Why Your Gums Are Grey Around Your New Dental Implants
Posted on: 2 December 2019
When you finally get to use your new dental implants to eat and smile, this should be a time of celebration, not of concern. However, if your gums around your new dental implants are grey, you may be worried -- but you shouldn't be. This is a common phenomenon. Moreover, despite how hopeless the situation may appear, you can remedy the situation in several ways.
The answer to your problem depends on the cause. The greyness could be due to one of the following common issues:
The Greyness Could Be Due to Periodontal Disease
One issue faced by new dental implant patients is periodontal disease. Periodontal disease attacks the gum tissue surrounding your teeth, and causes the gums around your teeth and dental implants to recede. If you have had a history of periodontal disease, then this could be the cause of the greyness around your dental implants.
Because gum disease causes the gum tissue to recede, the grey of the titanium implants begins to show as your gum tissue recedes. You need to treat this problem as early as possible in order to avoid peri-implantitis, a condition that can lead to the failure of dental implants.
Fortunately, if caught early, a periodontist can treat your gum disease which will then lead to your gum tissue healing and growing around the implants. This will ensure that the greyness disappears as your gum tissue returns to its former state.
Your Gum Tissue Could Be Too Thin to Hide the Implants
As mentioned earlier, because implant posts are titanium the metal could show through your gum tissue as a grey area. Even if your gum tissue is healthy, the metal of the implants could show through your gum tissue if the tissue is thin. Gum tissue can suffer due to smoking or over-zealous brushing. This causes it to become thinner over time.
In this case, provided gum disease is not an issue, gum grafts can solve this problem. During this procedure, the dental surgeon removes a small portion of soft tissue from the roof of your mouth and grafts it onto your gums. In just one to two weeks, the gum tissue should heal and provide adequate cover for your dental implants.
Are your titanium implants showing through your gum tissue? If so, you should book an appointment with your dentist immediately. Whatever the cause, the faster you act, the sooner you can talk and smile comfortably with your new dental implants.
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