A dental implant that feels like it's sinking is almost never actually moving. Once integrated, the implant is fused to bone. What you're feeling is usually gum recession exposing more of the crown, neighboring teeth drifting upward, or an opposing tooth over-erupting. A quick exam at Inspire Dental in Tigard can pinpoint the cause.

At Inspire Dental, we hear this concern often from patients who have lived with a healthy implant for years. The crown looked and felt just right at delivery. Then one morning, something feels off. It seems lower. Recessed. Like it's dropped a millimeter into the gum.

The sensation is real. The cause is rarely what you'd guess.

What does it mean when your dental implant feels like it's sinking?

When patients describe this, they're usually noticing a change in how the implant crown sits relative to everything around it. The gum line looks different. The tooth appears shorter, or taller, or exposes a hint of metal at the base. Chewing feels slightly less balanced on that side.

Here's the key point. According to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, once osseointegration is complete, the implant fixture is mechanically locked to bone and does not move like a natural tooth. It cannot literally sink under normal function.

What changes is everything around it. Gums recede. Neighboring teeth drift. Opposing teeth erupt. The implant becomes the fixed reference point, and shifts around it get perceived as the implant itself moving.

That's the whole trick.

Can a fully integrated dental implant actually sink into the jaw?

Almost never. But there are a few clinical situations worth knowing about.

Peri-implantitis, described by the American Academy of Periodontology as inflammation with progressive bone loss around a functioning implant, can cause the surrounding bone to recede. The implant itself stays put, but the platform of bone supporting it drops. In advanced cases, this can shift how the crown appears.

Mechanical loosening is different. The screw that connects the crown or abutment to the implant fixture can loosen with years of chewing forces. This is a documented complication in the implant literature. When it happens, the crown feels lower, mobile, or slightly off in the bite, even though the implant body remains stable in bone.

Signs that warrant a same-week call:

• Visible mobility of the crown

• Pus or a bad taste around the gum

• Bleeding when you brush that spot

• Pain when you chew

If none of those are present, the sensation is almost certainly something more routine.

Why gum recession around an implant creates a 'sinking' feeling

Gums recede over time. This is true for natural teeth, and it's true around implants. Patients with a thin gingival biotype (thin, delicate tissue) are more prone to it, and the dental literature backs this up.

When gum tissue pulls back from the crown, a few things happen at once. More of the crown becomes visible. The metal collar of the abutment may peek through. The crown appears taller, but relative to the surrounding gum line, the patient often reports the opposite. The tooth feels lower, as if the gum is climbing up and swallowing it.

Same anatomy, different perception.

Contributing factors we look for include aggressive brushing with a hard-bristle toothbrush, occlusal overload where the bite is putting extra force on the implant, and simple thin-tissue anatomy. A connective tissue graft can restore the gum contour when recession has genuinely progressed.

Could the neighboring teeth be moving, not the implant?

This is the most overlooked answer, and often the correct one.

Peer-reviewed work published in the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry has documented that natural teeth continue to erupt and drift throughout adult life. Implants do not. Over five, ten, fifteen years, the natural teeth around an implant can shift up, down, or sideways. The implant stays exactly where it was placed.

The result: an implant that felt perfectly level at delivery in 2015 can feel recessed in 2025, without the implant moving a fraction of a millimeter.

A retired patient from Summerfield came in last spring convinced her lower molar implant had dropped. A quick X-ray showed the implant was in the same position it had been in for eight years. Her opposing upper molar had super-erupted slightly into a small gap where the bite had opened up. Once we adjusted the opposing tooth, the sinking sensation resolved.

This is especially common in patients who had their implant placed five or more years ago.

When should you call Inspire Dental about the sensation?

If the crown just feels different but chews normally, mention it at your next hygiene visit. There's no rush.

If you also notice mobility, bleeding, a persistent bad taste, or pain when you bite down, call us for a same-week evaluation. Our office sits right on Pacific Highway 99W near SW Canterbury Street, so patients coming down from Bull Mountain or up from King City can usually swing in on the way home.

A full implant check includes:

• Periapical X-ray to confirm bone level around the fixture

• Probing depths around the implant collar

• Bite analysis to check for occlusal drift

• Torque check on the abutment screw if we suspect loosening

We keep evening slots specifically for our commuter patients heading back to Beaverton and Hillsboro. Book what works.

How is a sinking-feeling implant treated?

Treatment depends on the actual cause, which is why the exam matters. Common paths:

• Bite adjustment. If the surrounding teeth have drifted, we can rebalance the occlusion in a single visit.

• Abutment screw retightening. A loose screw is a quick fix when caught early.

• Gum grafting. Connective tissue grafts restore lost gum contour and cover exposed metal.

• Crown replacement. Sometimes the crown itself has worn or the fit has changed enough that a new one is the cleanest solution.

• Peri-implant maintenance. More frequent cleanings around the implant help prevent recurrence, especially in patients with thin tissue or a history of gum disease.

Most cases we see are minor. Most fixes are same-day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a dental implant really sink into the bone?

Not in the way most people picture it. Once osseointegration is complete, the implant fixture is fused to bone and cannot move under normal chewing forces. What patients call sinking is nearly always gum recession, neighboring tooth drift, opposing tooth super-eruption, or, less commonly, a loose abutment screw. A quick exam and X-ray tell us which one.

Is it normal for my implant crown to look shorter after several years?

It's common, and it's usually not the crown that changed. Adjacent natural teeth continue to erupt and drift throughout adult life, so an implant that was perfectly aligned at delivery can appear shorter or recessed years later by comparison. This is a relative change, not an actual movement of the implant.

Does gum recession around an implant mean the implant is failing?

Not on its own. Recession is often related to thin gum tissue, brushing habits, or bite forces, and it can happen without any threat to the implant. Failure is a different picture, usually involving bone loss, mobility, pain, or infection. Recession alone is treatable and does not mean you're losing the implant.

Will my implant need to be replaced if the gum has receded?Almost never. Most recession cases are addressed with a soft tissue graft, a bite adjustment, or occasionally a new crown with a better emergence profile. Replacing the entire implant is reserved for cases with significant bone loss or mechanical failure, which are uncommon.

How often should I have my implant checked after it heals?

We recommend the same six-month hygiene interval as natural teeth, with the exception that patients with a history of gum disease or thin tissue often benefit from every three or four months. Yearly X-rays around the implant help us track bone levels early, long before you'd notice a change on your own.

If your implant feels like it's sinking, moving, or just off, we'd rather take a look than have you wonder. Call Inspire Dental in Tigard at (503) 639-4330, or book online. Serving Bull Mountain, King City, Summerfield, and the Pacific Highway corridor.