How to Make the Most of Your Dental Implant

Missing a tooth is more than a cosmetic issue; it presents a serious oral health problem. 

When you’ve lost a tooth or had an extraction, you face a higher risk of infection, as bacteria have a place to gather. You also risk alignment issues as your surrounding teeth shift toward the open space.

The gold standard for replacing a missing tooth is a dental implant, which consists of a titanium screw implanted into your jawbone with a crown on top that matches your natural teeth in shade and color.

At American Dental Clinic in San Diego, California, we’ve helped thousands of patients over the years replace missing teeth with implants. Here’s how to make the most of your dental implant.

Practice good oral hygiene

Take care of your implants as you would your natural teeth. That includes brushing your teeth at least twice daily with a soft-bristled brush and low-abrasive toothpaste.

Good oral hygiene also includes flossing at least once a day. Make sure to get between the abutment (the piece that connects the implant to the crown) and the adjacent teeth to remove any food particles.

Use mouthwash

Rinsing your mouth with an antimicrobial mouthwash helps prevent harmful bacteria from building up on your teeth. When you have a dental implant, the right mouthwash also reduces the risk of implant infection or peri-implantitis.

Visit the dentist regularly

Schedule regular dental visits, typically twice a year, so we can clean and examine your teeth. You may be tempted to skip a visit or two because nothing seems wrong, but that’s the point of these visits: to ensure there are no issues with your teeth in general or the implant in particular.

Regular checkups allow us to catch problems while they’re still small and easy to correct. Big problems cause more damage and cost more to fix.

Watch what you eat 

You should always pay attention to what you eat, especially with dental implants. Stay away from super-hot liquids (let your coffee cool a little) and avoid hard and/or sticky foods (hard candy, taffy, gum, etc.). Chewing ice can damage your replacement tooth and implant.

Navigating oral health issues such as missing teeth can be difficult, but our caring team at American Dental Clinic is experienced and ready to help. To learn more about any aspect of the dental implant process, call our office for an appointment or use our online booking tool today.