How Do I Keep My Dental Implants Intact?

After going through a dental implant procedure, you will want to make sure that your implant restoration lasts. Dental implants are strong and reliable, but there are still some instructions that you will have to follow during the recovery period and beyond to prevent complications and maintain the restoration of your implant.

During Your Recovery

The recovery period following your implant placement surgery is a critical time to ensure a sound long-term outcome. The primary concern is ensuring that your recovery goes smoothly and that any risk of infection is avoided.

During recovery, you should avoid any spicy, acidic, or hot foods and drinks, as these can irritate the implant site. Avoiding tough foods is also important throughout your recovery, and it is absolutely essential during the first day or two. You must also avoid sugary foods and drinks. Sugar promotes the growth of oral bacteria that can harm the site of implant placement and increase your risk of dental implant failure.

Keeping up with proper oral hygiene is essential to prevent infection. You will receive specific guidelines after your surgery to care for your mouth during recovery, which will likely include keeping up your regular brushing and flossing schedules while avoiding disturbing the impact site. A specific type of mouthwash is also a common instruction.

Maintaining Your Implant Restoration

After your recovery, there are still instructions you can and should follow to stay healthy and maintain your implant restoration. Gum disease is of particular concern, as it can lead to peri-implantitis, a condition that involves an infection of the gums and bone near the implant site that can cause a variety of complications.

Maintaining good oral hygiene, keeping up with routine visits, and avoiding excessive sugar can all help prevent gum disease. For the most part, there is no difference between how you prevent gum disease when living with natural teeth or with dental implants.

You will also need to take care of your implant restoration, which is the crown, bridge, or full arch replacement that replaces your missing teeth, as opposed to the titanium dental implants themselves. They attach to your dental implants and can wear down over time.

Additionally, as most implant restorations are porcelain, they require a bit of additional care. If you grind your teeth while you sleep, you will need to wear a mouthguard to protect them. You should also avoid extremely hot or cold beverages as well as particularly hard substances, such as popcorn kernels or ice, as they can all damage porcelain.

Get Off to a Good Start with Your Dental Implants

To ensure a good outcome and excellent long-term oral health, you will want dental implants that are carefully planned and placed by an experienced oral surgeon. SF Oral Surgery provides dental implants and other procedures for patients here in San Francisco. You can start your consultation to see if dental implants are right for you and to begin your journey through your personalized dental implant treatment plan.