How Do You Care for Dental Implants?

Dental implants can last a lifetime when you practice good oral hygiene. That’s why it’s important that you continue to brush and floss your teeth every day.

Taking care of your smile and adopting other healthy habits will help you maintain good oral health. Also, your dental implants will have a much higher rate of success when the rest of the mouth is healthy.

Here’s what you need to do to take care of your dental implants.

Brush Your Teeth Twice Daily for 2 Minutes

According to the American Dental Association, you should brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride occurs naturally and has long been recognized for its oral health benefits. In fact, many municipalities have fluoridated drinking water to help reduce cavities.

Make sure you brush for 2 minutes so you have enough time to clean all teeth, including dental implants. If you always brush your teeth with one foot out the door, you could be leaving behind plaque on back teeth that are harder to reach. It’s not uncommon for people to develop cavities in back teeth when they rush.

Floss Your Teeth Once Daily

Plaque loves to hide where toothbrush bristles can’t reach, whether it’s on your natural teeth or dental implants. That’s why it’s so important you floss once a day to remove plaque hiding in between teeth and along the gum line. Flossing helps prevent cavities from forming in between teeth so you can avoid an unpleasant surprise during your next teeth cleaning and oral examination with us.

Use Fluoride Mouth Rinse Once Daily

If you have a mix of dental implants and natural teeth, we recommend using a fluoride mouth rinse to help strengthen your tooth enamel. Using mouth rinse helps wash away any residual plaque or food particles that could be left behind after brushing and flossing. Our dental implant dentist can help you choose a brand that works for you.

Limit Sweets

Do your teeth ever feel fuzzy or rough? If so, you may be leaving behind dental plaque on your teeth. Plaque loves to eat sugar and uses it to produce cavity-causing acid. You may especially feel plaque on your teeth after eating sugary foods.

Be sure to check labels in the store since many foods we think are “healthy” aren’t good for your teeth. For example, some flavors of yogurt can have a lot of sugar. Likewise, sports drinks often contain more sugar than the average person would think. Limiting sugary foods and drinks will make it easier for you to avoid oral health issues.

Related: The Best Foods for Healthy Teeth >>

Don’t Use Tobacco Products

People who smoke are not the best candidates for the dental implant procedure. It’s important to understand that there’s a connection between your oral health and the rest of your body.

When you smoke, you increase the risk of the tooth implant not fusing properly to your jawbone. People who smoke may also heal more slowly after the dental implant procedure.

Once the dental implants have successfully fused with your jawbone, you’ll still need to stay away from tobacco to keep your dental implants in good shape for as long as possible.

See Our Dental Implant Dentist Every 6 Months

We recommend you have a teeth cleaning and oral examination every 6 months to protect your oral health. During a teeth cleaning, one of our dental hygienists will be able to gently scrape away plaque and tartar. Our dentist also uses these appointments to closely monitor the condition of your dental implants.

Request an Appointment With Us

Dr. Brenton Habecker is a dental implant dentist in Holland, MI, who is dedicated to helping patients restore their smiles after tooth loss. To request an appointment, call Macatawa Smiles at (616) 396-7524.

This blog post has been updated.