Caring for Your Dental Implants

A thorough and conscientious program of oral hygiene is the single most effective way to protect the longevity of your dental implants.

Regular oral health visits as recommended by your dentists will detect minor problems before they develop into major concerns. Professional dental cleaning and implant maintenance by a hygienist at your recommended intervals is essential.

CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS

In general, care of your dental implants is much like the care you give your natural teeth. Those patients who enjoy the greatest success with implants are those who follow a program of immaculate plaque removal. These suggestions can help:

Brushing: When using a standard toothbrush, be sure to clean in and around all implant posts. Many people find that an electric toothbrush is easiest to use.

Flossing: When implants are not attached to adjacent teeth, you may floss implants as you do your natural teeth. However, several teeth may be attached together in an implant supported “bridge or bur”. In such cases, “floss threaders” or “Superfloss” are used to run floss under these areas for easy cleaning. Special “wide” floss may be recommended depending upon your individual implant structure.

Interproximal Brushes: While they are not a replacement for dental floss, these tiny dental brushes can offer additional help in cleaning hard to reach places.

Oral Irrigators: Can help in reducing bacterial plaque accumulation around both dental implants and natural teeth. A special mouth rinse may also be recommended.

Contact our office if you experience any of the following:

• Looseness in a dental implant
• Dull or sharp pain when chewing
• Swelling or redness in the gums surrounding the implant site(s)