With the correct care, your dental implants can be a very long term asset for you and hopefully a permanent one. But you can help to make sure of this. Here are 10 simple things that you can do to help prolong the life of your implants.
1 Follow your dentist’s advice after your surgery
When you have your dental implant surgery, your dentist will give you instructions about how to take care of your implants in the following days and weeks. It is important that you follow these instructions to allow your implant/s to heal properly.
2 Brush your teeth twice a day
Brushing your teeth regularly will help to prevent a build-up of plaque and bacteria around your dental implants. This is important because, if bacteria are allowed to build up, they can cause an infection which could eventually lead to the loss of your dental implants.
3 Use interdental brushes
Interdental brushes can be used to remove any build-up of plaque and debris around the sides of your dental implants. Like brushing your teeth, this will help to reduce the risk of infection, which will reduce the risk to your dental implants.
4 Use mouthwash
When used in combination with brushing your teeth regularly, mouthwash can help to remove any bacteria that have built up around your dental implants. This, again, helps to prevent the risk of infection and, therefore, of losing your dental implants.
5 Visit your dentist regularly
If you visit your dentist regularly, they will be able to keep an eye on the health of your dental implants, and identify any potential problems before they become serious. Remember – your dentist will be able to see things that you can’t.
6 Stop smoking
Smoking is one of the main causes of problems with dental implants. Therefore, stopping smoking will help to prolong their life. Why? Because smoking inhibits oxygen in your bloodstream, which you need to help the healing process. Ongoing, smoking also encourages the build up of plaque, which commonly leads to gum disease.
7 Restrict your alcohol intake, especially in the early days
Alcohol thins the blood and stops your blood from clotting. It also causes the soft tissue in your mouth to dry out. Both of these will delay healing.
8 Seek help if you grind your teeth (bruxism)
If you grind your teeth, you are submitting your dental implants to the same damage that bruxism causes to natural teeth, so ask your dentist to help you with this.
9 Don’t use your teeth as a tool!
Opening bottles or plastic containers with your teeth can cause damage equally to your crowns as to your natural teeth. Whilst your dentist can sometimes repair a crown, you could leave yourself having to pay a more expensive sum of money to have a replacement.
10 Keep as healthy as you can
Some medical conditions may threaten the lifespan of your implants, so ask your dentist about this so that you can receive the right guidance for your own situation.
