The significance of maintaining dental implants For most patients, taking care of dental implants on a regular basis is no different from taking care of natural teeth. However, you may be at risk for bone loss around your dental implants (peri-implantitis) if you have a history of periodontal disease or if you lost your natural teeth due to periodontal disease. Similar to periodontal disease, peri-implantitis is a bacterial disease that develops around dental implants, but once it starts, it destroys bone much more quickly. Up until the later stages, the illness usually doesn't cause any pain.