Clean & Maintain Dental Implants
Keeping the oral cavity clean is imperative, whether there are dental implants or not, and cleaning and maintaining the dental implants, as well as the oral tissues, is crucial to the long-term success of any implant-supported dental restoration. When bacteria and food debris aren’t removed regularly, through routine brushing and interdental cleaning, the gums become inflamed, and infection can build around the dental implant. This inflammation, called peri-implantitis, can lead to implant failure, sometimes quite quickly and catastrophically, creating a crater in the bone around the implant and causing the implant to fall out. Clearly, this should be prevented from happening, and you and your dentist will work together to make sure it doesn’t. Your role in this team is important; you need to brush your implant restorations and any natural teeth, along with your gums and tongue, cleaning between and around and implants, abutments, and teeth with a specialized tool like an interdental brush or a water flosser. Your dental hygienist will also play a critical role, using professional tools to clean your implants safely and thoroughly.
How Does Cleaning Dental Implants Differ from Cleaning Natural Teeth?
Your dental hygienist will teach you how to keep your dental implants clean, making sure you know how to clean between and around your implants, and how to brush your dental restoration without damaging it. It’s often the case that some plaque will remain in the oral cavity, however, especially in areas that are difficult to reach, where it calcifies and turns into dental calculus, also known as tartar. Your dental hygienist will use specialized tools to professionally, safely remove tartar and other debris without damaging and scratching your dental restorations. Because dental implants rely on a few different materials, between the implant, the attachment abutment, and the porcelain crown or other dental prosthetic, they may need to use several different tools. This is important to maintain the appearance of the dental prosthetic, but it’s also important to keep the entire implant restoration scratch-free, as scratches can foster bacterial growth. Some of the tools your hygienist uses will be made of resin or plastic, which are less likely to scratch ceramic crowns, and they may also use ultrasonic instruments with nylon or plastic protective sheaths. These instruments are often used on lower power settings, removing and flushing large deposits of debris with high-frequency vibrations and continuous water irrigation. Your dental hygienist will also examine your implants, making sure that no part of the implant itself is exposed, which can indicate bone loss. When implant posts are exposed, they can be nearly impossible to clean, and your dentist will recommend treatment of the bone loss as part of the maintenance of the dental implant.
Because they’re permanent, cleaning dental implants at home is usually just as easy as cleaning the natural teeth, though there may be some new tools or techniques to get used to. Cleaning dental implants professionally poses some special considerations, but dental hygienists are well-trained in navigating these concerns, using the variety of tools and techniques at their disposal. Between you and your dental hygienist, you can learn and follow the most effective routines for cleaning and maintaining your dental implants, helping them provide you with decades of satisfaction.