Dental implants. Care and maintenance
Dental implants require regular professional maintenance as well as proper home care. Taking good care of dental implants is vital for long-term success.
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Oral hygiene
Proper and thorough oral hygiene is a prerequisite for successful dental implant rehabilitation. Poor oral hygiene dramatically increases the risk of failure.
After placement, implants need to be cleaned with a Teflon instrument (or the type your doctor recommends) to remove plaque. Because of the more precarious blood supply to the gingiva, care should be taken with dental floss.
You should carefully clean fixed implant restorations (crowns, bridges) as well. For example, a bridge should be brushed at least twice daily with fluoride paste and cleaned between the teeth and under the bridge with dental floss, interdental cleaners, and water jets.
dental implant cleaned with a Teflon instrument
implant-supported crown: flossing
Removable dentures supported by implants should be removed daily and cleaned separately. Particular attention should be given to the underneath gum area.
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Periodic monitoring
Regular checkups should be conducted at least twice a year. During checkups, the practitioner assesses the overall situation, verifies implant stability and integration, the status of the prosthetic devices, and makes the necessary adjustments.
The oral mucosa is checked, and professional teeth cleaning and tartar scaling are performed. You should report any pain, discomfort, or unusual signs during the checkups.
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Implant restorations should not be overloaded
It is advisable to avoid biting on hard pieces of food: peanuts or pistachios, very hard bread crumbs, etc.
Moreover, some conditions can harm dental implants and prosthetic devices. For example, bruxism is a condition that involves involuntary habitual grinding of the teeth, typically during sleep.
It would be best to inform your doctor as soon as you notice the first signs of such conditions.
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Maintenance of removable dentures
Removable dentures and overdentures require continuous maintenance. The female adapters housed in the denture need to be changed or refreshed every one to two years because they wear off. The operation is straightforward and quick.
Relining
Relining or rebasing is indicated when a removable denture fit has worsened, resulting in an unstable denture or tissue trauma. A denture relining involves refitting the tissue side of the denture to custom fit the mouth.
A removable denture fit can worsen due to 2 possible causes :
- The manufacturing material (usually acrylic) from the base of the denture has worn off or
- The bone beneath the denture underwent a process of remodeling and has diminished its height.
removable denture relining
Relining involves replacing the fitting surface with a new material, usually cold or heat-cured acrylic or tissue conditioner.
Relining can be carried out directly (at the dental office) or, more often, indirectly (at the dental lab). Generally, up to one appointment is required, and the procedure is not very expensive.
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