First Holiday Season With Dental Implants? 4 Tips To Help Avoid Problems

If this will be your first holiday season with dental implants, you'll need to take some steps to keep them safe and healthy. Dental implants are a great way to replace missing teeth, but they do need special care. Here are some tips that will help you protect your implants during the holidays:

Choose the Right Dental Tools

If you're new to dental implant care, you might not realize that some dental tools are better than others when it comes to daily oral hygiene. While ordinary toothbrushes do a good job at getting rid of the surface buildup, they're not very good at getting between the implants, and below the gum line. To make sure you get your implants properly cleaned, give yourself a gift this holiday, and switch to an interdental toothbrush, which is designed to fit between the implants. It's also a good idea to invest in a Waterpik device. Using both the interdental brush and the Waterpik will ensure that your entire mouth is clean, including between the implants and below the gum line.

Start a Smoking Cessation Program

If you were a smoker, your dentist probably advised you to stop smoking prior to your implant surgery. Smoking can cause increased bleeding after surgery and can increase the risk of post-operative infection. If you began smoking again after your implants healed, you should begin a smoking cessation program as part of your New Years resolution for good health. You might not realize this, but smoking when you have implants can increase the risk of implant failure and infections; even after you've healed from surgery.

Invest in a Mouth Guard

During the holidays, it's not uncommon to get involved in family sporting events. If you're expecting to get involved in winter sports during the holidays, you need to invest in a mouth guard. Contact sports can lead to serious injuries that can knock your implants loose, or even out. Not only that, but injuries involving contact with your face can cause serious injuries to your mouth. Wearing a mouth guard during outdoor activities can help protect your implants and prevent injuries to your mouth.

Know When to See the Dentist

When you have dental implants, it's important to watch for signs of infection and other issues relating to your implants. Some implant problems will require immediate attention by your dentist. Here are some things you should watch for; yellowish discharge around the gums, loose or painful implants. If you notice any of those problems, contact your dentist as soon as possible.

Check out a website like http://silverstonefamilydental.com for more information and assistance.