500,000 Americans now have at least one dental implant and may not know their jaw harbors a bacterial infection waiting to explode. Could Peri-Implantitis be a dental implant time bomb? What can be done to diffuse it?
Periodontal disease causes tooth loss by attacking the bone holding the tooth in place. 70% of tooth loss is caused by periodontal disease. Peri-implantitis is periodontal disease bacteria that attacks the bone surrounding the implanted tooth causing implant loss. A ten-year study published in the National Institute of Health found that “The incidence of peri-implantitis was 28.6% in patients with a history of periodontitis, and 5.8% in those patients without a history of the disease”. Peri-implantitis is a top cause for implant loss.
Step 1 A Clean Mouth before Surgery
If both Periodontal disease and Peri-Implantitis share the same bone destroying bacteria, then reducing that bacteria in the mouth before and after surgery should greatly reduce dental implant loss. A clean mouth before surgery is the first step in diffusing the dental implant time bomb. The Meditz Method protocol is used six weeks before implant surgery to clean the mouth for surgery and includes Laser Assisted Periodontal Therapy or Ozone therapy, Scaling and Root Planing and Clean Kiss Organic Oral Care Mouthwash, Toothpaste and anti-inflammatory and bone support supplements. An electric toothbrush and oral irrigator are also used. Before and after bacterial tests prove the mouth is clean enough for surgery.
Step 2 Support Systemic Health before Surgery
The body also has to be prepared for surgery. Dentists can perform an A1c/Crp/Vitamin D combo test with just one finger stick. A1c measures how much sugar is in the blood and must be under 6 or healing may be impaired. Crp (C-reactive protein) measures body inflammation and if greater than 3mg/L, investigate inflammation causes before surgery to avoid impaired healing. Measuring vitamin D will determine if supplements could improve implant bone integration. That’s why The Meditz Method uses custom designed oral supplements to support bone health and reduce inflammation-critical to diffusing the dental implant time bomb before surgery.
Step 3 Protect Mouth and Body Post Surgery
Using Clean Kiss products post-surgery can support healing, reduce pain and keep peri-implantitis causing bacteria from attacking the new implant while it heals. This is especially crucial in the first 3 years after surgery.
Use the Misch Matrix to monitor Implant Health
How do you know the health of your dental implant? The Meditz Method also uses the Misch Matrix for Implant health presented by Dr. Carl Misch, a father of implant dentistry, at the International Congress of Implantologists, Pisa, Italy in 2007. The Misch Matrix measures success 1-3 years, 3-7 years and >7 years post-surgery using 4 levels: Optimum Health, Satisfactory Survival, Compromised Survival and Clinical or Implant Failure by measuring pain on function, mobility, bone loss and exudate history. Optimal Health is no pain on function, no mobility, no exudate history and less than 2mm radiographic bone loss. An implant is considered fully integrated 10 years post-surgery. Measuring Implant health exposes less than optimum symptoms early to help dentists stop peri-implantitis before it causes implant failure. Ask your dentist to use the Misch Matrix to measure implant health to help determine a proper treatment plan. If your dentist doesn’t use the Misch Matrix, contact us with his/her name and I will share it with them.
Together, we can protect your implant and diffuse the dental implant time bomb so you can fully enjoy your dental implant benefits.