Taking Care of Your New Implant Tooth
Congratulations on the placement of your new implant tooth! Now, that you’ve recently acquired a beautiful smile, it is necessary that you are aware of how to keep it that way for years to come. Good oral hygiene with your commitment to home care, and regular visits to see your dentist are the cornerstones that will insure it’s long term sustainability.
The main consideration requiring your special attention and vigilant care, is the health of your gums. Developing gum disease can directly affect the overall stability, and success rate of your newly restored tooth. In fact, it’s the most important factor in determining the longevity of all your teeth, both natural and implanted ones.
Bacteria and plaque can form around your implant and if your not taking pro-active and appropriate care. It can lead to inflammation and diseases, such as perio-implantitis and perio-implant mucositis. These serious conditions will not only infect your gums, but can also result in bone loss and the failure of your implant.
Regular cleaning routine for your implant tooth (teeth)
Your prosthetic teeth are now a natural part of your oral environment. They require the same routine of brushing twice a day, flossing daily and having regular dental check-ups just like your natural teeth.
To ensure that you are maintaining your dental hygiene at the highest level possible, some additional cleaning tools should be used. It’s a great way to make sure you are taking proper care of your implant, and cleaning the hard to reach areas without damage.
Implant tooth cleaning tools
- Flossing
Flossing is very important because it removes plaque and bacteria around your implant and in between teeth. It makes your gums healthy and prevents the possibility of you developing bad breath. There are several special types of floss for implants now available on the market, which were specifically created to protect the gum tissue around your implant. They are designed to be a little stiffer and with a spongy part in the middle, in order to access and easily clean around your implant or dental bridge.
- Inter-dental Brushing
This is probably one of the best tools for cleaning the invisible area between your implanted teeth. An implant abutment is how your tooth sits on it’s implant, which is placed right above the gum line. The inter-dental brush helps access and clean around the sides of the abutment where a regular toothbrush cannot reach. Inter-dental brushes come in various sizes and widths, for the most effective results, choose the best size for you.
- Oral irrigators
This device uses a pulsating water stream to clean plaque, bio-film and food debris from around your implant and below the gum-line. The most famous brand on the market is called a Waterpic. An irrigating device is an adjunct tool used to keep gum disease from developing, as it can reach and clean even the most inaccessible areas. Keep in mind, an irrigating device shouldn’t be considered a replacement for the daily flossing, or the use of inter-proximal brushing. They are effective, however, in the never ending battle against bacteria. This is especially true if you irrigate with an anti-microbial mouthwash.