Not only are dental implants the strongest tooth replacement system on the market, when cared for properly, but they’re also designed to last a lifetime. Many Moore patients with missing teeth choose implants because of their longevity. Keep reading for tips to find out how to make your implants last for decades.
- Don’t Smoke, Vape, or Use Chewing Tobacco After Having Implants Placed
In order for your implants to be successful, the titanium rods of your implants need to fuse with your jawbone tissue. Nicotine usage is known by oral surgeons like Dr. Perry Brooks and Dr. Seth Brooks to interfere with, or even prevent, this process from occurring. Therefore, all Moore patients who have implants placed should kick the habit of smoking, vaping, or chewing tobacco.
- Keep Alcohol Consumption to a Minimum During Your Healing Process
Your implants will be healing for months after they’ve been placed. During that time, you want to live a healthy lifestyle to promote proper healing and fusion of your titanium implants with your jawbone tissue. Drinking too much alcohol can complicate the healing process. Dr. Perry Brooks and Dr. Seth Brooks recommend their Moore patients keep alcohol consumption to a minimum during their healing process.
- Brush Your Implants Twice a Day
Even though they’re not natural teeth, implants still need to be brushed to remove bacteria from them, which can fester in your mouth. Make sure to use your favorite toothpaste and toothbrush and brush those implants every morning and every evening.
- Floss Your Implants Every Day
Gum care is extremely important for Moore dental implants patients. That’s because gum disease, and even an implant complication called peri-implantitis which occurs underneath your implants, can cause them to fail. So just because they’re replacement teeth doesn’t mean you get a pass from flossing them daily.
- Visit Your Dentist for Biannual Cleanings – Even if Your Entire Mouth is Full of Dental Implants
Even if your entire mouth of teeth has been replaced with implants, you still need to visit your dentist every 6 months for a teeth cleaning. During this process, your dental hygienist will clean any natural teeth you may have, as well as remove your tooth crowns from the titanium rods so they can get a good scrubbing down, too.
- Go to Oklahoma Dental Implants and Oral Surgery at the First Sign of a Gum Infection
Because gum infections or peri-implantitis can cause implant failure, you should see Dr. Perry Brooks or Dr. Seth Brooks at the first sign of anything wrong with your gums. Early detection of an issue just might save your implants!
- If You Have Diabetes, Make Sure You Manage Your Disease
As if having diabetes doesn’t cause enough health issues, it can also make dental implants fail. While Dr. Perry Brooks and Dr. Seth Brooks will want to make sure your diabetes is properly managed before you have implants placed, we all know that managing diabetes is a lifelong commitment and that you could become unstable in the future. If that does happen, visit our practice so we can keep a watchful eye on your implants.
Contact Us With Any Questions
While Dr. Seth and Dr. Perry will leave you with detailed post-op instructions, we understand that new questions may pop up over time about how best to care for your implants.
If you have questions in the future, just give us a call. That’s exactly what we’re here for! We can be reached at (405) 329-3500.
