Paramus Dental Arts offers laser treatment as older implants fail

Paramus Dental Arts in Paramus, New Jersey, is treating more North Jersey patients whose dental implants from the 2000s and 2010s are now showing signs of peri-implantitis, a bone-loss condition that can progress without pain. The practice is using laser therapy to try to save implants before bone damage becomes too advanced.

Why it matters: - Dental implants placed years ago can begin to fail quietly as the surrounding gum and bone break down. - Peri-implantitis can limit treatment options once an implant becomes loose. - The issue is growing as Bergen County’s implant population ages.

What happened: - Paramus Dental Arts said it is seeing more longtime North Jersey patients with failing implants placed in earlier years. - The practice is offering LAPIP, or the Laser-Assisted Peri-Implantitis Procedure, to treat infected tissue around implants. - The practice is led by Dr. Olga Degtyareva and Dr. Margarita Degtyareva in Paramus, New Jersey.

The details: - Peri-implantitis is the destructive stage of implant disease tied to bone loss around a dental implant. - Research cited by the 2017 World Workshop on the Classification of Periodontal and Peri-Implant Diseases put weighted mean prevalence at 22%. - The earlier, reversible stage, peri-implant mucositis, was put at 43% in the same review. - The review found prevalence rises the longer an implant has been in place. - Bleeding when the tissue around an implant is probed is the key clinical sign in the current classification system. - Smoking, plaque buildup and missed maintenance visits were identified as contributing factors. - Dr. Olga Degtyareva said patients often assume nothing needs to be watched after implant placement because implants do not get cavities. - Dr. Olga Degtyareva said bone around an implant can recede without pain and that treatment options narrow once an implant feels loose. - LAPIP uses the same Nd:YAG laser the practice uses for LANAP gum therapy around natural teeth. - The protocol treats infected tissue without incisions or sutures. - Whether an implant can be saved depends on how much bone loss has already occurred. - The practice said patients who had implants placed elsewhere can have the tissue assessed during a standard examination. - Paramus Dental Arts is located at 27 Madison Ave, Suite 110, and offers general, cosmetic, periodontal and implant dentistry, including full-arch implant restoration, LANAP laser gum therapy, sedation options, TMJ treatment and sleep apnea therapy. - More information is available in the practice’s peri-implantitis treatment page, laser dentistry page and implant maintenance page.

Between the lines: - The practice is positioning early evaluation as the main defense against implant loss. - Because peri-implantitis can advance with little or no pain, patients may not seek care until bone damage is already severe. - The aging of implants mirrors the aging of the patient base, which suggests more late-stage implant problems ahead.

What's next: - Paramus Dental Arts expects failing-implant cases in North Jersey to keep rising over the next decade. - The practice is encouraging patients with older implants, especially those treated by a provider they no longer see, to get the tissue around the implant checked sooner rather than later. - Patients can contact Paramus Dental Arts at 27 Madison Ave, Suite 110, Paramus, NJ 07652, by phone at (201) 845-5533 or through the practice’s website at Paramus Dental Arts.

The bottom line: - Older implants are reaching the age when hidden bone loss becomes common, and Paramus Dental Arts is betting that earlier laser treatment can save more of them.