Today, periodontists in Mississauga and across Canada regard dental implants as the gold-standard in tooth replacement and restoration. Out of all tooth replacement methods, only dental implants begin in the jawbone, providing a complete and stable way to replace missing teeth from root to crown.
If you have dental implants, it’s important to remember how fortunate you are to be eating, talking, and smiling with completely new teeth. They make it possible to have a smile that looks, feels, and functions like natural teeth. Essentially, dental implants in Mississauga offer a second chance or a new lease on life, making it all the more important to properly care for your newly restored smile.
So, how do you take care of your dental implants? Check out these expert tips from our periodontists in Mississauga.
Why You Need to Take Care of Dental Implants
After dental implants are placed, a lot of people go back to their normal activities. And for the most part, that’s right. Unfortunately, for some, this means reverting to bad oral hygiene and care habits. And this is where things go wrong.
Dental implants may make it possible to completely restore your smile, but it doesn’t mean they’re immune to failing or oral health problems. Taking care of your dental implants helps ensure that they last decades and avoid inflammation, pain, bone loss, and peri-implantitis.
What is peri-implantitis?
For anyone who has a dental implant, peri-implantitis is likely their biggest fear. The risk of developing peri-implantitis is a cautionary tale that should encourage maintaining good oral hygiene and health habits to keep your newly restored teeth clean and your smile healthy.
Peri-implantitis is a condition that is essentially gum disease of dental implants. Due to poor oral hygiene and care habits, bacteria may accumulate in the gums, leading to a number of complications.
Similar to gum disease, the gum tissue in the affected area becomes red, inflamed, and sensitive to the touch. In addition, the gums may bleed while brushing or flossing and you may experience pain while eating. When left untreated, peri-implantitis may cause dental implants to fail and fall out.
How to Take Care of Dental Implants and Prevent Peri-Implantitis
Fortunately, peri-implantitis is preventable. All it requires is taking care of your dental implants and newly restored smile. Our periodontists recommend following these tips on properly caring for your dental implants so that you can avoid peri-implantitis and implant failure.
- Choose a soft-bristled toothbrush
- Floss everyday
- Don’t use abrasive products
- Skip hard and sticky foods
- Ice
- Caramel and other hard candies
- Carrots, apples, and dried fruits
- Hardshell tacos
- Chips
- Steak and other tough meats
- Breads with thick crusts, and more.
- Drink in moderation
- Don’t smoke
Is your current toothbrush up for the task of everyday brushing and caring for your new dental implants at home? If they’re not soft and gentle, but effective at cleaning, chances are, they’re not.
So, new dental implants, a new toothbrush—the kind that’s made with soft nylon bristles is best for daily brushing. A soft-bristled toothbrush is pliable, allowing a gentle but thorough cleaning every time you brush. If you’re still using a toothbrush with hard bristles, it’s time to get rid of them to avoid scratching the surface of your implants.
While most people brush their teeth at least twice a day, many others are guilty of skipping the second part of oral hygiene at home: flossing. Simply, you need to floss when you brush to get rid of food particles in between the teeth and along the gum line.
Flossing regularly is even more important now that you have dental implants. If you don’t floss, plaque will continue to build up around the implants, leading to periodontal problems, such as gum disease and damage to your teeth. Your periodontist may recommend a special type of floss designed for dental implants, allowing you to clean yours effectively.
Did you know that toothbrushes aren’t the only abrasive oral hygiene instruments? Aside from a hard-bristled toothbrush, your current toothpaste or mouthwash may also be abrasive and potentially damaging to your dental implants.
Instead, switch to sensitive cleaning products. This means a toothpaste and mouthwash without intense flavours, which can cause discomfort while cleaning your mouth.
Hard and sticky foods have never been good for anyone, even people with their natural teeth intact. All too often, these types of foods have been the culprit behind a chipped or fractured tooth, and worse, tooth loss.
And when you have dental implants, it’s all the more crucial to avoid them. The increased force you exert when biting down on them can damage your artificial tooth attached to the implant, as well as the implant itself.
Some examples of hard and sticky foods to avoid include:
Do you love a glass of wine or two? Wines and other types of alcoholic drinks are typically high in sugar content. From your childhood, you may recall being told to avoid eating and drinking too much sweets. These can leave a sticky layer of plaque on the surfaces of the teeth which, when not cleaned properly, can cause tooth decay.
When you have dental implants, it’s not much different. In addition to plaque, alcohol can also slow down healing after your dental implant surgery. This is why periodontists recommend avoiding alcohol for at least 6 months after your procedure. And even after, it’s best to limit consumption and make sure to clean your teeth and gums properly.
The truth is, you know that smoking is bad for your health. From tooth decay to cancer, there are a whole host of health problems attributed to smoking. When it comes to dental implants, smoking is known to slow down healing, as well as cause inflammation in the gum tissues around the implants and weaken them. Plus, smoking also tends to stain the teeth, including your new artificial replacements.
Complete Your Dental Implant Care with Advice from Our Periodontists
By now, you’re well aware that dental implants are practically magic, providing you with a new lease on life. They’re the key to restoring your smile long-term, and when taken care of, they can be very effective in ensuring a permanent replacement for missing teeth. However, these benefits are only possible when you realize the value of dental implants and take the necessary steps to care for them.
At Periodontal Associates, our team of highly trained periodontists in Mississauga are here for you throughout your tooth replacement journey. From your Mississauga dental implant procedure to regular check-ups and tips like the ones we shared above, we can help you maintain your newly restored smile and ensure that you enjoy all the benefits it provides.
Want to learn more about how to take care of your dental implants? Visit Periodontal Associates in Mississauga today.
