Understanding Home Care For Dental Implants

Posted on: 20 August 2017

Dental implants can be placed in your mouth during an invasive surgical procedure. Once the procedure is over, you will go through healing and then you must invest in home care. Home care is essential to ensure the long term success of your implant, and this means cleaning the device properly. Keep reading to learn why and also how:

Use Non-Abrasive Pastes

Dental implants are quite rough with a texture created with plasma, sand, or acid. This creates a surface that easier for new bone cells to grip or hold onto so osseointegration can progress. While the rough surface is essential to your implant's strength, the abutment attached to the root device is smooth. This cap is made from titanium as well and it can be scratched or scraped with your toothpaste. The device can then hold bacteria and food and this can create an infection issue.

To keep the abutment, and any edge of the implant that sticks up into the mouth, in good shape, avoid abrasive toothpaste. You want to avoid any paste that contains phosphate salt, aluminum oxide, magnesium carbonate, silica gel, calcium carbonate, or baking soda. Opt for a toothpaste that is abrasive free. If you cannot find an appropriate product, then opt for one that contains baking soda. This ingredient is the least abrasive of all the ingredients.

Also, you should avoid all toothpaste that contains fluoride. Fluoride can cause titanium to corrode, so do not use it until the abutment has been covered. There are several types of fluoride that may be included in toothpaste that include stannous fluoride and sodium fluoride.

Protect The Gums

Gum tissues can quickly recede around the edges of a dental implant since the gums are not connected to the implant in the same way they are connected to the natural teeth. This means that any sort of tissue damage or infection can cause the gums to slouch and bacteria can then move down close to the jaw bone. Keeping the gums healthy means cleaning them gently to avoid damage and infection.

You will need to choose special kinds of floss to clean around the gums. Non-waxed floss is recommended. You should also floss in a special manner so that debris can be dislodged from around the edge of the abutment and the implant root where it meets your artificial tooth. Wrap the floss around the back of the tooth and cross the floss in front. Hold the pieces of the floss in your hands and pull them side to side like you are shining a pair of shoes.

If the flossing technique causes a great deal of bleeding, then switch to a water flosser. However, you should use the wider spray tip until the gums no longer bleed. Use the more concentrated spray once the tissues heal.

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Anyone who provides a service specifically for the youngest among us knows that treating kids must be approached very differently from treating adults. Children are not like adult patients. They require a dental team that makes children feel safe and secure at every appointment. The pediatric dental staff also needs to understand how to work with parents as well as young patients. As a pediatric dental hygienist and a mom, I understand that specific needs of children when they are visiting the dentist. This blog will explain exactly what kids need from a dental staff and will give options for making the dental office a welcoming environment to children. We can give a whole new generation healthy smiles by making pediatric dentistry the best it can be.