How to manage a dental implant; a long-term guide from our team in Melbourne

Once the buzz of having an oral implant fitted has worn off, you have to begin thinking about long-term maintenance; with proper care, an oral implant can last for the rest of your life.

But are the long-term guidelines for keeping an oral implant secure in your mouth so different from the immediate or short-term ones? Or are there different guidelines for long-term implant management?

Our team knows the answers to those queries and more. We have fitted hundreds of our patients with a dental implant in Melbourne and can offer advice on how to maintain these nifty restoratives in both the long-term and short-term, leading to all-around healthier and happier smiles! Perfect!

So, what are some of our team’s tips for maintaining a dental implant in Melbourne long-term?

Hygiene

Fitting hygiene around a dental implant in Melbourne is easy and is why they are so popular! To maintain your implants long-term, simply brush twice a day, floss to remove food debris and rinse with mouthwash to help keep gum disease at bay. If you notice any unusual swellings, contact our team for a check-up.

Check-ups

We all know that in a perfect world, everyone would attend dental check-ups twice a year. But in recent times, due to lockdowns and social distancing, it has been harder to attend surgeries for such basic assessments. And so, if you have oral implants and are longing for a check-up, we advise you to book one with us as soon as possible. Biannual checks are essential for your teeth and implants to stay in good shape and once all surgeries are open, you should continue to see our team at least twice a year.

Smoking and drinking

The lists of health issues linked to smoking and drinking are growing every day and sadly, your teeth and any implants you may have are not immune. Both addictions cause inflammation of the gums, have been linked to gum disease and also cause the gum line to recede and shrink; all of these are bad for natural teeth, let alone oral implants! If you have recently begun smoking or are drinking a bit more alcohol than you are happy with, both of these can shorten the lifespan of implants drastically, so we advise you to seek help from our team with smoking cessation if required.

Health and implants

It is important to note of course that once oral implants have been fitted, life goes on and as such, you may develop health disorders that are short-term or chronic.  Some of these may have a significant impact on your implants. If you have been recently diagnosed with diabetes, an auto-immune disorder (like lupus) or cancer, it is worth talking to our team and your doctor about how these ailments may impact your implants. An ailment like diabetes will rarely cause implants to fall out by itself, but our team may wish to just up your maintenance regime with some X-Rays and scans per check-up.

DISCLAIMER

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