You can often get dental implants with gum disease in your history, but not while the disease is active. The same bacteria that destroy bone around natural teeth can attack the bone around an implant, so the gums need to be under control before anything is placed. That usually means a deep cleaning, a re-check, and a maintenance plan you can keep up for life.
Gum disease (periodontitis) is a chronic infection under the gum line. Bacteria live in pockets between the gum and the root, the body reacts with inflammation, and over time the bone that holds the teeth wears away. An implant depends on that same bone.
If an implant goes into a mouth where the infection is still active, the bacteria from nearby pockets can settle around it. The result can be inflammation around the implant and, in time, bone loss there too. Treating the gums first lowers that risk and gives the implant a healthier neighborhood to heal in.
Not sure whether you have early or advanced disease? Our post on gingivitis vs periodontitis explains the difference and the warning signs.
Every plan is personal, but most follow a sequence like this:
For more on the deep cleaning itself, see deep cleaning vs regular cleaning and our gum disease treatment page.
Many people considering implants lost their teeth to gum disease in the first place, and that does not shut the door. What it often means is less bone where the teeth used to be, which can call for grafting or a different implant layout. Our guide to bone grafting before implants explains when that is needed.
When most of the teeth in an arch are loose or failing, replacing them one by one rarely makes sense. A full-arch bridge on four or more implants, such as All-on-X, removes the failing teeth and their pockets and replaces them in one plan, from $9,999 per arch at Prana. That route still needs the same commitment to cleaning, because implants can lose bone too.
A history of periodontitis is one of the recognized risk factors for problems around implants. There are two stages, and catching the first one early is the goal:
| Peri-implant mucositis | Peri-implantitis | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Inflamed gum around the implant, bone still intact | Inflammation plus loss of the bone holding the implant |
| Signs | Redness, swelling, bleeding when you brush | Same signs, plus deeper pockets, pus, receding gum, sometimes a visible thread |
| Can it be reversed? | Often, with better cleaning and a professional cleaning | Needs treatment to stop it; lost bone does not simply grow back |
| Who treats it | Your general dentist | Your dentist, often with referral to a periodontist |
Smoking, uncontrolled diabetes, skipped maintenance and a cement or crown edge that traps plaque all add to the risk. For a full list of warning signs, read implant failure signs.
People with a past of gum disease usually do better with maintenance cleanings more often than the standard twice a year. Your dentist sets the interval from how your gums behave; many people with this history are seen every few months. At those visits the pockets around both teeth and implants are measured, so changes are found while they are small.
At home, the routine that protects natural teeth also protects implants: a soft brush angled at the gum line twice a day, plus floss, interdental brushes or a water flosser to clean where the implant crown meets the gum. If you smoke, cutting down or quitting helps both your gums and the implant; your physician can help with a plan.
On cost: deep cleaning is often treated by insurance as a basic service, while implants, when covered, are usually major services with their own limits. A single dental implant starts from $1,999 at Prana for the implant, abutment and crown, and there are 0% financing options on approved credit through CareCredit, Cherry and LendingClub. We check your benefits for you.
Dr. Aakash Rana, DDS is a general dentist trained at NYU College of Dentistry, with more than $100,000 in continuing education. He plans and treats each case at Prana Dental himself, works with our in-house lab, and refers to a specialist when a case needs one.
Usually not while it is active. The infection is treated first, typically with scaling and root planing and a re-check. Once the gums are stable, many people can have implants, with closer maintenance afterward.
The gums are usually re-checked several weeks after a deep cleaning to see how they responded. If pockets have improved and bleeding has settled, implant planning can go ahead. Advanced cases may take longer or need care from a periodontist first.
Implants cannot decay, but the gum and bone around them can become inflamed and infected, which is called peri-implantitis. It can cause bone loss and, if not treated, the implant can loosen. Daily cleaning and regular checkups are the main protection.
Not automatically. A tooth with gum disease that responds well to treatment is often worth keeping. Implants make sense when a tooth has lost too much support to save, and the decision should be made tooth by tooth after an exam.
A history of gum disease raises the risk of problems around implants, but it does not mean an implant will fail. Controlling the disease first, not smoking and keeping up maintenance visits lower the risk considerably for many people.
Call or text (786) 579-0521 to have your gums and implant options checked. We're open, Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm.