Do I Have Bone Erosion From My Chin Implant?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I read what you wrote about the bone on the chin. “The alveolar  bone is less thick than the lower cortical bone and is more prone to see deeper implant settling. This can look very dramatic and ominous in x-rays and there probably have been a handful of such chin implant cases where lower tooth sensitivity resulted.” 

I’m concerned because I’ve had an implant inserted 9 months ago and it’s currently sitting too high and I’m wondering if my recent lower teeth sensitivity has anything to do with the erosion. 

Photos attached shows the progression of the erosion and the most recent is the one on the far right. 

Thank you. 

A: That is not indicative of bone erosion. That is typical soft tissue settling from an implant result that can take up to a full year to fully see. If you want to see if these are any significant bony changes (which I doubt) you would need an x-ray to make that evaluation not an external facial picture.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana