If you’re ready to invest in dental implants, it’s important to know how to properly care for them once your treatment is concluded. Dental implants don’t need special maintenance outside of your normal hygiene routine, but there are additional steps dentists recommend you can take in your everyday life. Knowing exactly how to care for your dental implants and your smile can help ensure the longevity of your investment.
Brush and Floss Daily
Brushing and flossing your teeth every day is how you remove the bacterial plaque from your teeth. If oral hygiene is neglected, plaque hardens into tartar and releases dangerous toxins that lead to gum disease. Especially when you have dental implants, not maintaining good oral hygiene can lead to peri-implantitis, a condition like gum disease where bacteria infect the gum tissues and bone surrounding a dental implant. Brush twice daily with a soft-bristle toothbrush and nonabrasive toothpaste and floss once a day to help ensure you don’t experience dental implant failure!
Eat a Nutritious Diet
Consuming a well-balanced diet helps provide your body and mouth with the nutrients to remain healthy, in addition to helping boost your immune system. A healthy diet includes foods rich in vitamins and minerals, proteins, fiber, and calcium, with limited sugars, carbs, and starches. Within your diet, it’s recommended that you also avoid hard and sticky foods so as not to harm your dental implants. Though rare, there is always a risk your dental implant can become damaged when biting and chewing these types of foods.
Minimize or Quit Smoking
Numerous scientific studies provide evidence for a link between smoking and an increased risk for periodontal disease. Nicotine in cigarettes reduces blood flow to the soft tissues and weakens the immune system. This makes it more difficult for the body to heal after surgery and for the bone and implant to integrate. Cigarette smoke can also burn tissues inside the mouth and block salivary glands, increasing the risk for dry mouth and the development of gum disease.
Visit a Periodontist Regularly
Routine visits to the dentist or periodontist are an easy way to ensure your dental implants and smile are in good health. Dr. Lauren Anderson, a board-certified periodontist, recommends preventive appointments after dental implant treatment. As an expert in dental implants, she has the expertise to catch problems or symptoms early and provide personalized treatment to restore your periodontal health. She holds active memberships in numerous organizations, including the American Academy of Periodontology (Diplomate) and the American Dental Association, to ensure her care is personalized, efficient, and cutting-edge.
Schedule Your Consultation
If you’re interested in dental implants or are concerned you may have peri-implantitis, contact Dr. Lauren Anderson at Anderson Periodontal Wellness today by scheduling your consultation today in our office in Bloomfield Hills, MI, (248) 480-4910
