Dental implants are no less than a blessing for people who lost their teeth due to any reason, stretching from periodontal disease & cavities to an accident or excessive smoking. These implants revive the patient’s oral functionality and appearance, offering a similar experience to the original teeth. Though these replacement teeth usually show successful results, 5-10% of failure cases are due to poor oral care. Thus, after getting this treatment done, it’s time to keep them in the optimal state with a proper maintenance routine. If not, you might have to undergo these rather expensive and uncomfortable procedures again.
If you are among those who have recently implanted one or more teeth, here is the maintenance routine that will ensure the longevity of your implants and keep up with your dental well-being.
Practice Patience During The Healing Process
Following your procedure, in the next 24 hours, you will experience displeasure due to the swelling. This time, you must be extremely gentle with your teeth and follow these tips to lower the pain:
Take rest for up to 12 hours without traveling, moving here & there, and keeping your head above.
Use an ice pack on your cheeks where the new teeth have been implanted.
Avoid hard food and try to consume more juices or beverages.
Be gentle while performing your oral care routine.
Avoid Smoking
People who smoke are likely to have far more oral health issues than those who do not, despite having undergone dental crowns, dental implants, or teeth veneers.
In fact, it has been found in a study by the National Library of Medicine that the dental implant success rate declines significantly with smoking. Here’s how:
You will suffer more during the post-surgery healing period if you smoke, as the blood flow to the gums and jawbone can be restricted. It also is a hindrance in the proper fusion of the implant to the jawbone.
Nicotine directly impacts the bone’s degradation, which further results in a weaker bone-implant bond.
Smoking is known to cause gum diseases like peri-implantitis (infected and inflamed tissues around the implant) and periodontal. Along with that, it also lowers our body’s immunity to fight against these issues, leading to implant failure.
Follow A Gentle Oral Hygiene Routine
Keeping up with an effective dental care regime is essential to avoid a number of oral health issues. Here is what you must practice every day.
Brush your teeth twice a day, at least for two minutes, to keep bacteria and plaque away from your mouth.
Make sure you are flossing your teeth once a day and use an antibacterial mouthwash to freshen up your breathing.
Choose a good brush with not-so-soft or hard bristles.
Be Mindful of Your Food Choices
You must be cautious that chewing certain foods can damage or reduce the longevity of your newly implanted teeth. Usually, hard and sticky eatables are on the top of the list of being damaging to your teeth. Here are some of the examples of the foods you better stay away from:
Hard dry fruits
Hardshell tacos
Fruits like apples and coconut
Brittle candies
Veggies like carrots
Ice
Besides these, your dentist can also advise you on an appropriate diet according to your specific dental procedure.
Dental Checkups
Regular dental checkups are paramount whether you have undergone a cosmetic treatment like teeth veneers or a restorative & surgical treatment like a dental implant.
In these checkups, the doctors will inspect the signs of dental issues in your implanted teeth and the surrounding area. This will ensure that the degradation of the implants is retained at an early stage to avoid the need for a serious and lengthy treatment process again. It will also save you money in the long run.
Wrapping Up
Filling the gap for your lost teeth with a dental implant returns your functionality, oral appeal, and confidence. But to preserve these perks for longer, you are supposed to put some effort into maintaining them. From the healing process to choosing the right food to eat, every decision counts to degrade or upgrade your implant’s life. So, follow the above-given tips and save your oral health and money!
