Implant care
First things first: brushing your teeth is good and important, but not enough. And good dental hygiene is essential, but dental hygiene and implant hygiene are two different things.
How do I care for dental implants?
Dental implants require extended hygiene. There is a simple reason for this: real teeth and gums lie directly next to each other. Both are closely interwoven with special fibers. Normally, there is no space in between. However, bacteria can colonize between the implant and the gums or bone and lead to inflammation or peri-implantitis. This must be avoided at all costs through good oral and dental hygiene. The following measures are therefore important:
- Clean your teeth thoroughly with a toothbrush at least twice a day.
- Clean the interdental spaces daily with – unwaxed – dental floss.
- For large interdental spaces, an interdental brush should be used in addition to dental floss.
- Regular peri-implantitis prophylaxis by your dentist includes professional teeth cleaning. Normally, a six-monthly cycle applies, but this can also be much shorter depending on the individual hygiene situation of the oral cavity. During a professional cleaning, dental plaque is usually removed using a powder jet device or ultrasound. A type of “sandblaster” is used here, although the fine, warm cleaning jet does not contain sand but a salt mixture.
- Smoking should be avoided completely. Smoking is one of the most dangerous causes of peri-implantitis in implant wearers.
