How to take care of your Dental Implants | Implant Dentistry Hartland Wi Bailey Family Dental

Once you receive your dental implants, you can have peace-of-mind in knowing that you have chosen a successful tooth replacement option, with long-term success rates of well over 95%. Your implant will look, feel and function just like the natural teeth that it has replaced.
However, despite the natural appearance, when you visit us for a regular cleaning, you may notice that we are using special instruments to clean around the implant. Cleaning around implants differs from the maintenance of your natural teeth for two reasons:

1. Your implants attach to the surrounding bone and gums in a very different way from your natural teeth.
2. The materials that comprise your implants are very different than those that make up your natural teeth.

Cleaning implants is just as important as cleaning natural teeth, because both depend on healthy surrounding tissues for support. Just as bacterial biofilm (plaque) collects on your natural teeth, it can also collect on your implant. That is why it is very important to brush and floss thoroughly on a daily basis at home. Without daily biofilm removal, the gums surrounding your implant can become infected, leading to bone loss and eventually loss of the implant.

Your regular dental cleanings will also play an important role in keeping dental implants infection-free, and we will select the right instruments for a professional cleaning. We will ensure that these instruments will not damage the crown, abutment, or the implant itself. If implants are scratched, they can attract and harbor bacteria. That's why the instruments we use, called scalers and curettes, are most often made of plastics and resins. Natural teeth don't scratch in the same way, and therefore metal instruments need to be used to clean them.
A number of power instruments have nylon or plastic sheaths or tips to minimize implant damage. They clean by using high-frequency vibration, which may be necessary if large quantities of debris have accumulated on your implant. We use these on a low power setting with a lot of water irrigation, and sometimes antibacterial solutions, to clean and flush material.
When it comes to keeping your implants infection-free, keep in mind that the most successful formula will be consistent oral hygiene at home mixed with regular dental cleanings.
If you would like more information about maintaining your dental implants, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Dental Implant Maintenance.”
Serving Waukesha, Oconomowoc, and Hartland Wisconsin, Bailey Family Dental is most concerned with your comfort. Hartland Dentists Drs Terese and Richard Bailey and their friendly staff will explain treatment options and give estimates before you begin your treatments. To learn more, feel free to go to our website at www.bailyfamilydental.com, or call us at 262-369-8633. Our office is located at 557 Cottonwood avenue, Hartland Wisconsin.