If you're getting one or more dental implants in the near future, you might feel excited, but still curious about some aspects of them. For example, people sometimes wonder if taking care of dental implants is difficult or complicated. The good news is, taking care of dental implants is second nature for most people. Read on to learn how you'll be taking care of your new dental implants.
How Dental Implants Imitate Teeth
Dental implants are very similar to the way real teeth work. There's the crown on top, and then a root underneath. The main difference is that dental implants are made out of artificial materials instead of bone, tissue, and enamel.
Dental implants have a titanium peg that acts as their root. This goes down into the gums and jaw and helps to harness the tooth in position, just like your tooth's root once did. Above that is the visible crown, which will be your new dental implant tooth.
Cleaning Process
The reason knowing how dental implants work is essential to how you'll be keeping them clean. The truth is, dental implants are cleaned the exact same way as real teeth!
Once your dental implants have fully healed, there are no extraneous openings in your gums to act as pockets for bacteria, as there often are with missing teeth. Your new implant will need to be flossed and brushed in order to remove excess bacteria, plaque, and biofilm build-up. You can also continue to use mouthwash if you like to.
Importance of Maintenance
While it might seem easy to think that your dental implant is made out of non-living materials and thus not as sensitive as a real tooth, you still need to take care of it. Letting your oral hygiene slip can cause the loss of a dental implant just like a real tooth.
Thankfully, this is easy to avoid. All you have to do is keep your implants clean and your gums healthy. If you have any outstanding medical issues that make this difficult for you, like diabetes, work with your dentist to find out how you can keep your mouth healthier. Doing so can keep your dental implants functioning well and prevent you from losing supportive tissue and bone due to gum disease.
Dental implants are a great replacement for those who have missing teeth. Remember to take good care of yours and they'll be serving you for years to come. To learn more about dental implants, contact a dentist such as Wallington Dental.
Share25 March 2018
When the bottled water craze began, I jumped on the bandwagon with everyone else who was drinking water from bottles instead of from the tap. I wasn't sure why bottled water was healthier, but I liked the taste. When I went for my next dental check-up, I had my first cavity in a while, so I had it filled and didn't think much of it. Well, I had two more during my next check-up after that, and I began trying to think of why my teeth were suddenly going bad. The only change in my habits was the switch to bottled water, so I made the switch back to tap water and my teeth began to improve. I created this blog to encourage others who have begun getting cavities suddenly to look into their changes in habits. They may find they made a change similar to mine.