Upper jaw bone loss

by Debbie
(Johannesburg, South Africa)

I have had a lot of upper jaw bone loss over the years and had to have all my top teeth removed. I had just enough bone to have 4 implants put in 13 months ago, however I haven't yet been back to complete the procedure of adding the caps and the teeth. Everything has gone well so far, one implant has come through the gum, which I believe is good.

However, recently it feels like I have developed a gum abscess over another one. My gum is swollen and sore, but not open. Could this be an abscess on the bone? Is it a sign of rejection? How possible is rejection at this stage? Before receiving the implants, I was advised to stop smoking, but only managed to quit for one month. Since then I have been smoking heavily.