Dental implants can revolutionise your smile and replace as many as a whole jaw’s worth of missing teeth – helping patients feel confident and ready to live their lives to the fullest again.
But, just like all dental treatments, successful tooth replacement comes only with successful aftercare and maintenance.
So what do you need to be aware of about the long-term care and maintenance of dental implants?
Why do dental implants need careful maintenance?
Simply put, without careful maintenance and good dental hygiene, dental implants can fail.
The biggest nemesis of dental implants is gum disease, or periodontitis – which can cause the tissues and bone around the dental implants to weaken, leading to implant failure.
What are the main challenges of dental implants?
In order to help your dental implants last as long as they possibly can, you should avoid falling foul of these common challenges to dental implants.
- Thinking that dental implants don’t need further appointments – Skipping maintenance appointments
Although dental implant treatments can be advertised as smile in a day, there will be a series of regular check-ups that you must attend.
These appointments will check that your:
- Dental implants are fusing well with the jawbone, called osseointegration.
- Soft tissues are healing well
- Prosthesis fits and functions well
As such, skipping these appointments can lead to problems in one of the three key areas.
- Lax brushing – Neglecting your dental hygiene
Just as our natural teeth need careful attention to ensure they last a lifetime, so do dental implants.
Some patients mistakenly assume that because the structures of the teeth have been swapped for hardwearing metals and ceramics they are no longer susceptible to decay and disease.
Carefully removing food particles and bacterial build-up with brushing and flossing will vastly reduce the chances of gum disease developing and keep your gums and teeth strong and healthy.
- Smoking – Increasing your chances of infection
All patients will be advised to stop smoking in the run-up to their dental implant procedure because of the health effects that accompany nicotine and tobacco use.
Smoking causes gum issue blood vessels to constrict, limiting the supply of essentials like blood, oxygen, and other nutrients to the gum and jawbone.
This can reduce healing potential and increase the chances of infection – another major factor that can mean implants can fail.
How to care for dental implants successfully – our top tips!
- Attend all appointments – pre- and post-dental implant treatment to ensure your mouth is healthy and healing well.
- Pay attention to your oral health – patients should ensure they are brushing at least twice daily and flossing once.
- Stop smoking
- Choose a trusted provider – there may be many providers looking for your custom, but you should choose someone who has the experience to fit your dental implants in London competently without issue.
No matter who you choose for your dental implants, in London or beyond, be sure to discuss aftercare and how to maintain your dental implants after your procedure is completed.
That way, you ensure the greatest chance of success and a long-lasting smile.
David Prior
David Prior is the editor of Today News, responsible for the overall editorial strategy. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with over 20 years’ experience, and is also editor of the award-winning hyperlocal news title Altrincham Today. His LinkedIn profile is here.
