Dental Implants: Hygiene After Surgery

For those patients looking for a more permanent and solid solution to tooth replacement, dental implants are often the best choice. Dentures will probably be the number one replacement method in terms of popularity and cost. The alternative can be expensive, especially if you have more than one tooth to replace. Still, if you're serious about having the closest thing to your real teeth, there really is no other choice. Talk to your dentist about the possibility of going this route. If you do, here are some things you need to know about hygiene after surgery.

Two Brushings a Day:
In the immediate aftermath of surgery, you'll need to closely follow your dentist's recommendations when it comes to caring for your dental implants. The area will be sore and you will have to take precautions during the healing process. Once everything has healed; however, you'll begin resuming your regular brushing regimen. This means brushing twice a day, just as you would with all of your regular teeth. Make sure you floss around your replacements, as the gum line is still just as susceptible to disease.

Brushing Properly:
Talk to your dentist about the best brushing practices you can implement. Some dentists will recommend getting an electric toothbrush for best results. Others will recommend that you use a soft bristled brush and using only moderate pressure. Generally speaking, a circular motion is a better method than the back and forth method most of us are taught in childhood. Angle the brush toward the gum line to make sure none of that plaque has a chance to get a foothold. Treat your dental implants the same as you would the rest of your teeth. They won't be susceptible to cavities, of course, but they can harbor bacteria and they can certainly be stained.

Keep Up With Dentist Visits:
If you're the type of person who treats the "every six month" guideline for dentist appointments as more of a suggestion than a rule, you should revise your policy in the wake of dental implants. Make sure you give your dentist a regular chance to examine your oral health and make sure the applications are doing well. Complications are relatively rare when it comes to this surgery, but you never know when something could go wrong. The earlier a problem can be detected the better your chances of getting it fixed without doing any damage.