Dental implants are one of the best modern tooth replacement solutions. They typically last a very long time and function, feel, and look just like your natural teeth. This also means that the dental implant care routine is very similar to your natural teeth care. Your dental implants need to be brushed twice and flossed every day. In this article, we will explain the necessity of such a routine and give tips for flossing with dental implants.
Why Do You Have to Brush and Floss Your Dental Implants?
The first reason dental implants need to be properly cared for is to last you as long as possible. Getting dental implants is an expensive and time-consuming procedure, so you probably will want their lifespan to be good. Brushing your dental implants twice a day, just like your natural teeth, will get rid of food particles and bacteria and prevent pluck buildup.
Apart from brushing, you need to floss around dental implants every day. Unfortunately, your toothbrush can not always reach all the areas in your mouth, especially between the teeth. The pluck builds up easily in these areas and causes gum inflammation inf, infection, and even gum disease. An infection similar to gum disease called peri-implantitis can also become an issue. Once this happens, your gums become a bad support for tooth restoration. This can lead to dental implants failing. Follow our dental implant care and flossing tips to avoid these problems.
Tips for Flossing With Dental Implants
Even though dental implants function just like your natural teeth, they are still an artificial restoration solution, and flossing them requires a slightly different approach.
Be Careful
Your natural teeth are fused with the gum, while dental implants, being artificial teeth, are not. The alternative for the natural fusion is the peri-implant seal. Flossing too harshly can damage the seal. This allows bacteria to collect in the gum pockets and leads to infections.
Move your floss in gentle sliding motions up and down the sides of dental implants. Hold the floss around your fingers while cleaning your teeth. Then, release one side of the floss to gently remove it from your mouth.
Choose the Right Floss
The best floss for dental implants is one that does not easily shred or break. A piece of shedding floss might get easily stuck in your mouth and cause irritation or infection.
Try an Oral Irrigator
Some patients find it challenging to get used to traditional floss with dental implants. As an alternative, you can try using an oral irrigator, also known as a water flosser. It works by producing a pressurized water stream, which helps loosen and clean away food particles from your teeth. It is especially useful for cleaning along the gum line, as you can not floss this area with traditional floss. However, overall, traditional floss is still thought to be more effective than a water flosser. It is best to use a water flosser as an addition to traditional flossing.
Make Sure You Thread the Floss Properly
The goal of flossing is to clean the space between the gums and dental implants. Try to clean not just the space where the teeth touch each other but also under the edges of the gum lines. It is important to clean these spots to prevent the biofilm from collecting and causing infections.
You can use a floss threader. It has a loop at one end and threads the dental floss through the loop to clean the implants properly. You can also floss around the base of each tooth by wrapping the floss in a “C” shape against the side of the implant and moving the thread up and down.
While it is true that dental implants do not get cavities, they still need to be cleaned properly. One of the most common mistakes in dental implant care routine is overlooking flossing. You can use a traditional floss, a floss holder, or an oral irrigator to clean away the pluck and food residue. This will ensure your dental implants’ overall oral health and good lifespan.
If you want to learn more about properly caring for your dental implants or have any other concerns connected to dental implants, visit our office at Innovative Smiles LB and get a personalized consultation with our qualified dentists.
