Active gum disease and dental implants are not compatible. But having a history of gum disease — even significant bone loss from prior periodontal disease — does not permanently disqualify you from implants. The key is sequence: the disease must be controlled before implants are placed.
Why Active Periodontal Disease Is a Problem
Periodontal disease is a bacterial infection that destroys the bone supporting natural teeth. The same bacteria that colonize a periodontally-infected mouth will colonize a newly placed implant, causing peri-implantitis — an analogous destructive infection around the implant. Placing an implant into an environment still harboring active infection dramatically increases failure rates.
The Proper Treatment Sequence
- Step 1 — Periodontal treatment — deep cleaning (scaling and root planing), possibly surgical periodontal therapy, and sometimes extraction of non-salvageable teeth.
- Step 2 — Stabilization — a period of weeks or months to confirm the infection is controlled, measured by bleeding on probing, pocket depths, and inflammatory markers.
- Step 3 — Site preparation — bone grafting or ridge augmentation if prior disease has reduced bone volume.
- Step 4 — Implant placement — into a healed, stable, infection-free site.
- Step 5 — Lifelong maintenance — frequent professional hygiene (typically every 3 months rather than 6) and meticulous home care.
If Gum Disease Has Already Destroyed Most of Your Teeth
Patients with advanced periodontal disease often face a choice: years of treatment trying to preserve compromised teeth that will likely be lost eventually, or a definitive full-arch implant reconstruction that eliminates the diseased teeth and replaces them with a fixed implant-supported bridge. For many patients in this situation, the STAR Concept™ full-arch protocol is the most effective long-term solution.
Why Periodontal History Matters for Implant Planning
Even after gum disease is controlled, patients with a history of periodontitis are 2–3× more likely to develop peri-implantitis than patients without such a history. This changes how we plan: choice of implant system, placement depth, prosthetic design, and the maintenance schedule all need to account for the elevated risk.
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- Peri-Implantitis: Diagnosis & Treatment
- Why Dental Implants Fail
- Bone Grafting for Dental Implants
- When Implants Aren’t the Right Answer
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