Do dental implants require special care?

Dental implants have numerous advantages when compared to traditional tooth replacement options, including their convenience. Dental implants require minimal care beyond good oral hygiene habits, and they can fit easily into your daily routine. However, just as is true of your biological teeth, it’s important to maintain your oral health to maximize the lifespan of your dental implants.

Daily Care Of Your Dental Implants

Dental implants stand alone, much in the same way the biological teeth do. After the oral surgeon inserts them into the jaw, the dental implants are osseointegrated. That means that the surrounding bone tissue fuses with them and leaves them as a fixture in the mouth.

After osseointegration is complete, the implants can support any type of prosthetic appliance. In the case of an implant-supported single crown, there is no structure that restricts access to the gumline, so you don’t need to use any special tools to floss.

To care for your dental implants (and your remaining natural teeth, for that matter), it’s important to practice good oral hygiene habits. Brush your teeth twice each day for two minutes at a time and floss daily to keep your gumline clean and eliminate bacteria in the area. If you have an implant-supported denture, you will get training on how to keep the gumline clean underneath the appliance. Talk to your oral surgeon to get more specific directions about maintaining your oral health after dental implant placement.

Maximizing Dental Implant Longevity

Oral hygiene takes on the utmost importance when you have dental implants, as uncontrolled oral diseases, such as gum disease, can compromise the integrity of the bone and contribute to premature dental implant failure. So, although dental implants don’t require much care beyond standard oral hygiene practices, it’s essential that you commit to such a routine in order to get the years that you expect from your dental implants.

To learn more about the many benefits of dental implants, including how convenient it is to maintain them, contact the office of Dr. Robert Peak today to schedule a consultation.