Dental implants can produce significant positive changes in your teeth, smile, speech, and also improve confidence in social situations. Now after having the implants in place, it is equally important to care for them so they serve you well for a long time.

Dental implant care is not something you have to spend hours on. It is some simple oral care habits that you can easily turn into a daily routine.

Follow the below dental implant care suggestions and your implants will serve you well for a lifetime.

Follow a healthy dental hygiene routine

Plaque is created by the bacteria which reside in your mouth and is detrimental to dental health. Do not allow plaque to accumulate on and around your teeth.

When you eat food, the saliva in your mouth works on the food and turns certain groups of carbohydrates into sugar. Also, there may be sugar in your food which is left behind in the mouth after you finish eating. The mouth bacteria work on this leftover sugar in the mouth and multiply, thus damaging your teeth.

How do you prevent this? Simple. Get rid of the leftover sugar from the mouth so bacteria do not accumulate. Brush and floss every single day to clean the mouth of bacteria and sugar. Make it a point to brush your teeth after large meals. Floss your teeth after meals. Carry your toothbrush and floss with you when you go out.

After dental implants, switch to a nylon toothbrush, which is softer and pliable that can go around your dental implant areas and clean all the surfaces. Do not use hard bristle brushes which can scratch the implants.

Don’t bite into anything metal, like bottle lids or nails because they can damage the implants. Avoid using abrasive products. Use only sensitive oral products that are devoid of strong chemicals or flavouring agents.

Pay attention to food habits

A minor change in food habits can help you care for your implants and maintain them without damage.

Make sure that you avoid hard foods, as they can cause damage to your implants and also even to the teeth that are situated opposite the implants. Foods like ice, hard candies and sweets, hard shells pastries, and even hard carrots and hard crust breads should be avoided. These foods bring pressure on the implants and may cause the breakage of newly bonded tissues. This may eventually lead to the dental implants coming loose.

Also avoid sticky foods like caramel and caramel confectionary as it tends to stick to your teeth. Trying to remove the toffee may cause you to apply too much pressure on your implants.

Since caramel and sticky foods stay longer in mouth, they are more likely to bring on tooth decay and other problems in the mouth. Staying away from sticky foods will give longer life to your dental implants.

Smoking and alcohol

Smoking or tobacco hinders the growth of healthy tissues and gums. The implant screws are inserted into the jawbone and allowed to stay till healthy bone tissues surround them and make it strong enough to provide the functionality of a real tooth root. The tissue growth is vital for the implant so it can support crowns and take on the pressure of chewing. Tobacco interferes with this growth. Even after the implants are placed, if you use tobacco, you will find that the implants get affected adversely.

Alcohol also has a detrimental effect on the healing process after the implant procedure. Like tobacco, alcohol interferes with regrowth of dental tissues and slows down the normalization process of healing after the surgery, as well as keeping the growth of tissues alive.

Tobacco and alcohol also interfere with the efficacy of the medicine that is prescribed for pre surgery and post-surgery schedule

Medical history

It is of vital importance that the implant professional knows all details of the current and past medical conditions you may have had, and also the medication you are taking. This is important so the dentist can take care to avoid procedures or medicines which may interfere with the healing process.

Some diseases are a risk for good implant results. Diseases like cancer, diabetes, gum disease etc. can prevent good outcomes for dental implants. The communication of your medical condition becomes very important here because the planning for the dental implant procedure will have to be done considering these issues. Each individual has a different physical make up and the plan for implants may differ accordingly.

Once the surgery is completely healed and you become comfortable with your new smile, it is still imperative that you keep in touch with your dentist on regular basis. Follow instructions carefully and seriously and your implants will last a very long time.