Dental Implant Aftercare – Richardson, TX
Ensure Your New Smile Lasts a Lifetime
When you consider how dental implants can last for decades, if not a lifetime, it’s no surprise that more and more patients are choosing them over traditional dentures and bridges. Of course, for that to occur, you’ll need to practice good dental implant care in Richardson. Luckily, many of the same habits that help protect your natural teeth can do the same for your new ones. To ensure your new smile lasts a lifetime, just follow the simple tips below. As always, contact our friendly team at Shwarts Family Dentistry if you have any questions!
Prioritize At-Home Oral Hygiene
Just because dental implants in Richardson are cavity-proof doesn’t mean that oral hygiene isn’t important. The gums supporting your implants can still become infected as a result of plaque buildup. Known as peri-implantitis, this condition could eventually destroy the bone at the implant site, ultimately causing implant failure.
To avoid infection, keep brushing twice a day and flossing at least once daily. If you’re having difficulty flossing around the implant, you may want to try an interdental brush or water flosser to help clear out plaque from that area.
You should also rinse with mouthwash every day. It can be a great way to kill bacteria that you may have missed when brushing and flossing.
Protect Your Dental Implants
Physical trauma to the mouth could damage your implant to the point that they have to be removed. To prevent this, you should wear a mouthguard when participating in sports, especially ones like football that are considered high-contact.
Chronic teeth grinding and jaw clenching can strain your implants. You can often control these habits during the night, but for many people, they occur while sleeping (a condition called bruxism). Fortunately, Dr. Shwarts can make you a custom nightguard that comfortably fits over your teeth to prevent damage from grinding and clenching.
Lastly, be aware of how you’re using your implants from day to day. Chewing ice, opening packaging with your teeth, and biting hard objects like pencils or fingernails can easily damage your smile.
Schedule Regular Checkups & Cleanings
It should go without saying that having a healthy smile requires routine dental checkups and cleanings. During these appointments, which should take place at least twice a year, your implant dentist in Richardson can make sure your implants are still functioning properly. The earlier we identify any problems, the easier they will be to treat.