Can dental work or a swollen salivary gland infection cause a chin implant to fail 6 years post op?

Question

context. I have medpor jaw and chin implant put in 6-ish years ago. I have possible swollen salivary gland. Has any ever heard of a swollen salivary gland infection causing implant failure? Additionally, I am getting a crown done for one of my tooth. Can dental work cause an infection and lead to implant failure especially 6 years later?

Natalie Plana, MD · Answer

This is a great question and I want to start by offering some reassurance: implant failure or infection six years out is exceedingly uncommon, and the likelihood that either your salivary gland or routine dental work would threaten a well-integrated implant at this stage is quite low. That said, the medical literature does document that late infections in porous polyethylene implants, while rare, can occur through a process called hematogenous seeding. Essentially, bacteria from an active nearby source, such as a dental infection or an inflamed salivary gland, can theoretically travel through the bloodstream and seed the implant; this is worth mentioning to both your dentist and the surgeon who placed your implants so they can take appropriate precautions. 
On a broader note, when I perform jaw and chin implant surgery, my preference is PEEK. It is a highly biocompatible material that feels and behaves remarkably like natural bone, and does not integrate into or fuse with the surrounding bone the way Medpor does. This makes it far more manageable if intervention is ever needed down the road; an added benefit is that PEEK implants can be fully customized to a patient's exact anatomy and aesthetic goals using their own CT scan, yielding a result that is precise, symmetric, and tailored in a way that off-the-shelf implants simply cannot replicate. I hope this helps &mdash; wishing you a smooth path forward!

Can dental work or a swollen salivary gland infection cause a chin implant to fail 6 years post op?

Answers (1)

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