If you have recently gotten dental implants to either replace decaying teeth or to fill in the gaps, you may be wondering if there is anything special you need to do to take care of them. If so, there are a couple of changes that you will need to make in your oral hygiene routine to ensure that your implants are not damaged or moved.
1. Change the Tools You Use to Brush Your Teeth
While the basic parts of your oral hygiene routine will still include brushing your teeth, there are a couple of changes that you may need to make with the tools that you use to do so. If you continue to use your medium- to hard-bristled brush, as well as an abrasive or whitening toothpaste, you may create micro-scratches on the surface of the implants that can dull the color and collect food particles and bacteria.
Instead of using what you have been for brushing your teeth, switch to a soft-bristled toothbrush with a round head. The round head easily brushes the areas inside the gaps and is gentler on the bottoms of the implants where you need to concentrate on.
For your toothpaste, select a regular gel or paste that does not contain any abrasive materials. You can ask your dentist for recommendations that do well when used on implants.
2. Revise the Way You Floss Around the Implants
Another change you will need to make while caring for your implants is the way you floss around them. You are most likely used to pulling straight up on the floss after you are done cleaning the gaps between your teeth. However, doing so could cause the floss to catch on the bottoms of the implants and move or dislodge them.
After you are finished flossing, pull the string straight out instead of up to avoid tugging on the implants. If you are nervous about using floss, using a water pick can be just as effective as using dental floss to clean the hidden areas between the teeth. You can even add mouthwash or salt water to the system to add more cleaning power.
Making a couple of changes in the way you take care of your oral hygiene can help keep your implants intact and damage-free so that they will last a long time. For more information about taking care of your new dental implants, speak with a dentist who can give you personalized guidance.
Share8 November 2019
Hi, my name is Kevin Nelson and I want to tell you about my experience. I had a painful tooth so I went to see my dentist. After the examination, he said that I needed to have a root canal to save the tooth. I told the dentist to just pull the tooth instead and then he explained why that wasn't a good idea. He said that pulling the tooth would cause additional problems and then he told me what could happen. I didn't want any more problems, so the dentist did the root canal and I'm glad that he did. I wanted to write a blog to tell others about the benefits of a root canal and what to expect during the procedure. I hope that by getting the word out, other people won't make the same mistake that I almost did by getting a perfectly good tooth pulled.