Excited for the many benefits that come with dental implants? You are on your way to a restored smile that lasts a lifetime with the proper care. However, it takes some time for them to fuse into your jawbone. Taking the steps you need to ensure a smooth recovery can help protect your investment in your grin. While this tooth replacement option boasts a 98% success rate, you should avoid being among the 5% of people who experience them failing. Here is how you can keep your new teeth and oral health protected.
1.) Follow Proper Dental Hygiene
The bacteria in your mouth are still able to attack your dental implant. While they won’t cause cavities, the supporting tissues could be susceptible to infection. Your gums could become infected and cause periodontal disease. When left untreated, your jawbone could become weakened, affecting the stability of your tooth replacement.
Some good news is that the oral hygiene routine you should follow is simple! Just like caring for your natural teeth, brush twice and floss once a day. This will remove bacteria in your mouth and let your implant stay healthy. If you want to ensure you get as much as you can, then rinsing with an antibacterial mouthwash isn’t a bad idea.
2.) Be Mindful of Your Meals
Your diet can also influence whether your treatment fails. That’s because certain foods can either cause damage or increase your chances of gum disease. Tough items like hard candies and nuts put excess stress on your smile. This could damage the restoration that sits on top and your natural teeth.
Sweets can also pose a threat because of the sugar inside them. The bacteria in your mouth feed off it and produce harmful acid. If they are sticky, then they can even get stuck and cause problems.
3.) Stop Bad Habits
Similar to the hard foods above, chewing ice can also increase your risk of breaking your restoration and natural teeth. Another habit that you should break is smoking or chewing tobacco. Doing this can affect the production of saliva, leading to your mouth being dry. When this happens, it’s harder for you to wash away harmful bacteria. This lets bacteria linger around for longer and possibly infect your gums.
4.) Keep Up with Routine Visits
One of the best ways to ensure that your dental implants last a lifetime is to have consistent checkups with your dentist. They are trained to spot the signs that the tooth replacement is failing. By finding the problem, you can work with them and create a plan to prevent it.
Dental implants are known to be a reliable solution. By following these tips, you can keep them and your oral health in pristine condition. You will be able to have a happy smile that lasts for years to come.
About the Practice
At D&G Dental of West Orange, we want you to feel confident every time you flash your grin. We help you with this by replacing your missing teeth with a durable option. By choosing us for dental implants, you benefit from being able to stay in one office the entire time. You don’t have to work with another team you aren’t familiar with and stay in expert care you trust. If you want to learn more about how you can benefit from this tooth replacement option, schedule an appointment or call us at (973) 731-2200.