5 Tips to Care for Your Dental Implants

Dental implants are a safe choice for people who have lost one or more teeth. They are common and these implants can make you feel more confident about your smile.

But to reap the full benefits of dental implants and for prolonged use, you must make sure that you take proper dental implant care. Taking care and doing the right things to your dental implant will not only help you use them for a long time but you’ll also be able to avoid any unnecessary complications that arise from not taking care.

A good dentist in Canberra will help you with instructions as to how to take care of your dental implants. Here, we have come up with a few tips that you should follow to keep your dental implants safe and healthy.

Use a Soft Brush

After getting dental implants, you must avoid toothbrushes with hard bristles as they may scratch the surface of your implants. Instead, use a soft nylon brush that is gentle on your implants.

Avoid using any metal instrument for cleaning your mouth. Once your dental implants are in place, you should just stick to brushing twice and flossing daily.

Avoid Abrasive Products

Be it toothpaste or mouthwash, after getting your dental implants, you need to use only sensitive products. Using products with strong abrasiveness can cause extreme discomfort. Also avoid any product with strong flavors like mint or cinnamon, as these can e uncomfortable.

Floss Daily

Flossing is an extremely important part of your dental hygiene routine and after dental implants, it gets all the more important. This is because, there can be an accumulation of plaque around your implants easily, which can lead to oral issues.

So, make sure that you floss your implants daily. The great thing is there are many types of flosses available particularly suited for dental implants and thus you can find one easily.

Avoid Sticky Foods

One thing you must avoid after getting a dental implant is taking hard or sticky foods. These types of foods can damage your implants and the opposing teeth as well. So, avoid taking foods like caramel, hard candies, potato chips, ice, steak, apples, and others. Avoiding these foods will make sure your dental implant stays healthy.

Avoid Smoking and Alcohol

Smoking and consuming alcohol is important for your general health. However, after a dental implant, it becomes more important that you avoid this stuff.

Your dental implant will take about 6 months to heal, and smoking or consuming alcohol during this period can be particularly detrimental. Alcohol can slow down the healing process of dental implants and thus, must be avoided.

Immediate Aftercare Tips

Following the implant procedure, you’ll likely experience pain and swelling for the next 24 hours. This is normal and shouldn’t worry you. Do these things as immediate aftercare measures:

• Post-surgery, restrict your movements for the first 8 to 12 hours and keep your head elevated.
• If there is any bleeding, bite on the sponge that was placed in your mouth to control it.
• Only consume soft foods for the first 24 hours.
• Hold an ice pack to your face at 15 minutes intervals or as needed.
• Avoid rinsing your mouth for the first 24 hours.
• Take your medications as prescribed by your doctor.

So, these are the tips and procedures to take care of your dental implants. If you are looking for a reliable dentist in Canberra, you can approach us. We have years of experience in this field and can and do help people who want dental implants or with any other dental issue.