After receiving dental implants, you’ll want to take care of your investment. Once they have been surgically placed by a trained professional, dental implants can last you a lifetime. However, you still need to take a few steps to ensure that your implants — and mouth in general — stay healthy.
Below are several ways that you can protect your dental implants!
1. Brush and floss regularly.
Even if you have received full mouth dental implants, you still need to take care of your gums. This includes brushing them with an extra-soft toothbrush and flossing if possible. (It is easy to floss around single implants. If you have a full arch overdenture, you should talk with your doctor about the best way to incorporate flossing into your routine.)
2. Attend all your scheduled dental appointments.
Everyone, including people who have lost all their teeth, should visit a dental provider at least twice a year. Dentists and their teams do not just focus their attention on teeth, after all. They also concentrate on helping patients like you maintain optimum oral health and avoid problems like gum disease, cancer, and TMJ disorder. At every visit, your dentist will make sure your dental implants and crowns or prosthesis look good.
3. Ask your implant doctor about any concerns.
When placed by knowledgeable implant clinicians, dental implants have a very high success rate. Occasionally, though, dental implants can fail. For this reason, you should contact your dental provider immediately if you experience swelling around the implant, the implant seems to be loose, the implant area begins to tingle or hurt, the implant site smells unpleasant, or you notice pus coming from the gums around the implant. The sooner you alert your doctor, the less chance you have of losing the implant.
4. Eat the foods your doctor recommends post-surgery.
Once your body has fully healed from your implant surgery, you can eat whatever you like. Until then, follow your doctor’s dietary instructions. Putting too much force on a new implant can weaken it and extend the time it takes for it to fuse with your jaw bone. Remember that you have a lifetime to eat hard, crunchy foods: You can wait a few months to give your implant the time it needs to stabilize.
Get Great Results From Your Dental Implant Surgery
Nothing compares with having a brighter, more complete smile thanks to advancements in dentistry like dental implants. The more effort you put into taking care of your implants, the better your chance of loving them for life! Contact us to schedule a consultation in our office today!