Failed Dental Implants and Implant Problems: Something Not Right with an Implant?
Lanark Smile Studios assesses dental implants that are sore, loose or failing, wherever they were placed, including abroad, for patients in Lanark and Carluke. Dr Davinder Kalsi examines the implant, with X-rays if they're needed at the time and a CT scan (£160) if one is needed; the consultation is free. We're at 72 High Street, Lanark ML11 7ES: call 01555 662441 or book online. Prices checked October 2026.
An implant that has started to ache, bleed or feel loose is worth having checked soon, but it doesn't always mean the implant is failing. A crown or screw that has worked loose is often a short repair, and early inflammation around an implant frequently settles with treatment. For patients in Lanark and Carluke, Dr Davinder Kalsi assesses implants placed here, elsewhere in Scotland, or abroad where treatment has since gone wrong, and tells you plainly what he finds, what can be repaired and what would need replacing. The consultation is free, and you leave with your options and a written fee.
Prices are a guide; your written plan fixes the figure. 1 We refund the £20 deposit that holds your consultation within 7 days of attending.
Dr Davinder Kalsi BDS (Aberdeen), BEng, MSc (Dental Implants). GDC 264493.
- 2,000+ dental implants he has placed
- 10+ years spent placing dental implants
- 99%+ recorded success rate for his implants
- MSc in Dental Implants
- BAIRD graduate (British Academy of Implant and Restorative Dentistry)
- MegaGen AnyRidge implants (CleanImplant Trusted Quality seal)
- CT scanner on site
- MegaGen R2 guided surgery
- 5-year guarantee for non-smokers who attend hygiene visits every 3 months
Signs Worth Getting Checked
None of these means an implant is lost. Each is a reason to have it looked at sooner rather than later, because a problem found early leaves more options open.
Around the Implant
In the Tooth Itself
A crown or screw that has worked loose is common and often fixable on the same implant. An implant that itself moves in the bone needs seeing promptly, so call us and we'll see you as soon as we can.
Common Causes
Working out which part is at fault comes first, because each cause leads to a different answer. Our guide to why dental implants fail explains the causes and how to lower the risk.
Peri-Implantitis
Infection of the gum and then the bone around an implant, usually started by plaque at the gum line. It's likelier after past gum disease, with smoking, or when hygiene visits lapse.
A Loose or Broken Screw
A small screw holds the crown to the implant. It can work loose, or occasionally break, while the implant underneath stays firm.
A Worn or Cracked Crown or Abutment
Years of chewing, a knock or a hard bite can chip the crown or crack the connecting piece beneath it.
An Implant That Didn't Bond
Sometimes the bone never fuses with the implant. This usually shows within the first weeks or months, as tenderness or movement.
Overload or Grinding
Too much force on an implant, from grinding at night or a bite that's out of balance, can loosen parts and strain the bone around it.
A Poorly Placed Implant
An implant set at an awkward angle or depth can be hard to clean and hard to restore, and is sometimes better replaced than repaired.
What Happens at the Consultation
The consultation is free. A £20 deposit holds the appointment and comes back to you within 7 days of attending. Already holding a plan from another clinic? Our free second opinion covers that too.
The History
When and where the implant was placed, and what has changed. Bring anything you have: records, X-rays, the treatment plan, or an implant passport or card, especially after treatment abroad.
Examination, with X-Rays If Needed
Dr Kalsi checks the gum, the crown and the way your teeth meet. X-rays of the bone around the implant are taken if they're needed at the time.
A CT Scan, If It's Needed
Our CT scanner is here in the practice. A 3D scan (£160) shows the bone around the implant in three dimensions, which a flat X-ray can't.
Identifying the Implant System
We try to identify the make from your records, the X-rays or an implant passport. Parts for some systems are hard to get in the UK, so sometimes the crown or the implant has to be replaced rather than repaired. If that's the case for yours, we'll say so plainly.
Your Options and a Written Fee
You leave knowing what's wrong, what can be done and what each option costs, in writing. No one will ask you to decide there and then.
Options, and What They Cost
What we suggest depends on the cause and on how much bone is left. From the smallest repair to the largest:
Tightening or replacing a screw or crown. Often a short visit when the implant is firm. A new crown needs parts made for the same implant system.
Treating peri-implantitis. A thorough clean around the implant, better cleaning at home and closer hygiene visits, and sometimes minor surgery to clean the area properly.
Removing a failed implant and placing a new one. The implant is taken out under local anaesthetic, with IV sedation if you'd like it. Once the site has healed, normally a few months, a replacement implant goes in, with bone grafting first if bone has been lost. A gap can be filled with a bonded bridge or a temporary denture meanwhile.
Problems with a full arch. A failing full-arch bridge, or several failed implants in one jaw, may be better rebuilt as a whole on one of our full-arch pathways, from £9,300 an arch.
Whatever caused the first problem, such as smoking, gum disease or grinding, needs dealing with as well, so a new implant doesn't face the same risk.
| Consultation and examination | Free |
| 3D CT scan, if needed | £160 |
| Tightening or replacing a screw, treating peri-implantitis, removing a failed implant | Priced at your consultation |
| New crown on an implant, per tooth, where parts can be sourced | £1,170 |
| Replacement implant with its crown, from (bone grafting extra) | £2,775or £277.50 a month over 10 months at 0% APR 2 |
| Bone grafting, small area / larger area | £535 / £998 |
| While you heal: bonded bridge, per tooth / temporary denture | £675 / £495 |
| IV sedation, first session | £500 |
Your written plan confirms the fee before anything starts. 1 See every fee
Your Guarantee
Implants we place here carry our 5-year guarantee for non-smokers who attend hygiene visits every 3 months, on the terms set out in your consent form. If something goes wrong with one of them, contact us and we'll arrange to see you.
Our guarantee doesn't cover implants placed by another dentist, whether elsewhere in Scotland or abroad, and we can't act on another clinic's guarantee. Repairs to that work are private treatment, set out in a written plan first. If you decide on a new implant here, we'll explain at the consultation what guarantee it would carry.
Implant Problem Questions
Not answered here? Ask us on WhatsApp.
Implant Problems, in More Depth
Have Your Implant Looked At
A free consultation with Dr Kalsi, wherever your implant was placed. Bring any records you have, and the name of the implant system if you know it.