Dental Implant Problems in Hamilton: Worried About an Implant You Already Have?
Hamilton Smile Studios in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, checks implants that are sore, loose or failing, wherever they were placed, including abroad. The consultation is free. Dr Nikhil Sharma examines the implant, takes X-rays if they're needed at the time, adds a CT scan (£160) if it's needed, and gives you the options with a written fee. Dr Sharma has placed 1,500 implants over 10 years and is a BAIRD graduate (British Academy of Implant and Restorative Dentistry). Visit 20–22 Brandon Street, Hamilton ML3 6AB, call 01698 767220 or book online. Prices checked October 2026.
Most implants do well for many years. When one starts to feel wrong, the cause is often simple, such as a screw that has worked loose or a worn crown, and sometimes the implant itself is failing. Either way the first step is the same: a free consultation in Hamilton with Dr Nikhil Sharma, who places our implants, to find out which part is the problem. We see implants placed by other practices and by clinics abroad, and patients come to us from Bothwell, Motherwell, East Kilbride and Larkhall as well as Hamilton.
The implant consultation is free; a £20 deposit holds the slot and is returned within 7 days of your visit. If you need a CT scan, it is £160. Any treatment is priced in a written plan before it starts. 1
- 1,500 implants placed over 10 years
- BAIRD graduate (British Academy of Implant and Restorative Dentistry)
- ITI award: Young Rising Star in Implant Dentistry, 2021
- Clinical lecturing and mentoring, BAIRD Implant Academy
- BDA: Member, British Dental Association
- 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
- Crown. Can chip, crack or wear, or let food pack in beside it.
- Abutment and screw. Hold the crown on, and the screw can work loose.
- Gum. Bleeding or shrinking back can mean infection.
- Implant. Should never move. If it does, get it seen promptly.
- Jawbone. Bone loss around the implant shows on an X-ray.
Signs Worth Getting Checked
None of these means an implant is lost. They mean it's worth a look, and the earlier we see it, the more often it can be put right.
A loose crown or screw is often fixable, usually without touching the implant. A loose implant itself needs seeing promptly, so call us rather than waiting for a routine visit.
Spreading swelling, a fever or trouble swallowing? That needs urgent care: call us on 01698 767220 while we're open, or NHS 24 on 111 when we're closed. Call 999 if swelling is affecting your breathing. Our emergency page explains what happens on the day.
Common Causes
Peri-Implantitis
Infection of the gum and bone around an implant, much like gum disease around a tooth. Found early, it often settles with treatment.
A Loose or Broken Screw
The small screw that holds the crown can work loose or snap. The implant underneath is often still firmly fixed.
A Worn or Cracked Crown or Abutment
Crowns wear and chip over the years, and the connector beneath them, the abutment, can crack.
An Implant That Didn't Bond
Sometimes the bone never grows onto the implant during healing. This usually shows in the first weeks or months.
Overload or Grinding
A bite that puts too much force on one implant, or grinding at night, can loosen parts and strain the bone.
A Poorly Placed Implant
An implant set at an awkward angle or depth can be hard to clean around or to build a crown on.
What Happens at the Consultation
The consultation is free. Bring anything you have about the implant, especially if it was placed abroad: the treatment plan, X-rays or scans, receipts, an implant passport or the implant stickers.
Your Story
When the implant went in, who placed it, and what has changed since.
Examination, and X-Rays If Needed
We check the gum, the crown and your bite. X-rays are taken if they're needed at the time, to see the bone around the implant: £10 for a small X-ray, £75 for a large one.
A CT Scan, If It's Needed
A 3D scan on our own scanner shows the bone in a way a flat X-ray can't. It is £160, and only if your case needs it.
Identifying the Implant
We try to work out the implant system from your records, the X-rays or an implant passport, because the repair depends on it.
Your Options, in Writing
You leave knowing what's wrong, what can be done, and a written fee for each option.
One thing to know in advance: parts for some implant systems are hard to get in the UK, and some can't be identified at all. When that happens, the crown, or sometimes the implant, has to be replaced rather than repaired. We'll tell you plainly if that's the case.
Your Options and Fees
What we suggest depends on which part is failing. Repairs that depend on your implant system, or on how far an infection has gone, are priced at the consultation once we've seen it; everything else comes from our published fee list. 1
Finance through Chrysalis Finance covers treatment from £1,500 to £50,000, interest-free (0% APR) over 6 or 10 months (3 months also on amounts up to £2,500), or at 14.9% APR over 24, 36 or 60 months, subject to status; where a fee fits, an example monthly figure is shown beside it.
| Tightening or replacing a loose screw | Priced at the consultation |
| A new crown on a sound implant Where the parts for your implant system can be found | £1,000 |
| Treating peri-implantitis Cleaning around the implant, sometimes minor surgery | Priced at the consultation |
| Removing a failed implant Under local anaesthetic, with sedation if you'd like it | Priced at the consultation |
| A new implant and crown Once the site has healed, usually a few months later | £2,605or £260.50 a month over 10 months at 0% APR 2 |
| Bone grafting, small / larger area | £535 / £998 |
| X-rays, if they're needed at the time, small / large | £10 / £75 |
| 3D CT scan, if needed | £160 |
| IV sedation, first session | £500 |
Problems with a full arch of implant teeth? A failing bridge or several failing implants are usually rebuilt on one of our full-arch pathways, from £9,300 per arch. Nervous about it? IV sedation is available.
Our Guarantee, and Work Done Elsewhere
Our 5-year guarantee for non-smokers who attend hygiene visits every 3 months covers implants we place. Work done by another practice or a clinic abroad isn't covered by it, and repairing that work is private treatment, priced in writing before we start. If the answer is a new implant placed here, we'll explain the guarantee it would carry and what it asks of you.
If your implant was placed abroad, our guide to implants abroad versus Scotland explains what we can and can't usually fix, and our guide to why dental implants fail goes into the causes and how to lower the risk.
Implant Problem Questions
Can't see yours? Send it to us on WhatsApp.
Implant Problem Guides
What Patients Say on Google
4.7 from 96 Google reviews
“Hamilton Smile Studios have done wonders for my smile, dental implants and self esteem since being in their care. The entire team is conscientious, helpful and warming; nothing is too much or too little for them to care for.”
“Honestly couldnt recommend this dentist enough! Everyone is lovely. Had a very traumatic experience which lead to years of not going back near one. Chose this dentist and needed a filling, my experience was that good and that gentle I fell asleep getting it done!”
“Love this dentist, I started Invisilin this year and they have been amazing. The staff are incredible. So Informative and so helpful. Nothing is too much trouble”
Reviews shown as written. Checked 5 November 2026.
Get Your Implant Checked
Bring whatever records you have, and leave knowing what's wrong, what can be done and what it would cost.