How to Maintain Proper Oral Care With Dental Implants

Now that you have dental implants in Downtown Toronto, how would you care for them? It is one thing to get dental implants; it’s another to care for them each day. Just like your teeth, dental implants require proper care daily to ensure they serve you as long as possible.

Dental implants are a fantastic tooth replacement; some would argue that no replacement comes close. However, they can easily fail and lead to infection (peri-implantitis), which would mean repeating the procedure or looking for an alternative.

It may seem that getting implants is the hard part, but remember, the procedure only takes minutes. Caring for the implant will take a long time and a lifetime if you are lucky.

How to Care for Implants

When you get tooth implants, you are simply replacing the missing teeth. In other words, you will still be getting a set of teeth that need care. Therefore, proper oral care with dental implants is key to the procedure’s success and the replacement’s longevity.

Oral care for dental implants looks like this:

• • Use a Soft-Bristled Toothbrush

Getting a toothbrush with hard bristles is always a bad idea. The toothbrush will damage your enamel and is bad for tooth implants. This is because hard-bristled toothbrushes will scratch the surface of your dental implants and cause irreversible damage.

Therefore, you have to purchase soft-bristled toothbrushes. You will need a soft nylon brush with pliable and gentle bristles that are very kind to the implant and still get the job done.

• • Steer Clear Of Abrasive Toothpaste

Most toothpaste brands will have an abrasive as part of the ingredients. The idea is to use abrasives to remove stains, plaque, and debris from the teeth. But toothpaste that has abrasives will damage the implants. So, you will need to choose a brand that has specialty low-abrasive toothpaste.

• • Floss Each Day

Flossing goes hand in hand with brushing your teeth. Your teeth have five surfaces; brushing covers three, so the other two can only be cleaned if you floss your teeth.

Food particles and plaque have a knack for getting stuck between the teeth, and you cannot rely on brushing alone.

Flossing becomes even more crucial when you have dental implants since plaque easily forms around implants.

So, ensure that you incorporate flossing into your daily oral routine. Also, get implant-friendly floss, ensuring you get the best results.

• • Cultivate a Good Oral Hygiene Routine

Brushing your teeth is a daily habit. You need to brush no less than twice each day; if possible, do it thrice daily. Flossing should accompany brushing, but you can do it once a day. Remember to use the appropriate dental equipment.

Also, we cannot forget that you must have proper flossing and brushing techniques to ensure your teeth are cleaned well.

You can also choose to get non-alcoholic mouthwash to keep bacteria at bay. Use it once a day; never use it as a substitute for brushing your teeth.

• • Eat the Appropriate Foods

Even though implants are sturdy, you will still need to take certain precautions to ensure you get the most out of them.

For instance, you should not eat hard foods that require a lot of force to crush. These foods can easily break the implant. Also, if you have implants, sticky foods might not be your best friend since they can adhere around the implant leading to plaque buildup.

Also, if you indulge in hot foods or beverages such as water or soups, your implant can lose its shape. So, avoiding these foods will be best since this will help in taking proper oral care with dental implants.

• • Get a Mouthguard

If you know you grind your teeth, you must get a custom mouthguard. The mouthguard will help protect your teeth and dental implants. Excessive force will permanently destroy your enamel and can break your implants.

• • Quit Smoking

Smoking is just bad for your health. Therefore, you can expect it to be harmful to your oral health. The chemicals in the cigarette cause inflammation around the gums, which could weaken the implant. If you quit smoking, you could save yourself from many health issues.

• • Visit Our Dentist Regularly

Regular trips to our dentist in Downtown Toronto are good for your oral health. Our dentist in Little Italy will be checking on issues that you might overlook. Plus, you can get your teeth cleaned and receive dental exams that are usually beneficial.

Contact us today at Rusholme Family Dentistry to talk to us if you have any more questions concerning dental implants in Downtown Toronto.