The other great thing about implants is that they don't require any special treatment. You can clean them as you would your real teeth and they will respond in kind.
Though dental implants have a high success rate they aren't infallible and can fail, both in the short-term or the long-term. Some of these failures occur due to mechanical problems, but patients also have a role to play to ensure that their dental implants are a success.
What Can the Patient Do to Ensure Success?
One of the major causes of short-term failures is peri-implantitis which is akin to gingivitis. This failure has its origins in the patient's dental hygiene routine. When you are going through implant surgery, you must be extremely disciplined in your dental hygiene routine.It is extremely important to brush your teeth 2 - 3 times daily and to brush for at least two minutes. Your dentist may give you a prescription for a special mouthwash to use while the surgery progresses. Use it religiously and it will help to kill the bacteria that can cause failures to occur.
In addition, it is important to avoid alcohol and smoking. Smoking irritates the gums and other soft tissue in your mouth. Your implant has to have an environment that will encourage the ossification of the implant to the bone in your jaw. The irritation of the gums by smoking can prevent that from occurring and thus will cause the implant to fail.
Though implants can fail for reasons that have nothing to do with your hygiene habits, you have the most control over your oral health. Your active participation and cooperation is integral to the success of your implants.
Please contact our office if you have any questions about dental implants.
