How to Care for and Maintain Dental Implants

Among the many options available nowadays to replace missing teeth, dental implants are undoubtedly one of the best. Essentially dental implants replace both the lost teeth as well as its roots with artificial alternatives, providing a replacement that looks and feels entirely natural.

One thing that you should know about dental implants is that they can last a very long time – possibly even your entire lifetime. The only caveat is that in order for that to happen you need to care for and maintain them properly, though that isn’t as complicated as you might think.

A big part of the care of dental implants involves cleaning them regularly and thoroughly. The good news is that in the majority of cases that requires nothing more than normal dental hygiene – including brushing and flossing regularly. Nowadays there are special types of dental floss designed to be used to clean dental implants, and you should ask your dentist for recommendations.

It is important to only use toothbrushes and dental floss when cleaning however, as any sharp or hard implements could scratch the surface of the implants and damage them permanently. If that happens then bacteria will thrive in the damaged surface, and it could even lead to a gum infection.

Of course if you do have implants it is also recommended that you stick to your regular dental appointments – at least twice a year. During these appointments your dentist can inspect your implant for any damage, and also take a look at the surrounding tissue for any signs of infection.

It is worth noting that there are several other risk factors that could affect the care and maintenance of your dental implants – such as smoking and drinking. Both of these activities are generally bad for your dental hygiene, and particularly bad for implants and the surrounding tissue. In fact if you’re a heavy drinker or smoker your dentist may not want to run the risk of placing implants in the first place, as the risk of infection and possible rejection during the healing stage will be high.

All in all however it should be clear that dental implants don’t require any ‘special’ care outside of the normal recommended dental hygiene routines. Assuming you already carry those out then you should have little or nothing to worry about – especially seeing as any issues are likely to be picked up early on during your regular checkup.

Of course if you do have any queries or want to know how to improve your dental cleaning habits you could ask a dentist at dental implants Surrey for advice. At the end of the day it makes sense to keep your dental implants in good condition, so that they last as long as possible.