who would do the repair
  • The options for replacing it, each with its price, in writing
  • Your insurance checked, and the claims filed for you

Bring any X-rays, scans or treatment notes from the practice that placed it. If it hurts, say so when you call: appointments are kept free for pain and failed work, so you are seen that day.

Full Arches

Failed All-on-4 and full-arch cases.

When an arch fails, the scan of both jaws shows what gave way: a post, the bone around it, or the bridge itself. Whether any of it can be kept is decided from that scan at the consultation. Where the arch has to be rebuilt, it is planned as one job on four to eight implants as the bone allows, with the new arch made in the lab in the building. Complex and failed cases are accepted here, including work other practices decline.

An intraoral scanner beside the digital model of a patient’s arch
Both jaws scanned
Underside of a full-arch implant bridge, showing its metal framework and four screw-access channels
Four to eight posts
A treatment room at the practice, screened by a frosted-glass partition
A private surgical suite
The bench and stereo microscope in the practice's in-house laboratory
Made in the building
An implant post held before placement
Planned, not patched

Every replacement implant is planned on your cone-beam scan and placed through a printed guide, at the planned angle and depth.

Questions

Failed implants: questions.

How do I know if my dental implant is failing?
Movement, gum that bleeds or swells around it, pain when you bite, or a bad taste or pus at the gumline. A crown that moves may be only a loose screw; an X-ray and a cone-beam scan tell the difference. Call either office and describe what has changed.
Why do dental implants fail?
Most failures trace back to planning or upkeep: an implant placed off the angle the bone and bite needed, a gum infection around it (peri-implantitis), uneven bite load, or bone that was too thin or has receded. Smoking, diabetes and some medicines affect how bone heals, so the plan takes them into account.
Can a failed dental implant be replaced?
Often, yes. An examination and a cone-beam scan come first, to see the implant and the bone around it. If it has to come out, bone grafting may be needed before a new implant is placed. Most failures trace back to planning or upkeep, so the replacement is planned digitally and placed through a surgical guide. Second opinions on implant surgery are free.Book a second opinion →
Is a second opinion really free?
Yes, on implant surgery, whether the original work was done here or elsewhere. Bring the treatment plan and any X-rays or scans you have, and you will get a straight read on what failed and what fixing it involves.
Does the warranty cover a failed implant?
For implant work this practice carries out, yes: a part that fails within five years is remade and refitted at no cost, as long as the six-monthly Precare cleanings are kept. It does not extend to work placed elsewhere, but the second opinion on that work is still free.The warranty terms →
Can you fix an All-on-4 that another practice placed?
Often. Complex and failed cases are accepted here, including work other practices decline. A cone-beam scan of both jaws shows whether the posts, the bone or the bridge failed, and the rebuild is planned from that, on four to eight implants as the bone allows.All-on-4 →
How long does replacing a failed implant take?
It depends on the bone. Where a graft is needed, it heals for several months before the new implant goes in, and the implant then fuses for three or more months before its final crown or arch. Your timeline is written out at the first consultation.
What should I do if my implant hurts right now?
Call the office and say it hurts. Appointments are kept free each day for pain, breakage and failed work, so you are seen the same day: (571) 702-9832 in McLean, (703) 940-5410 in Alexandria.Emergency care →

Where to go next.

Bring the implant in for a second look.

A cone-beam scan and a straight answer on what failed. Free on implant surgery.