Congratulations! You’ve made a worthwhile investment in your oral health and appearance by having an implant placed.
While your implant will not decay, you can still develop gingivitis and gum disease that results in bone loss if you don’t take care of your implant and overall oral health.
Always Do the Following:
- Brush your teeth with a narrow-head, soft-bristle toothbrush, which is better able to reach the crevices around your implant and clean between your implant and gums.
- We recommend using an electric toothbrush, such as a Philips Sonicare, for gentle, thorough brushing.
- Use nonabrasive toothpaste—this is safer to use on your implants than abrasive toothpaste but still provides the thorough cleaning and stimulation your gums need.
- Floss with unwaxed floss. We also recommend using a water flosser, such as a Waterpik with a Plaque Seeker tip, to carefully clean between your teeth. A water flosser will act as an antimicrobial, helping prevent buildup of harmful bacteria.
- Maintain regular dental cleanings and exams in our office. Doing so is critical to keeping your teeth healthy and allows us to examine your dental implant restoration
on routine basis.
Never Do the Following:
- Chew ice, eat very hard foods, or use your teeth as tools (as in trying to open or tear items with your teeth). You can break your implant crown just as you can break a natural tooth.
- Use toothpicks or any type of metal pick around the implant. Doing so could cause serious damage to your implant.
When to Call Us
If you experience any slight bleeding or inflammation of your gum tissue, use a warm salt-water rinse 3 to 4 times a day. If the issue doesn’t resolve in a few days, call our office.
Immediately report any excess bleeding or swelling around your implant area. It’s imperative that you notify us if you think you feel any movement in your tooth. We take great care to tighten the implant screw properly so that it doesn’t become loose. However, on very rare occasions, we have seen an implant screw loosen.
With proper care, your dental implants are designed to last a long time—more than 25 years. Please take care of them!
