Out of the numerous cosmetic dental procedures conducted daily, dental implants boast the highest success rate. Actually, only two or fewer are unsuccessful out of every 100 dental implants installed.
Dental implants are durable, but they require proper flossing, brushing, and regular dental checkups. The sad news is some people don’t give dental implants the care and attention they deserve. Did you just get dental implants installed? Here oral habits you must avoid.
Utilizing Your Teeth as Tools
Dental implants are strong and durable. They can break and grind every size and type of food. Unfortunately, dental implants aren’t solid enough to withstand the impact of hard materials, including bottle caps and nails. Therefore, it’s not recommendable to use your teeth to cut nails and open bottle caps. Trying to use your dental implants and teeth as tools for cutting things, opening packages and bottles, and holding things are advised against. Doing so may shift the implants or cause damage to your teeth.
Brushing Hard
Brushing is time-tested oral hygiene strongly recommended by dental experts globally. Brushing cleans your teeth of food remnants, strengthens the gums, prevents gum disease, and makes your mouth smell clean.
However, brushing should be appropriately conducted as per the guidelines given by dental experts. You must not apply too much pressure when brushing, as that could recede or separate gums from the teeth and dental implants. That may shift the dental implants, allowing bacteria to infect your dental tissues in the long run. Talk with your dentist to know how best to brush your teeth.
Consuming Excessive Alcohol
After the dentist has installed your dental implants, you might want to take one or two bottles to celebrate the incredible milestone. From a logical point of view, it’s not a bad idea to celebrate your achievement. However, health-wise, it’s a big mistake you must not make. Naturally, excessive alcohol consumption can cause oral cancer and damage the gums.
Alcohol is known to inhibit the flow of blood to the gums. Meaning when you take it after installing dental implants, it can cause significant damage. That happens when the gums and bones don’t receive adequate blood, slowing healing and inhibiting the gums’ ability to fight against infections. In addition, alcohol consumption can cause dehydration, dry mouth, and gum disease.
Smoking
Installing dental implants can boost your dental look and boost your ability to chew hard foods. If you want to know how much is Invisalign, you can consult with a qualified dental expert. But if you want to know how expensive replacing dental implants is, try smoking after you have got the implants installed. Smoking interferes with the smooth healing process after you’ve undergone an implant surgical procedure.
Nicotine is blamed for lowering the amount of blood distributed to the soft tissues of your dental system, ultimately affecting how fast implant surgery heals. In addition, smoking has been accused of impairing osseointegration, making the implant heal poorly. Some people have blamed smoking for affecting the healing of the bone graft after they underwent implant surgery.
Not Honoring Dental Implants
One oral hygiene mistake some people make after getting dental implants is to neglect the support and care offered by dental specialists. After implant surgery, your dentist will advise that you book several appointments to have the implants and your tooth checked. The healing process comes with multiple challenges, and for your implants to heal properly, you need to get them checked by an expert. When you visit your dentist, they will help get rid of the tartar and plaque while examining and treating your mouth of any gum disease. They can also prevent any possible damage to dental implants.
Dental implants are costly and maintaining them is demanding. However, if you don’t observe the safety precautions to keep your dental implants strong and health, you might expose yourself to varied health problems. For instance, not taking care of your dental implants and teeth by brushing and flossing them regularly can cause gum disease and other dental problems. After the dental implant surgery, you must endeavor to visit your dentist several times a month to have the implants and teeth checked. You must not use your dental implants or teeth to bite hard objects either.