4 Tips To Help You Take Care Of Dental Implants

Dentist Blog

Dental implants are designed to look, feel, and function like your natural teeth. The implants will restore your normal tooth functioning. You also don't have to worry that people will notice you have them. The tooth add-ons are durable, providing a secure anchor for dental restorations. As a result, the implants can last for many years, reducing their long-term cost.

Dental implants require low maintenance. You only need to observe oral hygiene by brushing and flossing regularly. Here are tips to help take care of your dental implants.

Use a Soft Brush

You should brush your dental implants using a toothbrush with soft bristles. Hard bristles can traumatize the gum tissues surrounding the implant. You can also use an interdental toothbrush to complement regular brushing. This toothbrush is small and designed to clean hard-to-reach places between the teeth.

Poor dental care can trigger the growth of bacteria around the dental implant, leading to an infection called peri-implantitis. This condition can worsen and cause the implant to detach from the gums. Also, the disease can lead to bone loss. You should contact your dentist if the area around your implant starts to bleed.

Avoid Abrasive Products

Avoid using toothpaste with abrasive ingredients, such as sodium fluoride, stannous fluoride, and baking soda. These substances can corrode the dental implant and irritate your tooth's soft tissue. Rinsing with an antibacterial mouthwash is effective at preventing tooth decay. However, mouthwash containing alcohol is terrible for your teeth. Alcohol leads to a dry mouth, which can impede your body's immunity against harmful bacteria.

Avoid Some Foods

You should avoid certain foods during the first few weeks after dental implant surgery. These foods include crunchy and hard foods like potato chips, candies, and nuts. Also, sticky foods like caramels or acidic ones like tomatoes and citrus fruits are bad for your teeth. Exerting too much pressure on your teeth when chewing can damage or dislodge your dental implant. 

Stick to soft foods like mashed potatoes, beans, eggs, chicken, fish, and bananas. However, you shouldn't worry since you can return to normal eating once your tooth heals. 

Quit Smoking

Apart from being detrimental to your health, smoking can adversely affect your dental implants. Nicotine restricts the proper blood flow to your gums. This condition will interfere with the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the gum tissues—your teeth will struggle to heal. Also, smoking affects osseointegration. This process allows the implants to fuse with the bone and surrounding tissues. Moreover, smoking compromises your immunity, putting you at risk of infections like periodontitis. These complications can lead to dental implant failure.

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6 December 2022

Dealing With Dental Dilemmas: Soft Teeth and Dental Care

Being born with naturally soft teeth, I've spent a lot of time in and out of the dentist's office. Not only have I learned a lot about basic dental care, I've also discovered many tips for dealing with broken teeth, extractions, implants, and more. I decided that I wanted to make the most of my experience by sharing what I've learned with others. True first-hand experience is a great teacher, and I knew that my story could help. I created this site to do just that, and I hope that the information here helps you to understand what to expect from your dental problems.