3 Dental Implant Care Tips
Posted on: 5 October 2021
Dental implants, with the correct care, can last a lifetime. On the other hand, if you neglect the care of your dental implants, then they can fail and end up needing to be taken out. Follow these tips to care for your dental implants and ensure they provide you with a lifetime of service.
1. Quit Smoking Now
The best time to quit smoking is at least a few weeks in advance of your dental implant surgery. This schedule gives your body time to clear harmful chemicals from your bloodstream and begin to restore the health of your gums. However, if you have left it later than that, perhaps until after your dental implant surgery, then you can still benefit from giving up tobacco.
Quitting smoking improves the blood flow to your gums, allowing them to heal more easily after you get dental implants fitted. In the long term, non-smokers have a much lower risk of developing gum disease than smokers. Gum health is vitally important for the long term success of your dental implants.
2. Have Regular Dental Checkups
Regular dental visits are vital to ensure that your dental implants remain in good condition. During a checkup, a dentist can check your gum health and recommend treatment if you are showing symptoms of gum disease, which is a major cause of dental implant failure. They can also check the integration of your dental implants with your gums, which continues for a long time after the initial fitting and is essential for their long term success.
3. Brush With Good Technique
Once you get dental implants, you might need to pay a little more attention than usual when you brush your teeth. Whereas natural teeth give you immediate sensory feedback that can help you to avoid pressing too hard with your toothbrush, dental implants cannot provide the same information. For this reason, it is a good idea to invest in an electric toothbrush that has a pressure sensor that will let you know if you are brushing too hard. Applying too much pressure to dental implants can lead to scratches on the crowns, as well as damage to the gums that support them.
Other aspects of good brushing technique including taking care to clean all surfaces of the dental implants, including their backs and chewing surfaces. You should also floss around your implants to remove any last traces of food and plaque.
Share