Congratulations on replacing your missing teeth with durable, natural looking dental implants! Now that you’ve restored your healthy, beautiful smile, it’s important to take care of it so that your results last a lifetime. Here are five important dos and don’ts when dealing with dental implants, so you can enjoy your gorgeous, healthy grin for years to come!
Do Brush and Floss Regularly
Whether you have one dental implant or an entire mouthful, brushing twice a day and flossing daily is still necessary for protecting your smile. By doing so, you’ll avoid cavities in your real teeth, and build-up and stains in both your natural and false ones, too. Furthermore, you can also reduce your risk of gum disease, which not only can encourage even more tooth loss, but it can even lead to a condition called peri-implantitis, which is the leading cause of dental implant failure.
Do Find the Right Tool for the Job
While it can be a hassle to go digging through the junk drawer for scissors or a box cutter to open stubborn packaging, the few extra seconds it could take to locate the right tool could save your smile. Never use your teeth in lieu of an appropriate instrument, as it could loosen your dental implants, break the restorations, and even damage your remaining natural teeth, meaning those few seconds of saved time could ultimately cost you time, money, and your smile.
Don’t Use Whitening Products
While OTC whitening products can sometimes make your teeth look a little bit whiter after months of use, they generally don’t achieve the kind of results you can get from professional treatment. Worse still, not only are they barely effective on real teeth, but they simply don’t work on prosthetics. You see, they “work” by infiltrating the tiny pores in your enamel to break up stains trapped within. However, because dental implants don’t have pores, this won’t work, and could even damage the finish on your false teeth. Thus, if your restorations look a little lackluster, speak to your dentist about having them deep cleaned, re-shaded, or replaced. That way, it can be done safely and effectively.
Do Quit Bad Habits
Do you smoke, vape, chew tobacco, or have any other bad oral habits that could put your smile at risk? If so, it is important that you quit. Not only do these types of products leave behind gross residue on your teeth, but they can also dry out your mouth and increase your risk of gum disease. This in turn can lead to dental implant failure and even oral cancer, which can be fatal.
Do Visit Your Dentist Regularly
Even if you have no remaining natural teeth, it is still important to visit your dentist every six months for your regular checkups and cleanings. Not only will your hygienist get your dental implants sparkly white so they look and feel great, but your dentist can also screen you for dangerous oral health problems like gum disease and oral cancer. They can also spot warning signs of dental implant failure, and even give you tips and advice about how to care for your smile with your new restorations.
Remember, rebuilding your smile with dental implants is an excellent way to restore your confidence while giving you back the ability to enjoy a variety of nutritious, delicious foods. It can even help safeguard your oral and overall health- but you’ll need to do your part to make your restorations last a lifetime. Thus, follow these dos and don’ts and you’ll have plenty of reasons to smile for years to come!
About Dr. Skupny
Dr. Jeffrey Skupny is pleased to help patients restore their healthy, beautiful smiles with the help of durable, lifelike dental implants. Educated right here in Florida at Florida State University and the University of Florida College of Dentistry, he has since graduating taken numerous courses in dental implants at prestigious organizations such as Spear Education, the Dawson Academy, and the Misch International Implant Institute. Additionally, he is a proud, active member of the Academy of General Dentistry, the International Team for Implantology, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, as well as a Diplomate in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. To schedule an appointment for dental implants at Island Coast Dentistry, visit our website or call us today at 239-261-5566.