Dental Implant Maintenance
By Mina Levi, DDS 11/13/2014
Dental implants are one of the closest tooth replacement options to having a natural tooth as you can get. The implant acts as a tooth root, anchoring in the abutment and crown. However, there are always possibilities of implant failure, even when the implant is completely healed and restored. One of the best ways to ensure the implant’s full lifetime is to successfully maintain the implant at home and at the dental office of Dentist San Francisco Mina Levi, DDS. In this article, we discuss the ways to comply with proper dental implant maintenance.
First of all, it is important to understand what can happen if the implant is not properly maintained. The first symptom/least worrisome issue is bleeding around the area of the implant, known as mucositis. This is treatable and reversible if it is caught early enough. If this progresses to bone loss, or peri-implantitis, this bone loss is not reversible. If it is not treated, it can advance to larger bone loss and the implant may need to be removed.
To maintain an implant properly, home care is a number one concern. It is pertinent that the area be brushed and flossed at least two times per day with an electric toothbrush or a manual toothbrush with soft bristles. It is also recommended that inter-dental brushes are used to get the plaque from either side of the implant. Plaque disclosing tablets are also recommended to stain the locations of plaque accumulation that was missed with brushing and flossing.
Also, regular dental hygiene visits to the office of Dentist San Francisco are very important. It is suggested that you have your teeth professionally cleaned at 3-6 month intervals. The dental hygienist will use a special tool to probe the area around the implant and check to make sure the bone is still healthy in that area and then clean the implant with extra care.
If you have any questions about dental implants or maintaining dental implants, visit San Francisco Dentist Mina Levi, DDS on the web at www.minalevidds.com or give us a call at (415) 513-5066.
I really love the information shared here. Thanks a lot for increasing my knowledge.
ReplyDeleteDental Implants Danville VA