Dental implants represent a considerable investment of time, effort, and finances, so it only makes sense that you will want to do everything possible to keep your beautiful and functional prosthetic devices in great shape. Thankfully, implants require only the same oral hygiene and protective care as real teeth after they have fused with the jawbone. Here’s a brief guide to how you can help your new teeth stay healthy, strong, and beautiful for life.
Follow Your Dentist’s Postoperative Instructions
You can expect some temporary soreness after receiving dental implants, and most patients say this discomfort is far less than that of recovering after a tooth extraction. You can help ensure your healing process goes smoothly by adhering to your dentist’s aftercare instructions, which will probably include items like:
- Refraining from spitting or drinking through a straw while your implant is healing to prevent a painful condition called dry socket.
- Abstaining from foods that are hot, icy, sugary, acidic, chewy, or crunchy.
- Chewing on the side of the mouth opposite from the new implant.
- Taking care when flossing or brushing around the surgical site.
- Consuming plenty of protein, phosphorus, calcium, and vitamins C and D.
- Not smoking or consuming alcohol.
You can begin resuming your normal oral habits when your dentist clears you to do so.
Practice Excellent Oral Hygiene
Dental implants require the same oral hygiene as real teeth to stay healthy. Be sure to brush at least twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, using short, gentle, circular strokes. Take care to use gel-type toothpaste since normal varieties can be too abrasive. Flossing once a day is also crucial to remove plaque and food debris from between the teeth. Antibacterial mouthwash kills massive numbers of harmful oral germs and leaves breath minty fresh, so it’s best to use it once a day.
Protect Your Implants from Injury
Dental implants are incredibly durable, but they are not immune to injury. When playing sports or riding a bike, it’s important to wear an athletic mouthguard to protect your natural and artificial teeth from blows and falls. If you grind your teeth involuntarily in your sleep, you should wear a nightguard to prevent unnecessary dental wear. Your dentist can provide you with customized appliances like these that deliver superior protection.
Dental implants can also be damaged by bad habits like using your teeth to open bottles or packages or chewing on ice or inedible objects like pens and paperclips. Tobacco use and excessive alcohol consumption are also excellent ways to erode the health of the gum tissues your implants depend on for support. It’s best to kick habits like these to keep your implants in great shape.
About the Author
Dr. Frank Higginbottom earned his dental degree at the Baylor College of Dentistry and has played a key role in the development of dental implant technology. He is a proud member of the world-renowned International Team for Implantology and offers general, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry as well as dental implant services at his Dallas office. To learn more about keeping your implants healthy, contact his office online or dial (214) 827-1150.
