How Can I Maintain My Dental Implants at Home?

Dental implants are among the most effective and longest-lasting ways to replace missing or damaged teeth and restore a beautiful, healthy, functional smile. While dental implants can last for decades, proper care and maintenance is an important part of maintaining your implants and the dental restorations – like crowns or bridges – that are attached to them. At Made Ya Smile Dental in Houston, TX, our premier team of dental providers helps patients achieve or restore their oral health, dental function, optimal appearance, and self-confidence with a full range of restorative dentistry services (including dental implants) using the most current technology and techniques available today. Keep reading for important information on how to care for and maintain your dental implants at home.

What are dental implants, and who needs them?

Dental implants are metal screws – usually titanium – that are surgically inserted into a person’s jawbone, taking the place of a natural dental root. A custom restoration, like a dental crown or bridge, is then attached to the dental implant in order to replace the tooth itself and create or restore a more complete, beautiful, and durable smile. The use of dental implants often allows patients to once again smile, eat, chew, laugh, and talk comfortably and confidently. In many cases, dental implants are used to replace a missing or damaged tooth due to trauma, infection, severe decay, and other situations where the tooth has been irreparably compromised.

How long do dental implants last?

While a dental restoration attached to an implant may become damaged or need to be replaced after several years or decades, the implant itself may last a lifetime. However, there are some critical things patients should understand about caring for their implant and restoration in order to prevent damage to the implant and other complications. Proper care instructions for dental implants include:

• Brush and floss twice per day
• Use mouthwash as recommended/directed
• Schedule biannual dental exams and cleanings in the office
• Do not smoke or chew tobacco
• Wear an athletic mouthguard and dental night guard as instructed

These same tips are useful for caring for implant-supported restorations. Additionally, patients should do the following to preserve their crowns, bridges, and other dental restorations:

• Do not bite nails
• Avoid staining foods and beverages
• Avoid sticky, crunchy, hard foods
• Do not use teeth to cut strings, open packages, etc.

With these healthy habits, your dental implants and restorations can provide you with many years’ or decades’ worth of a beautiful smile, healthy function, and supported facial and bone structure.

Missing one or more teeth? Dental implants and custom restorations in Houston, TX can give you back the smile you love.

If you’re facing the loss of a tooth or already have one or more missing teeth and desire a durable, long-lasting solution for restoring your smile, you may be a candidate for dental implants and implant-supported restorations – and with proper care, you can enjoy your new smile for a lifetime. To learn more about the health and aesthetic benefits of dental implants, call Made Ya Smile Dental to schedule your consultation with our experienced team of Houston, TX dentists today.