The care and maintenance of your dental implants is critical for your continued dental health. Dental implant maintenance includes a few specific things.
#1 – Prescribed Mouth Rinse
For those patients who recently have had their dental implants placed, they need to use the prescribed mouth rinse, Peridex, for a period of two weeks, rinsing twice a day.
#2 – Salt Water Rinses
After using Peridex and until the dental implants are in full function, the patient needs to keep the area clean using warm salt water rinses twice a day. The salt water rinses should continue until the soft tissue over or around the implants is completely healed. This is usually for another 4 weeks.
#3 – Tooth Brushing and Water Picking
After the salt water rinses have concluded, the use of very light tooth brushing and water picking of the area is acceptable. If you have the All on 4 immediately attached denture, you will need to use the water pick under the denture beginning in week 4 after surgery.
Recovery Phase Maintenance
When a dental implant is placed under the gum line to heal and subsequently uncovered, or as we like to term the recovery phase, the recommendation is the same. After it is recovered: Mouth rinse (if prescribed), warm saltwater for 4 weeks, light brushing and water pick afterwards.
When a dental implant is placed under the gum line to heal and subsequently uncovered, or as we like to term the recovery phase, the recommendation is the same. After it is recovered: Mouth rinse (if prescribed), warm saltwater for 4 weeks, light brushing and water pick afterwards.
Generally speaking, after the dental implants are placed then subsequently recovered for use, we see the patient for hygiene visits every three months for the first year, then every six months thereafter. If the patient has an underlying periodontal condition or any questionable area which requires observation over a longer period of time, the doctor may assign a different hygiene visit schedule. The soft tissue around implants must be maintained in order for the implants to be successful.
Toothbrush Recommendation
We recommend the Sonicare Toothbrush.The Diamond Care model is best for keeping natural and ceramic teeth the whitest. However, if you have an attached denture a regular Sonicare is perfectly acceptable.
In our office we keep the Diamond Care stocked for our patients’ convenience.
Great tips. Dental implants are something you want to last your lifetime, especially after all of the money and time as a patient you put into their placement. Proper maintenance of dental implants should become an important part of your day to day routine. This can be accomplished by developing excellent oral hygiene habits. Remember, if you want your dental implants to last, you must take exceptional care of them.