Care & Maintenance of Dental Implants – Houston, TX

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Infection is one of the most common causes of implant failure, but maintaining a clean mouth can drastically reduce the chances that you’ll suffer from this serious problem. Be sure you:

• Brush all of your teeth, including your artificial ones, at least twice a day. Always brush thoroughly around the gum line. Use a low-abrasive toothpaste so it doesn’t scratch your implant restorations.
• Floss at least once a day. In addition to flossing between your teeth, you should also clean around the implant abutments.
• Use an antimicrobial mouth rinse at least once a day. This can help to kill germs that might otherwise sneak into the tissues around your implants and lead to problems.
• Use a disclosing tablet once in a while. A disclosing tablet temporarily stains areas with significant amounts of plaque. It will alert you to areas in your mouth that you may not be cleaning as thoroughly as you should.
• Follow any other directions that your oral surgeon provides. The person who installed your dental implant in Houston may suggest that you use an interdental brush to clean around the implants or to use other special techniques to maintain an infection-free mouth. Do your best to follow such instructions diligently.

Protect Your Mouth

Taking reasonable measures to protect your mouth can help to prevent damage to your implants and their restorations. You should:

• Always wear a mouthguard when you play sports.
• If you suffer from bruxism (involuntary teeth grinding), ask your dentist for help to stop this habit. You may have to wear a special oral appliance at night.
• Avoid chewing on very hard things, such as ice, jawbreakers and other hard candies, and hard non-food items like fingernails and pen caps.

Rely on Your Local Dental Implant Specialist

We often recommend that patients with dental implants in Houston visit a dental professional at regular intervals (three or four times a year) so an expert can make sure that all is well with both the implants and their restorations. These routine exams can alert you to any issues with your implants before they become serious, and they give you an opportunity to ask any questions you may have about your oral health or your restored smile.

If you ever notice a problem with your implants, it’s important to seek help right away. Here are a few warning signs to watch out for:

• There is bleeding around an implant
• An implant feels loose
• There is tenderness or swelling around an implant
• The gum tissue around an implant is discolored or sore

At Piney Point Dental Implant Center, we are well-qualified to place implants and even salvage a suffering Houston dental implant if necessary. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you suspect that a portion of your new smile is in jeopardy.