If you’re thinking about investing in dental implants or have done so already then you’re going to want to do all you can to make sure your investment holds up, hopefully forever. Dental implants St Albans have the potential to last a lifetime, but only if they are cared for correctly by the patient. If you’ve been wondering what steps you need to take then this article will cover all the basics on implant aftercare both in the long and short term.

Immediate aftercare

When you have had dental implants put into your gums, you will need to be careful so that you benefit from your implants after they heal completely. You will likely be asked to follow specific instructions by your westerville dentist, should that be where you’re based. In the immediate period after receiving your dental implants, you want to just make sure that you aren’t doing anything that’s going to aggravate the surgical site. This can include excessive exercise, saunas and sun beds or even just touching the area a lot, even though it’s tempting when it’s sore. You also want to avoid any foods that are tricky to chew like toffee, hard breads and extra crunchy vegetables. Especially for the first few days, the softer the things you are consuming the better, so lots of yoghurt and ice cream.

Long-term aftercare

One of the biggest issues with dental implants is that people don’t commit to taking care of them properly, and what is being discussed here is really committing to excellent oral hygiene every single day. Although lots of people start out taking excellent care of their new teeth directly after a procedure the temptation to let things slip does take hold and people fall back to bad habits.

Why is oral hygiene so important?

Dental implants are at risk of failing due to something called peri-implantitis which is essentially the exact same thing that happens to natural teeth when they succumb to gum disease. And, what’s more, it happens for the same reasons as gum disease…poor oral hygiene. When the bacteria builds up around the implant it causes infection which will eventually lead to the implant being rejected by the body. The way this can be avoided is by ensuring build up of plaque and tartar doesn’t happen and this is achieved by a thorough dental hygiene regime.

What is good oral hygiene?

Oral hygieneis necessary, regardless of whether it is after surgery or not. Good oral hygiene really doesn’t need to be complicated or particularly time consuming, but it does need to be done well and consistently. Here are some basic guides on what you should be doing.

Brush every day twice a day for at least two whole minutes. If you’re unsure how long two minutes is, start by setting a timer to get in the habit! Two minutes is much longer than you think. Make sure you are spending equal amounts of time on all areas of the teeth and don’t neglect your tongue and gums as this is where all the germs are lurking.

Flossing isn’t optional. Flossing is still a greatly unused resource, people don’t like doing it, they think it’s boring and time consuming and both those points are heard. But what’s more boring and time consuming and actually devastating, is having your very expensive implants fall out because you’ve not taken care of your teeth.

Attend regular check-ups, your dental implants being fitted isn’t the end of the journey. You need to keep seeing your dentist for check-ups, you never know what could be going on.