In 2020, I had two dental implants 13,14 placed too close to each other with a sinus lift. Unfortunately, the implants failed in 2023 and had to be removed Bone loss shortly after implants placement?
In March of this year, the same doctor performed an internal sinus lift and placed two new implants at positions 13 and 14 using a surgical guide. However, since the day of the surgery, I have had constant low-level pain and discomfort in the sinus area. On the day of the surgery, I noticed a bit of blood in my post-nasal drip.
I haven’t had a chance to get a second opinion, but an ENT ordered a large CT scan and noticed that both implants protrude into the sinus and may be causing irritation. The ENT doctor confirmed that I don’t have an infection.
I have another implant that protrudes into the sinus, placed many years ago on the opposite side, but it has never caused any pain.
Can this protrusion cause pain, or is there something else wrong with the implants?
Partially agree with Alan but I will off my opinion. It is sort of like in Christmas Vacation where Ruby Sue falls in a well and her eyes go crossed and then she got kicked by a mule and her eyes went straight again… Go figure. It is not the fault of the dentist but you may very well have persistent issues. Remember that there is no need to have teeth replaced, regardless of what the dentist tries to sell you, as millions of toothless people live and thrive so the work you had done was purely elective and packaged with an inherit risk.
I understand that there are risks involved with dental implants. My previous experience with an implant was positive, so I didn’t expect any issues with these newly placed implants. At this point, I’m just looking for a way to stop the pain, even if that means removing the implants.
Sounds like you had one good experience followed by a not so good one and I would suggest either deal with it or remove the unnecessary hardware that initiated the pain. Or you could keep spending time and money trying to find someone to blame but my experience suggests that this is just bad luck…
the implant position looks good with good bone coverage. literature indicates you can have maximum of 2mm of exposed implant thread inside the sinus. If there was infection at the implant site. those 2 implants would have came out by themselves already also your sinus would be filled w/ grey not black. a bit of blood from your nose and post nasal drip can be normal after implant placement at the upper molar position. Your sinus looks clear on both sides on CT scan. What does your dr say could be the cause of your pain or discomfort?
Thank you for reviewing my CT images!
The doctor doesn’t know why I have pain. I never had any infection since implants placement and I took 4 courses of antibiotics within first 2 months. I haven’t had any sinusitis symptoms before or after surgery. It’s mostly pain in that area that increases during physical activity, it feels like sinus pain. The ENT doctor recommended me to try methylprednisolone 4mg for 6 days.
for dental, usually, steroid is prescribed right after surgery to reduce swelling and edema. steroid is used for nerve healing also. since you are so long after surgery. i’ll be surprised if steroids will resolve your symptoms. i would be puzzled if i were your dr. because the implant position looks almost perfect on the CT. looks like he buried the implants. so during 2nd stage surgery when he changes the healing cap to healing abutments, perhaps your dr can check the integration of the implants. that might give him a clue of your symptoms.
The implants have been uncovered earlier at 10 weeks due to my pain complaints and everything looked good. The ISQ numbers were 58 and 65 at that time.
