Dental implants have undoubtedly transformed how we replace missing teeth, providing a natural and long-term solution that improves your confidence and function.

According to the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, about three million people in the US have dental implants, which grow by 500,000 annually. If you have a missing tooth or set of teeth that affects your smile aesthetics and self-esteem, securing dental implants could be the remedy you seek.

After the dental implant placement procedure, your orthodontist will give you tips on how to care for them. Nonetheless, if you are an excellent candidate for dental implants, educating yourself on how to care for them could help ensure their longevity and the optimal results you want to achieve.

What is a Dental Implant?

A dental implant is a titanium post that your orthodontist surgically places on your jawbone to act as a tooth root for holding your new custom-made tooth replacement (dental crown) in place. They also provide a strong and long-lasting foundation for dentures and bridges, closely resembling the function and appearance of your natural teeth.

The stability is due to a process known as osseointegration, which occurs when the implant begins to fuse with your jawbone, providing long-lasting support that other tooth replacement remedies cannot match. While dental implants are long-lasting, having an excellent oral care routine and scheduling frequent dental check-ups are key to preventing failures and several other complications, such as:

  • Infections
  • Implant failure
  • Gum disease

However, with excellent care and adequate professional guidance, dental implants can offer you a lifetime of appealing and confident smiles.

Top Ten Tips That Can Help You Avoid Dental Implant Failure and Other Complications

After receiving your dental implants, you must care for them to ensure optimal oral health and avoid complications. Here are tips that can help you avoid issues with this expensive investment for a lasting, beautiful smile:

Consult With a Qualified and Seasoned Dentist

The first step you should take to avoid issues after receiving dental implants pertains to the dentist you choose. Ensure you take ample time to find a qualified dentist with experience offering similar services to several other clients, and he/she can demonstrate mastery in this field.

Ensure the dentist you settle for understands the scope of complications you could experience after the dental implant placement procedure. The chances of making certain mistakes during the implant placement will be less if you work with a seasoned dentist, reducing the risk of complications. For example, an untrained dentist could install your dental implant improperly, causing a delay in osseointegration.

As explained in the previous paragraph, osseointegration occurs when the dental implant fuses with your jawbone tissue and nerve cells to support the artificial tooth.

Therefore, when this process fails due to the dentist's mistakes or a substandard dental implant installation procedure, you could be at risk of severe pain, infections, and injuries to the nerve endings. That could necessitate immediate assistance from a qualified dentist, attracting additional expenses you would not expect.

Further, you should secure the services of a professional dentist who understands the importance of using your medical records to create a treatment plan. Without prior training and certifications, a dentist could overlook your allergies or the likelihood of developing other health issues linked to this surgical procedure.

In this situation, you could experience complications, which you could avoid by choosing a credible and skilled dentist who understands the importance of inquiring about your medical background before recommending the treatment.

Provide Your Comprehensive Medical Record

Disclosing your medical background to your dentist is vital, especially if it is your first appointment with him/her or several months or years have passed since you checked in with him/her. If your dentist does not have adequate information about your medical history, it could be challenging for him/her to know what you are allergic to.

Therefore, disclosing your medical history to your dentist is crucial, especially if you usually experience reactions or allergies due to medications used during the surgical procedure, like anesthesia or sedatives. That way, the dentist will understand what medications to avoid during the dental implant placement for your health's sake.

The medical record you provide to the dentist should include all the medical health problems you have once experienced. For example, when a doctor diagnoses you with osteoporosis, you should let your dentist know because this condition reduces your bone density.

If you have severe bone loss, your dentist could recommend alternative treatments, including bone grafting and different designs for your unique dental implants. Ensure you inform your dentist if you are taking any prescriptions because a combination of certain drugs could cause severe reactions.

Refrain From Habits That Could Damage Your Dental Implants

While dental implants are generally strong, certain habits could damage them or reduce their durability, including the following:

  • Smoking — Even if you do not have dental implants, smoking is a habit with several detrimental effects on your oral and dental health. If you have implants, tobacco could slow the healing process and increase your risk of developing an infection
  • Using your teeth as tools — if you have dental implants, you should refrain from using your teeth to bite on hard objects, like a pen or open bottles, because these habits could damage your implant and teeth
  • Eating chewy or sticky foods — Chewing hard foods like nuts could stress your dental implant and the surrounding jawbone, slowing the healing process. On the other hand, sticky foods could stick or become trapped in between the brackets and the teeth, increasing your chances of developing cavities

Maintain a Thorough and Consistent Oral Care Routine

If you allow harmful bacteria to thrive in your mouth, they could invade the incision site and tissues surrounding the implant, causing it to fail. That is why it is advisable to maintain a consistent oral care routine after a dental implant placement surgery. Including:

  • Brushing at least twice daily — Clean around your gums, teeth, and implants using a non-abrasive toothpaste and toothbrush with soft bristles. An electric toothbrush can also help keep cavity-causing bacteria at bay. Using a toothbrush with soft bristles is particularly helpful during the first few days following a dental implant placement because your gums are still sensitive
  • Flossing at least twice daily — Using interdental brushes or dental floss can help remove food particles stuck between your dental implants and teeth, preventing the accumulation of bacteria (plaque formation)
  • Rinsing your mouth with antibacterial mouthwash — Rinsing your mouth with antibacterial mouthwash daily can help keep the bad bacteria off your mouth and prevent implant failure

Generally speaking, excellent oral hygiene helps prevent the risk of peri-implantitis, which is the inflammation around your dental implant, increasing your risk of bone loss and implant failure. Before you leave your dentist's clinic after the implant placement surgery, he/she will guide you on how to stay on top of your dental and oral health and ensure implant longevity.

