The most important thing to remember about any form of cosmetic treatment is once the treatment is performed, adequate maintenance is needed for the results to be sustainable. This also goes for your dental implant. Aftercare for your dental implant is important to make sure it remains firm in its position adjacent to your natural teeth.
Ultimtely, this depends on how you look after your implant.
The dentist should provide all the advice you need for adequate aftercare for your dental implant. If you’re seeking further aftercare support, below describes the oral hygiene tips you should perform to look after your implant.
Let’s take a look and what they are.
Regular Brushing and Flossing
The basic and most fundamental step of oral hygiene is brushing your teeth in the morning and at night. With a soft-bristle toothbrush, ensure that you gently brush around the implant, especially shortly after you’ve had treatment as the implant needs to settle. Brushing around the implant will ensure no plaque build-up. If you feel there are food particles stuck around the implant, perform flossing around the implant.
Consider Altering How And What You Eat
Shortly after dental implant treatment, it is important that you eat softer foods whilst the implant settles. You should also attempt to avoid eating on the side of the implant area. This won’t matter once the implant has fully settled. Alongside this, hard foods can significantly damage your implant and cause its structure to weaken. You should consider altering your diet for longer results. Below are some examples of the foods you could eat instead of chewy and hard foods.
- Soup
- Boiled Potato
- Plant-based Vegetables
- Eggs
- Oatmeal
- Soft Dairy (Cheese and Milk)
Avoid Alcohol and Smoking
If you’re one who drinks units of alcohol and smokes cigarettes, unfortunately, it’s not good for your implant. Your gums and teeth regularly need blood supply through oxygen, but smoking reduces this, and alcohol isn’t recommended whilst your implant heals. Your implant may begin to darken with smoking as well. After six months, you may consider smoking and drinking alcohol, but attempt to reduce how much.
Regular Brushing and Flossing
This is probably one of the most important points of all, that once your implant is fitted, it doesn’t mean you should stop visiting the dentist. The health of the implant, especially just after treatment, is very important for the dentist to see. If there are any concerns with your implant, the dentist can pick this up quickly. You cannot go far wrong with an experienced dentist when it comes looking after to your implant.
Using Oral Irrigators
An Oral Irrigator is a device that shoots water or air towards your teeth and gum line to remove plaque or food debris. Sometimes, if food still remains after brushing your teeth, you can use an oral irrigator after you’ve brushed your teeth. Removing plaque from the mouth reduces the chances of gum disease.
How To Reduce Any Post-Treatment Pain
It is not very common that implant treatment can cause sensitivity, but it has happened before. If you do experience any pain once your implant’s fitted, swish and drink lukewarm water with salt. You should do this after eating generally to keep your mouth clean, but also do this once or twice a day until the post-treatment pain subsides.
The results of treatment stem from how well you look after your implant. The dentist will provide all of the information and advice you need for long-term results! Ultimately, it comes down to you and the changes you make for your implant smile to shine brightly!
If you need further support from a dentist for your implant, tell us! We are here to help. Click here to get started.
