I went through what felt like forever to get my dental implant done. I have had it for a year now and to my horror, last week it starting hurting. So I made an appointment with my general dentist and he told me nothing was wrong. But the ache starting getting worse and now I see some gross pus around the area. It tastes terrible. I thought my general dentist was supposed to do dental implants, even though he isn’t the one that placed it originally. Do I go to an emergency dentist or an implant dentist? How urgent is this? I am freaking out now because it’s the weekend (of course) and I feel like it’s a little wiggly too!
-Brenda in Nevada
Brenda,
Is it possible to get back in touch with the implant dentist that placed it? It is possible he may have an emergency number or voicemail box that he checks over the weekend. If that’s not possible, than yes you need to get into an emergency dentist as soon as possible. The pus indicates an active infection. Also, if you think the dental implant is loose that is not a good sign. The sooner you are seen, the better because hopefully the implant can be saved.
If you are unable to get in touch with the implant dentist, the emergency dentist may prescribe an antibiotic to help get the infection under control. This will be temporary, along with possible stabilization of the implant until the situation can be addressed by an experienced implant dentist.
The infection needs to be stopped so it doesn’t spread into other areas of the body. Thank you for your question and best of luck!
This post is sponsored by Barrington cosmetic dentist James T. Gavrilos, DDS