Dental implants are natural, fully functional, permanent restorations for lost teeth. But in order to keep them healthy and prevent failure, you may need to make some lifestyle changes to protect them. Here’s what you can do at home to ensure that your new teeth stay in place for a lifetime!
Quit Smoking
If you smoke, it’s important to quit for both your overall health and the health of your dental implants. Smoking can decrease the blood flow to your gums, which can slow or impair the healing process and increase your risk of implant failure.
Improve Hygiene
If you weren’t always diligent about your oral hygiene, it’s time to start. Even though dental implants aren’t “real” teeth, they still need to be brushed twice a day and flossed once a day. This keeps any remaining natural teeth healthy, as well as keeps your implants clean and your gums safe from harmful bacteria that could cause periodontal disease.
Watch Your Diet
Be sure to pack your diet full of healthy, nutritious foods that are easy on your dental implants. Following your procedure, be sure to slowly introduce harder and tougher options gradually so your jaw has time to heal, and stick to lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, and plenty of calcium-rich fare to help promote bone healing.
Medical Condition Management
If you have any medical conditions such as diabetes or osteoporosis, both can affect your teeth and gums and could even threaten your dental implants. Thus, it is important to remain under medical supervision for these issues and inform your dentist if you have any conditions that they should be aware of before beginning the dental implant process.
Remember, with proper care and maintenance, your dental implants will last a lifetime. However, if you don’t make these important lifestyle changes it could cause them to fail, so be sure to understand these risks before you begin your treatment journey.
About Dr. Harrison-McClain
Dr. Deidra Harrison-McClain has known since sixth grade that she wanted to be a dentist, and today she uses that same drive and passion to help her patients protect and improve their oral health. If you’ve been searching for a solution to missing teeth, let Dr. Harrison-McClain and the team at Goodlettsville Smiles introduce you to the many benefits of dental implants.
To schedule your dental implant consultation, please visit our website or call us at 615-859-0188.