Choosing a tooth replacement method is a big decision to make, so it's a good idea to have all the information at hand before you make a choice. If you've been curious about dental implants, one possible question that may have gone through your mind is whether they require special care to keep clean like dental bridges do. If you've been wondering this, then read this guide to find out.
Cleaning
You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that if you get dental implants, your oral hygiene routine is unlikely to change at all.
That's because dental implants are designed to function like real teeth. Each implant is an individual and is not connected to its next-door neighbor like dental bridges are. This means that you can floss and brush the way you normally would in order to keep your mouth healthy.
With dental bridges, it's a little more difficult. While brushing them isn't a big deal, flossing under them can be tough since the teeth are connected to one another. Simply pulling the floss up and down between the artificial teeth isn't an option, but it is with dental implants.
The only time that your dental hygiene habits might change is when you initially get the implants. Since your gums will be healing from the procedure and the crown won't yet be mounted on top, you'll need to take special care to brush around the top of the implant and to thoroughly brush your gums, too. However, this is a temporary phase, and once the crowns are on top of your implant, you won't have to do anything special to care for them.
Lack of Decay
Even if you get an entire mouthful of dental implants and have no natural teeth remaining, it's still important to brush and floss every day, at least twice a day. This is in order to keep your gums healthy because you'll still have bacteria and plaque that can potentially trigger gum disease. In the same way that gum disease can put your teeth at risk, it can also put your dental implants at risk, so you won't be able to drop cleaning your mouth entirely.
However, you should know that dental implants don't decay the way that real teeth do. They're made of a titanium implant and a resin crown, like the kind typically used in dental crowns fitting over real teeth. These materials don't decay when exposed to plaque, and they're essentially invulnerable to attack from bacteria because bacteria don't want to eat resin and titanium.
So while you do need to care for your dental implants, you'll never have to worry about needing a cavity filled or a root canal.
Contact a clinic like Apollo Dental Center to learn more.
Every time you take a bite of food, you should be grateful for your healthy teeth! A tooth can lose its health and structure quickly once decay sets in. Luckily, if you visit your dentist for regular appointments, the decay should not get too serious before your dentist notices it and can do something about it. That "something" is applying a filling. On the other hand, if the decay progresses too long before it is caught, you may need a crown or even an extraction.
We want to keep our teeth, and we know you want to keep yours. That's why we created this website to teach you more about dentists and dental care. Enjoy!