How do I take care of my dental implant?

A dental implant Melbourne is an excellent way to address the loss of a tooth. However, once you have your implant fitted and you’re left to carry on, it can be a daunting prospect to look after your new tooth, especially when you think about the fact you’ve already lost one previously. At High Dental Implants we’ve put together the best guide to taking care of your tooth investment so you can feel its benefit for years and years to come.

How do you best look after a dental implant Melbourne?

It’s just as important to take care of your implant as it is to take care of your remaining natural teeth. You need to make sure you are getting to the surface of the implants with toothpaste and using a soft bristle brush. We would recommend brushing all of your teeth a minimum of twice daily, or after every meal.

It’s important that when you are cleaning your teeth that you don’t just make a habit of brushing, but also remember to floss and use interdental brushes. Flossing and using interdental brushes provides the best way to get to the areas of the mouth that are hard to reach, but easy to trap germs and bacteria in. Most gum disease and tooth decay begins with germs building up around the gum line. The daily use of flossing and interdental brushing will guard against the starting of nasty infections and bacteria build-up. If you were to develop gum disease around your dental implant you could seriously risk losing it.

It might be obvious, but if you are continuing to smoke after having your dental implant Melbourne fitted you really need to try and stop. Smoking decreases the amount of saliva that is produced in your mouth and causes you to be more susceptible to infection. It’s been reported that half of those with gum disease are people who smoke cigarettes. There is clearly a very strong link between gum disease and smoking and as we’ve already said, gum disease can have major negative consequences to your implant.

Make sure you are visiting our dental practice for regular check-ups. We totally understand that once you’ve had your treatment done you don’t want to keep coming back to the dentist, however, it’s really important to keep being seen by a professional. Gum disease can start easily and quickly and often without you noticing it’s begun. Coming to the practice will make sure any issues are caught and dealt with quickly.

If you are someone who has a history of tooth grinding this can lead to your teeth becoming cracked or chipped. You may not be aware that you are teeth grinding as it frequently happens at night. Dental implants are even more likely to become damaged through teeth grinding and so you need to keep them protected. There are lots of options to wear at night to stop tooth grinding. If tooth grinding is an issue for you, speak to our dentist about it.

All treatment carries risks. Individual consultation is required with one of our practitioners to ensure that the treatment is right for you.