Caring for Your Dental Implants: Tips for Long-Lasting Results

Knowing how to care for your implants from the start will help you to protect your investment and avoid complications further down the line. Taking good care of your dental implants will also ensure you are mindful of your wider oral health, which will protect your gums and teeth from damage and decay. In this guide, we’re looking at some of the top pieces of care advice from dentists to help you care for your dental implants at home.

Understanding your implants

The first stage to caring for your dental implants is to understand the different parts. The lifespan of each part will be slightly different, so understanding how the implant process works will help to manage your expectations in the future.

The dental implant refers to the titanium implant that is placed in your jawbone during the first procedure. This part is designed to last a lifetime and should not need to be replaced. However, certain conditions could lead to your dental implant coming loose if you develop an infection in the socket. You can read more about that below.

The next part of the implant is the abutment. This sits on top of the implant and attaches to your crown, bridge or denture. This part is also designed to last for a lifetime, but this could be damaged if you lose your crown or denture and the abutment is left exposed for too long. We’ll go into this in more detail below.

The final part of your restoration is the crown, bridge or denture. This is commonly made from porcelain, precious metal or a bonded composite material. This is the most exposed to wear and tear and you can expect a porcelain restoration to last for around 8-12 years. It could last longer with the right care, or it could break sooner if you suffer an accident. There are simple care tips you can follow that will help to prevent damage to your restoration.

Everyday care tips for dental implants

Just like your natural teeth, you will need to take special care of your implants to keep them looking beautiful and functioning well. This includes daily brushing and extra special care such as flossing around the implant.

• Brush your teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste and an appropriate toothbrush. You’ll often find it easier to care for your teeth if you switch to an electric toothbrush.

• Floss around your implant using interdental brushes or dental floss, depending on the size of the gap. Your dental hygienist can advise you on the best options for your mouth.

• Consider adding a water flosser to your oral hygiene routine. This is a tool that uses a high pressure jet of water to help dislodge food particles from around your teeth. This can be particularly helpful for dental implants.

• Be careful when biting into hard food like crusty bread, pizza crusts, raw vegetables and eating popcorn, as there could be unpopped kernels mixed in. Hard foods are more likely to chip or crack your crown, bridge or denture which could require a premature replacement. Crunching ice can also lead to damage.

• You should also be wary about using your teeth to open packages or to tear Sellotape. These might be old habits, but you’ll need to avoid doing this if you want to protect your teeth.

• It’s likely that you will have had to stop smoking before you started treatment. It’s very important that you don’t resume this habit as it could lead to a painful conditional called peri-implantitis.

Risk factors for dental implants

There are a few main problems that you might run into over the years with dental implants.

Cracks, chips and breaks

The most obvious is that your restoration (crown, bridge or denture) could break loose from the abutment. It could also be damaged by cracking or chipping. This could happen after biting into hard food, or it could occur if you start to grind your teeth at night.

How to address this risk: If you’re worried about cracking or breaking your restoration, you could choose a composite restoration with a metal base and a porcelain or zirconia top. This is much stronger than an all porcelain restoration and is ideal for rear teeth. If you’re worried you might be grinding your teeth, visit your dentist to get a mouth guard you can wear at night to protect your implant and your natural teeth.

Peri-implantitis

Another issue to be wary about is the risk of developing gum disease. Gum disease is caused by an increase in bacteria in the mouth which causes the gums to become inflamed. Inflamed gums can lead to an infection in the socket surrounding your dental implant. This could damage the bond between your implant and the jaw bone, which would cause the implant to become loose.

How to address this risk: To help prevent issues with your dental implants, make sure you take care of your teeth by brushing every day and flossing as directed. You can also further safeguard your oral health by visiting the dentist for regular checkups and committing to regular dental hygienist cleanings. This can help to reduce the risk of developing gum disease which could cause an infection in the socket that supports your implant.

Final thoughts on dental implant care

It might sound like a lot to think about, but caring for your teeth while wearing dental implants is really just about ensuring that you brush and floss regularly. Regular trips to the dentist will help you to stay on track with your implant care and ensure that you don’t overlook any aspect of your oral health that could lead to complications for your implants.