Caring for Your Dental Implants: Best Practices and Routine Maintenance

Are you about to get dental implants? You should be excited because implants complete your smile to help you eat, speak, and laugh with confidence. With dental implants, no more hiding your smile when in public or avoiding hard or chewy foods. Dental implants restore your smile’s function and aesthetics as if you have 100% natural teeth. What’s more, dental implants are designed to last for life! 

However, you should practice good dental care to reap the full benefits of implant-based restorations. Dr. Thelam Nguyen of Tansley Woods Dentistry explains the steps to care for your implants immediately after placement and in the long term. 

Immediate aftercare tips after implant surgery

Like any surgery, you should expect mild pain, swelling, and bruising after implant surgery, especially after the anesthesia wears off. We recommend over-the-counter medication and using a cold compress to manage pain. You should also refrain from strenuous activities for a few days. Until after about 24 hours, avoid hot and hard foods and refrain from disturbing the surgical site with your tongue or fingers. 

Actual Patients Before and After Results

47 year old female Dental Implants 5 months

Aftercare tips during healing

During healing (4-6 months), a biological process of osseointegration should occur to ensure your implant fuses with the jawbone. This is usually one of the critical steps in implant treatment, so you should observe the highest standard of care to prevent infections around the implant site.

These are steps to take to increase your implant success rate.

• Brush twice daily with a soft-bristled toothbrush: Within the first 24 hours, rinse your mouth with warm, salty water. However, after this period, you should brush your teeth twice daily to remove harmful bacteria. We recommend a nylon toothbrush because it has soft bristles that gently clean your implant site without disturbing the clot.
• Avoid abrasive products: Only use mouthwash or toothpaste as directed by your dentist. Avoid intense flavours like mint or cinnamon, which can cause extreme discomfort.
• Floss daily: Floss at least once daily, preferably before bedtime, to clean areas missed by your toothbrush. However, be careful around the implant site to avoid dislodging the clot.
• Avoid tobacco use: Quitting smoking is good for your overall health. However, now that you have implants, it’s crucial to shun tobacco products as they slow the healing rate and increase the implant failure rate.
• Adhere to your dental appointments: We’ll schedule follow-up visits to monitor your healing progress after implant surgery. Don’t miss these crucial appointments because they help us identify and rectify problems before it’s too late.

Peri-implantitis is the infection of the gums around the implant. Like gum disease, this infection occurs due to poor oral hygiene that causes plaque and tartar build-up. When bacteria are allowed to thrive around the implant, they spread to the surrounding bone, causing it to break down. Soon, your implant loses its attachment and fails to integrate with the bone. While implant failure can occur, the above care tips can minimize its occurrence by 99%. 

Implants care after healing

When dental implants are restored, caring for them is similar to caring for your natural teeth. Brush twice a day and floss daily. Also, wear a mouthguard during contact sports or at night if you grind your teeth. Finally, remember bi-annual dental appointments. 

Dental implant services in Burlington, Ontario

Want to learn more about dental implants? Please talk to Tansley Woods Dentistry at (289) 273-4289 to learn about the benefits, maintenance, and cost of implants. 

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