Everyone loves a beautiful, pearly white smile—that’s probably one of the reasons you chose to restore it with dental implants.
Now that you’ve made that investment in your smile, it’s time to keep your dental implants clean and healthy. That’s why our Canton dentists have developed this guide so you can learn to keep your dental implants clean.
Read on to learn how to keep your dental implants clean and healthy.
Why It’s Important To Keep Dental Implants Clean
Dental implants are the main treatment for missing teeth. They’re generally more preferred than dentures or bridges because they’re permanent, offer the best value for money, and are the closest you can get to replacing your natural teeth.
Our Canton dentists recommend keeping your dental implants clean for the following reasons:
- Cleaning prevents bad breath: Food particles can find their way into spaces in between your teeth and your implants. If not cleaned, bacteria can decompose them. This can lead to a foul smell.
- Cleaning prevents dental implant failure: Dental implant failure is quite common when you don’t take care of your dental implants appropriately. An implant failure begins when gum disease starts taking over. That’s why you should regularly visit your dentists for routine dental cleanings for your dental implants in Canton.
- Cleaning prevents gum disease: Not getting your dental implants cleaned can lead to gum disease. Poor dental implant hygiene can cause your gums to become inflamed, bleed, and can ultimately cause them to shrink away from the base of your dental implant.
How To Care for Your Dental Implants and Improve Their Longevity
Now, let’s take a look at some of the best ways to keep your dental implants clean. It all comes down to good oral hygiene and regular dental checkups. Remember, consistency is key!
1. Limit Alcohol Consumption
It’s best to reduce or avoid alcohol entirely to keep your dental implants clean and healthy. Alcohol dehydrates your system. To compensate for that, the blood vessels in your gums dilate and cause inflammation around the gums holding your dental implants in place.
Beyond that, this exposes the gums to the risk of infections, bone loss, tooth decay, and much more. In addition, the sugar content in alcohol is very high and this can speed up the accumulation of plaque all over your dental implants. Hence, alcohol is problematic for dental implants, so either reduce your intake drastically or stop drinking it entirely.
2. Stop Smoking and Quit Using Tobacco
Smoking and dental implants are incompatible. Chewing tobacco products and smoking can leave horrible stains on your teeth and likewise on your dental implants. In addition, smoking slows down the post-dental implant surgery recovery process.
Beyond that, tobacco products can progressively cause bone loss. Hence, the bone structure holding your dental implants in place starts degenerating which can impact the fixture of your dental implant.
To make matters worse, smoking and tobacco products can increase your risk of infection, gum disease, and cavities.
3. Start Scheduling Routine Oral Exams and Dental Cleanings
The simple tip here is to care for your dental implants the same way you would care for your natural teeth. Continue to brush and floss normally. Most importantly, go for routine dental visits. At Contemporary Dentistry, we make dental cleaning a comfortable experience. Feel free to schedule a dental implant consultation in Canton.
Regular dental checkups are not only important for the health of your implants, but also for your overall oral health. Our dentists in Canton will regularly check your implants to make sure there are no signs of peri-implantitis or any sort of damage to your implants.
In addition, professional dental cleanings are key to maintaining the health of your dental implants. Make sure to schedule professional teeth cleanings at least twice a year. This will enable your dentist to clean your implants and teeth and free them from any food particles or stains that may cause gum disease.
Keep Your Dental Implants Clean in Canton, MI
Keeping your dental implants clean and healthy all comes down to your dental hygiene and dental checkups. At Contemporary Dentistry, our dentists in Canton and the entire dental team are always ready to help you. Feel free to schedule an appointment for dental implant cleaning and dental implant surgery in Canton.
