Just like your natural teeth, your dental implants need care too. Your standby oral maintenance techniques will change when you are learning how to care for dental implants after surgery — and for the remainder of the life of your implants.
Implant maintenance and dental hygiene need to be top priorities with dental implants. Without care, the area around the implant may bleed (mucositis), which leads to irreversible bone loss (peri-implantitis) under your teeth and the loss of your implant.
To keep your implants healthy, follow our how-to on care for dental implants, including deep cleaning dental implant techniques and general guidelines for all types.
Single and All-in-4 Implants
Start with a water flosser to remove bacteria in pockets in your mouth. It’s better than floss at prepping your mouth for brushing and flossing. For all-in-4 implants, use the rubber tip-simulator attachment.
Next, brush your teeth twice a day with a regular or electric soft-bristled toothbrush. Harder bristles cause gum bleeding and offer no additional benefits. For all-in-4 implants, use a sulcus brush. When brushing, maneuver the head under and around the crown to access the areas where bacteria and plaque build up.
Be sure to avoid toothpaste that has abrasive ingredients that remove stains, like baking soda. These agents are too harsh for implants because it wears off the acrylic and glaze layers.
Afterward, use crown and bridge floss to get around the implant to scrub away bacteria.
Overdentures
Brush your overdentures once a day to wash away bacteria. It’s best to use a denture brush that has a flat head with soft bristles for the smooth surfaces and another head with tapered bristles for the hard-to-reach areas. Clean with a non-abrasive cleaner, like denture cleaners or dish soap, but not toothpaste.
Before you go to bed, fill a glass with a denture cleaning solution, and place your dentures inside. The solution offers additional cleanliness benefits and helps retain the shape of the dentures.
Before you wear your dentures in the morning, rinse them with water to get rid of loose particles and inspect the o-rings, locator caps and clips. These should be replaced once each year.
Tips for All Denture Types
Diet
Watching what you eat is vital for dental implant care after surgery. Being cautious helps to keep your dental implants at their best and prevents damage. For your dental implants, it’s best to limit your intake of hard foods that can damage your implants, even after you’ve recovered from surgery.
Foods to avoid include:
- Baking soda
- Ice cubes
- Hard candy
- Sticky candy
- Hot beverages
- Popcorn
- Raw vegetables
Dentist Visits
Regular dental checkups are an essential part of implant maintenance and dental hygiene. Your dentist can inspect your implants and overdentures to make sure they are in their best shape.
Learn More About Hiossen® Implant
For the best implants in the industry, use the innovative solutions available at Hiossen. Contact us by filling out the form on our website. We are happy to provide you with more information about caring for your implants.
