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Dental implants are a revolutionary way to restore gaps in your smile caused by missing teeth. Their tooth-colored aesthetic appearance makes it impossible for others to differentiate them from your natural smile.
Dental implants enrich your smile and your self-confidence because you’ll never have to worry about them falling out or shifting around in your mouth. Speaking, eating, and socializing is much more appealing with a dental-implant-restored smile.
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A superior benefit of dental implants is that they’re easy to care for. Basically, the way you keep your natural teeth clean is the same way you’ll keep your dental implants clean. By simply brushing twice a day and flossing after meals and snacks, your dental implants can last you a lifetime.
The only difference you need to consider when caring for your dental implants versus your natural teeth is you should choose soft, non-abrasive hygiene products. If you don’t, you could scratch your implants and irritate the soft gum tissue around them.
Selecting the Right Toothbrush & Toothpaste
When selecting a toothbrush it’s important to find one that has soft or extra soft bristles. The softer the bristles, the less likely you are to scratch the porcelain crown or the titanium implant. Electric and traditional toothbrushes are equally as acceptable, as long as you brush for at least two minutes and cover the surface of each tooth.
For toothpaste, it’s important to remember that there are some brands that contain abrasive ingredients. In order to protect your dental implants and the tissue that supports them, you should avoid whitening toothpaste as well as any that contain baking soda. With continual use, baking soda can damage your enamel. Additionally, baking soda doesn’t contain fluoride, which helps strengthen your teeth and prevent cavities.
Choosing the Right Dental Floss
The next oral hygiene product to consider is dental floss. Flossing is an essential part of maintaining good dental health. It removes plaque and debris from spots that your toothbrush can’t reach. When flossing with dental implants only use nylon-coated floss because it’s meant to glide gently on your soft tissue. There are also a few companies that sell floss specifically for use with dental implants.
How About the Right Mouthwash?
Using antibacterial mouthwash will significantly increase your mouth’s ability to fend off gum disease. Much like the products above, there are two things you want to stay away from when considering a mouthwash: mouthwash with alcohol and teeth whitening mouthwash. Teeth whitening mouthwash contains abrasive ingredients and mouthwash with alcohol can cause dry mouth—saliva is your mouth’s first line of defense when fighting off dangerous bacteria.