If you are exploring placing dental implants to replace a missing tooth, learning how to care for your new prosthetics is paramount to long-term success. While an implant mimics the tooth it replaces, you must pursue daily oral hygiene to prevent it from failing.
At your Cerritos, CA dental office, we help patients adjust to life after losing a tooth. By providing valuable prosthetics, we help you regain the function of a full bite. In today’s blog, we discuss methods for best caring for your new implant. Follow these suggestions and enjoy a lifetime of healthy smiles!
The Importance Of Regular Cleanings And Exams
We ask the majority of the public to attend dental visits on a semiannual basis. This is often enough care to provide healthy smiles and prevent tooth decay and infection. However, certain conditions that lead to tooth loss can call for visiting more often. If you suffer from periodontal disease, we may ask you to follow a three or four-month checkup schedule. These regular exams can help us detect any flare-ups as soon as they occur. Successful implants require stable gums to hold them in place, so controlling your disease is necessary for successful smile restoration.
At each periodontal visit, we will use an ultrasonic scaler to clean deposits between the teeth that would otherwise irritate your gums. Our hygienists take special note of your implant tooth to ensure that plaque and tartar will not build up near your restoration.
Protect Your Smile With A Night Guard
If you grind your teeth at night, we may suggest wearing a custom guard to protect your smile from damage. We create your implant post from titanium, and thus any grinding activity can seriously damage your existing bone and enamel. By taking a custom imprint of your smile, we can create a BPA-free guard that glides gently over each row of teeth. By wearing this device each night, you can also relieve any tension created by clenching the jaw muscles while you sleep.
Preventing Additional Missing Teeth
After placing your implant, we want to focus on preventing the conditions that led to your missing tooth in the first place. If you have severe problems with decay, we will discuss strategies to reduce cavities from destroying your healthy material. We can investigate problems with your gums that could accelerate additional missing teeth as well. By taking a preventive attitude towards future loss, you can maintain your existing teeth for years to come.
Talk To Your Cerritos, CA, Dentist About Caring For Your Smile
Prioritizing your oral hygiene can prevent the conditions that lead to destabilizing your new restorations. If you are interested in learning more about how to care for your implants and keep your oral health optimized call your Cerritos, CA dentist’s office at (562)584-4082.
