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Artisan Dentistry's Blog

What is Peri-implant Disease and Signs You Might Have It

May 20th, 2026
peri-implant disease

Dental implants are an excellent solution for replacing missing teeth, but like natural teeth, they require proper care. In some cases, patients experience inflammation around their implants, a condition known as peri-implant disease. Understanding the signs, risk factors, and treatment options can help protect your implants and overall oral health.

What is Peri-implant Disease?

Peri-implant disease is an inflammation of the gum and bone surrounding a dental implant. It is classified into two types:

  • Peri-implant mucositis: Inflammation is limited to the gums around the implant. The underlying bone remains healthy.
  • Peri-implantitis: The inflammation progresses, causing deterioration of the bone surrounding the implant. This can compromise the stability of the implant if left untreated.

Early detection is key to preventing peri-implant mucositis from progressing to peri-implantitis.

Risk Factors

Dental implants require the same daily care as natural teeth. Several factors can increase the risk of peri-implant disease, including:

  • Poor oral hygiene (inadequate brushing and flossing)
  • Smoking
  • Diabetes
  • History of periodontal (gum) disease

Regular dental checkups and professional cleanings are essential to minimize these risks.

Signs You Might Have Peri-implant Disease

The symptoms of peri-implant disease are similar to gum disease and may include:

  • Red, swollen, or tender gums around the implant
  • Bleeding while brushing or flossing
  • Sensitivity or discomfort near the implant

If you notice any of these signs, it’s important to contact your dentist promptly to prevent further damage.

Treatment Options

Treatment depends on the severity of the condition:

  • Early-stage disease (mucositis): Scaling and root planing, often combined with antibiotics, can eliminate the infection.
  • Advanced disease (peri-implantitis): If bone around the implant is affected, oral surgery may be required to regenerate lost bone and restore implant stability.

Prompt treatment is critical to saving the implant and maintaining oral health.

When to Contact Your Dentist

If you experience redness, bleeding, or sensitivity around a dental implant, don’t wait. Early evaluation and treatment can prevent complications and preserve your dental implants for years to come. Contact our team at Artisan Dentistry to schedule an appointment today.

Warranty

Our 5 Year Warranty

Anyone can train to be a technician, but few have the talent to become an artist. That’s why Dr. Mathew is able to guarantee his cosmetic dentistry work for a full 5 years. If anything goes wrong with the work, Dr. Mathew will fix it free of charge, as long as you continue with your regular 6 month preventative care cleaning and check up for the duration of the warranty.

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Our individualized treatment rooms and operatories provide patients with maximum privacy and comfort. The treatment rooms were built specifically with your comfort in mind.

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Here at Paul Mathew, D.D.S. we work diligently to protect our patients' privacy. Requesting an appointment via our Internet portal is considered part of what the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has identified as electronically protected healthcare information or ePHI. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, there are people or entities that may attempt to intercept the data you transmit to us. By checking the "I agree" box, and electronically making an appointment request, you acknowledge that you are making an appointment over the internet and that Paul Mathew, D.D.S. will keep this information confidential but cannot guarantee that others, outside of our practice, may illegally intercept this communication. By accepting these terms and conditions and sending this request via our Internet portal, you accept the inherent risk(s) associated with making this request for an appointment. If you do not accept the terms and conditions, you are always welcome to contact our office via telephone to schedule your appointment.

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Here at Paul Mathew, D.D.S. we work diligently to protect our patients' privacy. Requesting an appointment via our Internet portal is considered part of what the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has identified as electronically protected healthcare information or ePHI. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, there are people or entities that may attempt to intercept the data you transmit to us. By checking the "I agree" box, and electronically making an appointment request, you acknowledge that you are making an appointment over the internet and that Paul Mathew, D.D.S. will keep this information confidential but cannot guarantee that others, outside of our practice, may illegally intercept this communication. By accepting these terms and conditions and sending this request via our Internet portal, you accept the inherent risk(s) associated with making this request for an appointment. If you do not accept the terms and conditions, you are always welcome to contact our office via telephone to schedule your appointment.

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The information presented here is not intended or implied to be medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It should be used for informational purposes only.