Avoid Activities and Operations That Pose a Risk of Injury

After making steady progress with your recovery after dental implant placement surgery, you could become more comfortable performing your usual daily activities. However, you need to be vigilant to avoid anything that can put you at risk of sustaining an injury to the jawbone.

A jawbone injury could weaken the tissues surrounding it, eventually making your implant loose or causing swelling around your gums. Therefore, avoiding activities that could expose your jawbone to injury is a better idea, including high-impact sports, like rugby, wrestling, and basketball. A blow to your mouth area could affect your dental implant, even if you have a mouthguard.

Stay Hydrated and Eat a Well-Balanced Diet

Drinking a lot of water rinses bacteria and food particles in your mouth after eating. Also, drinking plenty of water helps stimulate saliva production to counteract acidity in your mouth.

Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet is also critical after dental implant placement surgery. A balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D can help boost your bone health. Vitamin-rich foods, like kale, also help support gum tissue health. Limiting your sugary foods or sugar intake is advisable after dental implant surgery.

Consuming too much sugar feeds the bad bacteria in your mouth, increasing your chances of developing cavities or gum disease, ultimately affecting your dental implant's integrity.

Address Teeth Grinding (Bruxism) Promptly

Also known as bruxism, teeth grinding is a condition that makes you clench, grind, rub, or squeeze your teeth during the day (awake bruxism) or at night (sleep bruxism). If you have bruxism, you should inform your dentist about this issue during the initial consultation. If left untreated, the condition will put too much pressure on your dental implants, undermining their stability and durability.

Treating teeth grinding will also eliminate the jaw pain associated with the condition, which could make you uncomfortable when you have your implants.

If you have bruxism, your dentist might recommend wearing a specially designed mouthguard to cushion your teeth and dental implants, especially when sleeping.

Manage and Address Any Chronic Health Condition

Some health conditions, like diabetes and osteoporosis, can affect the success of your dental implants. If you have one of these or other chronic conditions, you must work closely with your health care provider to help manage and control them. Be sure to adhere to your prescribed treatment plan, see your dentist regularly, and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Schedule Regular Follow-Up Appointments With Your Dentist

Although you typically have to visit your dentist at least two times a year or once every six months, your dentist might require you to have follow-up appointments more often if you have had a dental implant. Follow-up appointments with your dentist are important to the long-term success of your dental implant.

Your dentist will thoroughly inspect the areas surrounding your implant and check your gum health during these appointments. Your dentist could also recommend an X-ray to determine if there are complications beneath your gumline. Early detection of any health issue that could affect your oral health or dental implant makes treatment cheap and effective.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your dental implants, these follow-up appointments allow you to address these issues with your dentist.

Pay Attention to Any Changes in Your Mouth

Stay vigilant to notice any unusual changes in your mouth, including soreness, swelling, or redness around the dental implant. These signs could be a sign of a bacterial infection or other medical health conditions that require immediate medical attention.

Early intervention could help resolve any problem before it progresses to severe levels. When you notice any unusual health issues in your mouth after receiving your dental implant, consult with your dentist immediately.

Conduct Thorough Research on Dental Implant Options Available

Finally, conducting prior research on the various types of dental implants can give you an idea of the ideal type for your unique condition. Thanks, all the details you need to make this decision are available online, as long as you have your smartphone or laptop. Common types of dental implants your dentist could recommend include:

  • Endosteal
  • Subperiosteal

Endosteal implants are the most prevalent type of implants that most patients prefer because the dentist inserts them inside the jawbone to offer firm anchorage for the artificial tooth. On the other hand, subperiosteal implants sit underneath your gum tissues. If you have experienced severe bone loss, your dentist could recommend these implants.

Find a Dentist Near Me

Feeling at ease with your dental implants is more than just solving your current problems. It is about adopting habits and a lifestyle that promote excellent oral health and instill confidence. By understanding possible causes of dental implant failure and other associated complications, you can enjoy the aesthetic and functional benefits without discomfort and unnecessary pain.

Any proactive step in caring for your dental and oral health after dental implant placement surgery goes a long way in maintaining that attractive and perfect smile. Our credible dentists at Washington Dental are here to help if you or a loved one needs dental implants to restore a missing tooth or close a tooth gap.

Call us at 310-217-1507 to schedule your first obligation-free consultation with our credible dentists, wherever you are in Los Angeles, Carson, Lomita, or Torrance.