Why Are my Gums Black After Dental Implants Have Been Placed?

All dental implants are made of titanium and have intrinsic metal color. The gum tissue can appear darker or more gray in the following situations:


If your gum tissue is really thin with transparency allowing the metal color to come through

If the implant is placed to close to the gum tissue level

If there is bone loss along with gum tissue recession allowing implant to show through


Depending on the source of the problem, you can do one of the following:


Have your dentist use ceramic abutments and crowns to help mask the metal show

Bone and / or soft tissue grafting if appropriate

Perhaps during expsoure of the implant, the surgeon can manipulate the tissue and make it thicker in the front to help mask the metal color.

It's not uncommon for there to be a black shadow on the gums where the metal (titanium) implant shows through. This happens for a number of reasons, often because the tissue covering the implant is not thick enough to adequately mask the dark color of the implant. It's often times not an issue with the implant, other than aesthetically. If it bothers you, you can ask your dentist about treatment to help mask the color on the gums, possibly by grafting more tissue to the area. Hope this helps!

Dear TicaGaga, You had your implants placed
only a month ago. It's very likely that what you're seeing is cover screws or
healing abutments that are placed on top of the implants right after surgery to
prevent your gum tissue from growing inside the implant body. If your gum
tissue is thin and the implants are placed too shallow, you could see that gray
shadow. I would address your concerns with your dentist.

You have to remember that the color of titanium implants in the mouth is black.  When they are inserted the implants are placed deep in the gum to hide them.  If the implant is not deep enough or becomes exposed the metal shows through,  This was true with metal/porcelain crowns of the past as well, as well as amalgam fillings.  Today we have an alternative in the form of Ceramic Implants, white implants that do not give the gums a darkened color and are healthier for the gums.  Best,

Unfortunately this is a common problem. It's not a question of poor implant metal quality but more a question of how your body's jawbone and gums have responded AFTER the implants and crowns are placed. Ultimately it comes down to treatment planning, surgical technique and crown placement by the dentist. You need to talk to your dentist and also seek the advise of a periodontist who can assess you and give you treatment options to correct this problem before it gets worse

The dark colored gingiva is most likely from the collar of the implant showing through thin gum tissue. When implants are placed, one of the most important considerations is the thickness of the surrounding gum tissue, especially in the front of the mouth.  If the tissue is too thin at implant placement and the implant is not placed to the proper depth, a gray / black color will show through the gum tissue ( titanium is gray in color). This can also result in recession of tissue over time. If the implants are in the back of the mouth, the gray is of no consequence unless you get recession. If it is the front of the mouth, and you have a high smile line this will be seen, the only way to correct the situation is a soft tissue graft to thicken the surrounding tissue or rotational tissue flaps using surrounding tissue if there is enough present

In situations where the gum tissue is thin, the implant can be placed deeper to prevent this or soft tissue grafts can be placed to bulk tissue prior to implant placement.  Seeking out an experienced board certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon will help you in situations like this

Whenever the gums are thin, the dark color of the metal implants can show through.   Most dental implants are made from the same metal: Titanium.  Some of the newer ones are made from Zirconia, but those haven't proven themselves over time yet.   There are two situations where this could be an issue:

1. Your dentist needs to make sure that there's no bone loss around the implant.  If bone recedes from the implant it may allow the implant to show through.

2. Hopefully you don't have a "high" smile line, where you show a lot of your gums when smiling.  Otherwise it's a cosmetic concern that you need to explore with your dentist

Best wishes!

Hi TicaGaga

This happens if the gum tissue is thin and/or the implant was placed close to the surface of the gum. The implant is made of titanium and imparts a metallic color through the gums.  

I would go to your dentist so he/she can check the area and make sure there is no pathology going on, but otherwise if the color doesn't bother you esthetically you can leave the implant the way it is.

The metal used for implants is titanium, which is the best implant material.

There is two reasons for black line around the gum-

one- the implant gives a fake black translucency of the gingiva

second-you might have some kind of reaction to this metal, or any other metal.

Some newer implants are made from Zirconium, but are so new we can't tell how they will be long term.  If the tissue is thin, some grey may show through.  If the alignment pinches the tissues, or if cement was left behind, some discoloration may happen.

If it is minor, it is likely not an issue long term.  Express your concerns to your dentist, but without photos and xrays, it is impossible to tell for sure if there is a problem.