AFTERCARE.

Aftercare

Dental implants can last a lifetime when they are maintained with good oral hygiene at home and regular maintenance with your dental health care provider.

Good oral hygiene is required for caring for your mouth and gums as these are what hold your implants in place. If do not make properly this, the gums surrounding the implants can develop a buildup of bacteria and, even worse, infection. Infection can jcause a risk for the bone tissue surrounding the implant, which can cause you to lose the implant altogether.

 If you are you getting dental implants, you should pay attention the followings:

-Avoid Hard & Sticky Foods

Eating these kind of foods may cause damage to your implants. Some foods you should avoid after getting implants are ice, caramel etc. By avoiding these foods, your dental implants will stay healthy.

-Avoid Smoking and Alcohol

Your dental implants healing take about 6 months, so smoking during this time period can be particularly harmful. Also, drinking alcohol causes slowing down the healing process of dental implants, so this should be avoided as much as possible.

-Schedule Regular Visits to the Dentist 

Depending on your oral health, it is advised to visit your dentist at least twice per year. With proper care and regular visits to the dentist, your dental implants can last a lifetime.

How to provide the best implant care at home?

*For single implants

• Clean at least twice a day with a soft nylon toothbrush
• Avoid abrasive toothpaste or mouthwash
• Brush under and around the implant crown
• Floss daily
• Use a recommended dental water jet, water pick or oral irrigator

*For overdentures

• Remove denture daily and soak in specific cleaner for recommended time
• Check locator caps and clips and inform your dentist if worn or missing
• Gently brush the underside of the denture with a denture brush
• Rinse overdenture thoroughly with water before placing it into your mouth

Water Pik

A Waterpik is a brand of water flosser or oral irrigator that sprays water to remove food from between your teeth. Dental implants may often be difficult to clean because of their lack of accessibility. A high pressure water jet is very effective to remove bacteria and plaque. A video instruction is shown here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17ESWHwrE-8 Instead of using the Water Pik over the sink, consider using it in the shower. Add a cap full of mouthwash to the water unit for additional antibacterial effectiveness. There are specialised heads to more effectively clean implants. A Water Pik does not replcace mechanical brushing. Please do not forget to brush around the implant fixtures twice a day, but you can use the water pik before or after.