Dental implants have earned a stellar reputation for success over the past few decades. In fact, today’s treatments boast a 98 percent success rate! But there is still a small margin of procedures that unfortunately fail. Thankfully, much of the longevity of your implants comes down to care and maintenance that you can easily do yourself. Here’s how to protect your new smile and increase the odds that your results last a lifetime!
Avoiding Implant Failure
While sometimes implant failure is out of your control, there are many ways to give them the best odds for survival possible. Here are just a few behaviors you can adopt to protect your new teeth from failing.
Quit Smoking
If you are a smoker or use tobacco products of any kind, it is important to quit. Smoking thins the blood, making it harder for your implants to heal properly, and putting them at higher risk of failure. Furthermore, it can also increase your risk of oral cancer and gum disease, both of which can easily cause oral and overall health problems that cause everything from dental implant failure to death.
Follow Your Aftercare Instructions
Following your dental implant procedure, you will be given a detailed set of aftercare instructions. These have been specifically designed to help you heal faster and allow your dental implants to successfully integrate with your jawbones. Care instructions include things like eating a soft diet at first, how to brush and floss your new teeth, and when you should notify your dentist if you notice any changes.
Keep Up the Good Work
Regardless of why you lost your natural teeth, dental implants are an important second chance at a beautiful smile. Don’t squander this opportunity by failing to care for your new teeth properly. Even though they can’t decay, it is still necessary to brush and floss your dental implants daily to prevent things like gum disease which can cause them to fail and you to lose any remaining natural teeth.
Keep Your Guard Up
Finally, if you play sports or grind your teeth, these behaviors can increase your risk of dental implant failure. Thus, be sure to protect yourself by getting a custom mouth guard from your dentist. These can keep your teeth safe from damage that could cause tooth damage, excessive wear, and your implants to come loose!
Remember, it may not always be possible to prevent dental l implants from failing, but with these tips, you can greatly reduce your risk. If you have any questions or concerns about how to protect yours, contact your dentist for assistance.
About Our Practice
At Smile Design Implant Centers, we want your dental implants to be a success.
Dr. Ricciardi and Dr. Winfield have been helping patients like you restore their smiles with the help of these durable, natural-looking prosthetics for years, and are proud to provide you with the keys for a lifetime of smiles.
If you’re interested in learning more about dental implants and whether this treatment is right for you, please visit our website to schedule a consultation, or call us today at 775-391-6636.