You have just invested a significant amount of time and money into your new dental implants, so it’s important to protect them so they last a lifetime.
By practising good oral hygiene you could avoid complications that may lead to implant failure. At Australia Fair Dental Care, we want you to keep your dental implants for a lifetime, which is why we stress the importance of a strict oral hygiene practice, even after receiving your new smile.
The three common reasons you may have lost your teeth are physical trauma, tooth decay/infection or gum disease. In most cases, tooth loss is a direct result of bad oral hygiene. If you don’t take care of your teeth, you may end up losing them.
The importance of dental implant care
Good oral hygiene is essential in caring for your new dental implants. It takes special effort to maximize plaque bacteria removal every day. Since an implant is biocompatible, the body easily accepts them and as such do not cause irritation. In addition, a dental implant isn’t susceptible to plaque and tooth decay. Although this is true, it is essential that you maintain a proper oral care routine to avoid tooth decay, cavities and gum disease. This is because your natural teeth surrounding the implant are still subject to cavities.
Regular dental visits and proper brushing and flossing techniques can help you keep your implants for life
For healthy teeth and implant success, you can’t rush your cleaning routine. Always make time for your oral care; two minutes to brush your teeth to remove the film of plaque bacteria and excess food particles, and try to floss at least once a day. When cleaning around your implant, be gentle while brushing in a circular motion and don’t forget to massage your gums with your toothbrush. Antibacterial toothpaste will also help to minimize plaque and bacteria from clinging to your teeth and around your mouth.
Flossing is a very important step in removing as much plaque bacteria as possible from between your teeth and around your implant as well as keeping your gums healthy. We also recommend investing in an interdental brush to get the hard to reach places that your toothbrush may miss.
Bad oral hygiene can lead to Mucosis and Peri-implantits
If oral hygiene is inadequate, bacteria can multiply on the surface of the implant to harmful levels. This can result in inflammation of the gums, also known as mucositis. If left untreated this can cause bone loss around the implant, leading to peri-implantitis.
Without proper care, you are also leaving yourself open to developing a problem known as peri-implantitis – a localised inflammation and infection near the implant sight. It can affect the surrounding teeth and cause bone loss, possibly implant failure. Peri-implantitis is similar in nature to periodontitis as both diseases are caused by similar bacteria. Like periodontitis, peri-implantitis leads to a breakdown of the jawbone. Here at Australia Fair Dental Care in Southport we firmly believe that preventive care is always the first defence against tooth decay and gum disease. If you want your dental implants to last a lifetime you need to take good care of your oral health, it really is as simple as that.