Dental implants are notable for their extremely high rate of success, and it’s not unusual for them to last for decades. That being said, it’s still possible for your implant posts to fail if they don’t receive the care they need. If you want your newly rebuilt smile to last as long as possible, then you’ll need to take whatever steps you can to keep the chances of complications occurring to a minimum. Below are 3 helpful tips that can significantly reduce your risk for dental implant failure.
1. Practice Good Oral Hygiene
The most common reason for dental implants to fail is peri-implantitis. This is an infection that occurs in the tissues around your implant posts. Over time, the infection can cause the gum and bone tissue to deteriorate to the point where they can’t support the posts anymore, thus leading to implant failure.
Fortunately, you can avoid peri-implantitis by maintaining excellent oral hygiene habits. All you need to do is brush and floss at least twice a day. Don’t forget to give the area around your dental implants the same attention as the rest of your smile. To ensure that you’re removing as much bacteria and plaque as possible, it may be a good idea to invest in an electric toothbrush.
2. Protect Your Dental Implants from Bruxism
Bruxism is an all-too-common condition that can cause you to grind and clench your teeth while you’re asleep. This can put excessive amounts of pressure on your implant posts and interfere with their ability to form a lasting bond with the jawbone. Over time, bruxism could even cause your dental implants to break.
In order to protect your implant posts, you can ask your dentist for an occlusal guard. All you have to do is wear this simple device over your teeth when you go to bed. It will significantly reduce the amount of pressure that your dental implants are exposed to by stopping the upper and lower rows of teeth from directly touching each other.
3. Be Careful Around Hard Foods
Dental implants have enough chewing power and stability to handle most foods without issue. However, trying to bite down on hard foods could end up damaging your implant posts if you’re not careful. As such, before trying to eat anything hard (such as a carrot, an apple, or a piece of crusty bread), you should cut it into bite-sized pieces first.
Bear in mind that even if you do everything right, the chances of dental implant failure occurring will never be zero. You should make room in your schedule to visit your dentist at least twice a year so that they can take a look at your implant posts; if they find any problems, they can help you address them long before they can cause serious complications for your rebuilt smile.
About the Author
Dr. Lauri Barge earned her dental degree at the Texas A&M College of Dentistry. She is a proud member of various professional organizations, including the Texas Dental Association and the Denton County Dental Society. When it comes to dental implants, she works with local oral surgeons to ensure her patients are able to enjoy the best results. If you are interested in getting dental implants to replace your missing teeth, you can schedule an appointment with Dr. Barge at her practice in Flower Mound by visiting her website or calling (972) 539-3800.