After Receiving Dental Implants

Soon after you have your implant surgery, proper care is important to ensure their long-term success. Following the aftercare directions your dentist provides is vital. An important part of recovering is called osseointegration, which is when the titanium post bonds with the jawbone. The roots can help support jawbone regeneration over time and can ensure the teeth remain stationary.

Monitoring Your Dental Implants

After the initial checkups, your dentist may need to check the healing process more often. There is a slightly higher risk of gum disease from dental implants, and gum disease can, unfortunately, lead to implant failure. Monitoring the gums for any slight indication of gum disease can help your dentist address it before it becomes a larger issue.

Caring for Your Dental Implants

Oral hygiene is the key to long-term success. A huge benefit of dental implants over dentures is the ease with which you can clean it. Brushing your implant is just like brushing your teeth and should be done at the same time. Implants are not susceptible to decay, but bacteria can build up on the surface which can lead to gum disease or cause decay in other teeth. Flossing is also important to ensure the cleanliness of the area surrounding the gum line.

Once you are completely healed and have successfully adapted your oral hygiene regiment, most implants can be checked every six months with your bi-annual cleaning and check up. Of course, if any issues or concerns arise, contact your dentist to get advice on the best course of action.

It can be hard to choose the best toothbrush for your oral hygiene care. One that balances value and effectiveness can be hard to find. Do you want an electric or a manual toothbrush? Do you want a red or a blue one (most people choose blue)? We are going to outline some tips for you to choose the right toothbrush.

• • • Always choose a soft bristle toothbrush. Soft bristle toothbrushes clean your teeth effectively as well as treat your gums gently. Brushes with hard bristles can pull back the gums from the teeth which can cause problems for you in the long run.
    • Choose the right size for your teeth. Your toothbrush should be able to clean one to two teeth at a time. Any larger and it might be too big for your mouth, causing you to miss important crevices.
    • It doesn’t matter if you use an electric toothbrush or a manual one; what matters is that you feel motivated to brush your teeth. If you need an electric toothbrush to feel that motivation, then you know what to do. However, both brushes can be used effectively to properly clean your teeth.
    • Consider buying toothbrushes in packs of multiple. This will encourage you to change your toothbrush out every 3-4 months as recommended. You should be changing your toothbrush about that often so that the bristles remain intact and bacteria doesn’t get a chance to dangerously colonize your brush.

You should always brush and floss your teeth regularly. However difficult it may seem to choose the right toothbrush, don’t get confused by fancy packaging or strangely shaped handles or brush heads. What is important is that you use your brush regularly to maintain your oral hygiene.

Types of Teeth

Your mouth houses four types of teeth: incisors, molars, premolars, and canines.

• • • Incisors: Your eight front teeth are the incisors, four upper teeth and four on the bottom. Incisors come in different shapes and sizes, but all are thinner than the surrounding teeth in every person’s mouth. This set of choppers is used primarily for biting food.
    • Canines: The four sharp teeth on either side of the incisors are the canines. This quartet tears through food and are used for gripping.
    • Premolars: The eight flatter and larger set of teeth also used for tearing and crushing food are the premolars. Four teeth are located on the upper jaw and four on the bottom, closer to the rear.
    • Molars: The largest and flattest teeth of all are the molars. Found towards the very back of the mouth, most adults have 12 for chewing and grinding food. That number includes the third molars, or the wisdom teeth, which often need to be extracted due to infection, overcrowding or impaction.

Parts of Each Tooth

While there are four types of teeth, with a varying purpose, each tooth is constructed in the same way. In addition, each part has an important function.

All teeth are made up of a crown and a root. The crown is the visible white surface, and the root is the anchor below the gum line. There are also four tissue types contained in each tooth:

• • • Enamel: The hard, outer coating that covers the crown and protects the inner tooth layers. This tough shell is harder than bone, but it is not impenetrable. It can be chipped, cracked, damaged or broken down by mouth acids, poor oral hygiene, trauma and aggressive tooth brushing.
    • Dentin: Just beneath the enamel is a yellowy substance that makes up most of the tooth structure. The dentin is the calcified layer underneath the enamel and outside of the pulp. It appears very similar to bone but is not as strong. This inner layer is less dense than enamel and more susceptible to decay if the outer cover gets damages.
    • Cementum: Softer than tooth dentin and enamel, cementum hugs the root and helps secure it to the jawbone. To protect this soft, vulnerable tissue from decay and disease, you need to take care of your gums. Poor oral hygiene and inadequate dental care may result in shrunken gums that expose cementum to disease-causing bacteria and plaque.
    • Pulp: Located in the core of each tooth the pulp houses blood vessels, nerves, and other soft tissues that deliver important signals and nutrients to your teeth.

Healthy teeth are important, so don’t take your dental health for granted. Brush your teeth a minimum of two times a day and floss once a day, eat a healthy, balanced diet, avoid smoking, and continue to see your dentist regularly for routine exams and professional cleanings.

Dental Implants Could Be Right for You If:

• • • You wish to restore your ability to chew so that you can eat without any food restrictions.
    • You want a tooth replacement that looks very natural and mimics your natural teeth.
    • You are missing one or more teeth or going to get them extracted.
    • You are not happy with how dentures feel in your mouth.
    • You have good oral health.

What is the Process Like?

If the dentist finds out that you are the right candidate for dental implants, the procedure will be performed in various stages on the basis of the condition of your mouth. The oral surgeon will determine how many stages would be required as well as the healing time. Once the healing is done, you will visit the dentist for the final stage, i.e. getting the crown above your implants, so that your look is complete. The process may take a few months and it might appear to be a long process, but the results are worth the wait.

Read to know how often you need to have your implants checked

If you are missing a tooth or have chipped and broken teeth, which can’t be repaired, the dental implants are a perfect replacement. It will restore the look and function of your natural teeth and bring your confidence back.

Also read Everything you need to know about dental implants