Congratulations on getting your new dental implant! High Point, NC dentist Dr. Cassidy Bray wants you to know that you’ve made an excellent investment in your smile and your long-term dental health.
Now that you have your new implant and crown, you’ll want to take fantastic care of it to ensure that you get the most benefit out of this investment.
In most ways, caring for a dental implant is virtually identical to caring for your own natural teeth. This is one of the features of dental implants that patients like best.
1. Brush and floss as usual.
Brush your teeth, including your implant crown, at least twice daily, and floss once daily. While your crown can’t get cavities like natural teeth, plaque can still build up on it. Brushing all your teeth, including your crown, helps keep plaque and bacteria to a minimum, reducing the risk of bad breath, gum disease, and decay in your natural teeth.
2. Visit our office regularly for cleanings and examinations.
We’ll keep a close eye on your implant – and all your dentistry! – to make sure it stays in great shape and to catch any problems that might develop. Dental implants have a high success rate and problems are rare, but it’s still best to keep up with regular visits for the longevity of your implant and the health of your natural teeth.
3. Watch out for infection.
Your gum tissue connects to your natural tooth structure, helping to prevent foreign objects (like popcorn husks) from becoming trapped and causing infection. While dental implants are the tooth replacement option that most closely replicates the appearance and health benefits of a natural tooth, the gum tissue will not connect with the implant and crown in the same way. This does mean that there is a slight risk of food particles becoming trapped in the gum tissue.
Awareness of this issue will help you to avoid it and catch any developing infection early on. If you are experiencing pain, swelling, and redness in the gum tissue around the implant, please contact our office right away so we can investigate and treat the issue, if necessary.
Would you like to learn more about dental implants? Please feel free to call Deep River Family Dentistry at (336) 883-1371 and schedule a consultation with Dr. Cassidy Bray!