Dr Chris Wood
Dental Implant Surgeon
BDS MFGD, Dip Imp Dent (RCS Eng) FFGDP (UK) GDC No:57428
How to maintain healthy dental implants
Investing in implants is a big decision, the benefits are huge in terms of confidence and comfort, but the one thing you can’t afford to scrimp on is the care. Just like your natural teeth, implants need to be looked after well if they are going to last.
In it for the long haul
Once your dental implants are in place, you might feel like that’s the hard bit done, and in many ways it is. But investing in new teeth also means being prepared to invest in the time to care for them.
As well as being diligent about cleaning your teeth, the two most important things you can do to care for your implants are avoid smoking and maintain good general health. Not only does it contribute to infectious gum disease, smoking also lowers your general immune system. Our advice would be not to smoke after implants, particularly within the first few months after surgery.
When it comes to staying healthy, any way you look at it, implants are a significant surgical procedure, and you need to take care of yourself afterwards in order for them to heal as quickly as possible. Avoid strenuous exercise or stressful activities, eat healthily, avoid alcohol and get plenty of sleep.
It’s all about the clean
Just like your natural teeth, your implants and the gums around them need regular, thorough, cleaning. Brushing twice a day and daily flossing will help keep plaque and bacteria at bay, and that’s important as dental implants are marginally more susceptible to infection than natural teeth.
Once the implants are fitted, we talk all our patients through the best way of looking after their new teeth. If you follow the care plan and your jawbone is healthy, we expect the titanium posts to last for many years, although the crown itself may need replacing at some point due to ordinary wear and tear.
The area between your implants, or between your implants and the adjacent natural teeth, should be cleaned with a suitably sized interproximal or bottle brush. We recommend Tepe brushes for this job, they come in different sizes and when you have your implants fitted, we will show you which is the right brush size for you.
If your implants are supporting a removeable denture, the fit surface (inside) must be cleaned daily to remove the film of bacteria which will grow while your denture is being worn. A separate toothbrush is required, and a small amount of detergent (washing up liquid) should be brushed all over the surface of the denture, then thoroughly rinsed.
Time to see the hygienist
Regular hygienist visits will also help to extend the lifespan of your new implants. The appointments are a great opportunity to refresh your memory, learn how to improve your cleaning technique and get reassurance that you are maintaining your implants adequately. During your visit the hygienist will also use a state-of-the-art device, known as a Perioflow to deep clean your implants, using a mixture of air, water and antibacterial spray to remove any bacteria from implant surfaces, interdental spaces and periodontal pockets.
We recommend implant patients visit the hygienist every 3-6 months initially, depending on their risk of gum disease. An infection around a dental implant, if left untreated can cause progressive bone loss and infection, which can ultimately cause the implant to fail. Early diagnosis of problems is a key part of successful treatment so it’s important not to miss these appointments.
Check-ups still matter
Implants don’t mean you get out of regular dental check-ups. You should have your teeth checked regularly, whether they are natural or implants. We recommend once a year as a minimum, but more often if you have a higher risk of dental disease, and this is something we will talk you through once your new implants are in place. We also take annual x-rays for our implant patients, to get a more detailed look at how the implant is working.
We’ve been told by a recent patient of ours that coming to Audley Dental Solutions is not like coming to a normal dentist. Our big open spaces and light airy rooms immediately put you at ease, alongside the warm and caring welcome you will receive.
See what it is like walking through the doors of Audley Dental Solutions...
Dealing with a problem
We have carried out over 4,000 implants with a success rate of 99%, but as with any teeth, problems can still arise. If you notice bleeding from the gum around your implant or an unpleasant taste coming from an implant, then please make a dental or hygienist appointment. Identifying a problem early on makes it so much easier to treat.
Implant issues early on are normally caused by wound infection. At Audley, we work in a surgical environment which minimises this risk and we also take time to prepare our patients in advance of their treatment, ensuring their gums and jawbone are healthy and in the best condition to receive the implants successfully. In the unlikely event of a post-operative infection, we are able to prescribe a course of antibiotics.
We also provide suitable patients with a five-year guarantee, enabling them to return to us at any time if they have a problem with their new teeth.
A long-term investment
Implants are a fairly recent procedure, we don’t have enough data to say they will last for life. However, the scientific research we do have, shows that the majority of implants last for at least 20 years, and it’s not uncommon to see patients with 30-year-old implants. The hope is, as the process evolves, the longevity of implants will increase further still. So take good care of them, they’ll be with you for a while.
If you’re considering implants or want to find out more about caring for them, then we’d love to talk you through the process. Please get in touch via our website or give us a call on 01280 848945.
Chris
