Health

Dental Implant Precautions: 5 Things Patients Must Avoid

Dental implant precautions every patient should know: smoking, teeth grinding, plaque, hard impacts and hard food can all shorten the life of your implant.

Dental implant being checked by a dentist

Relying on dentures to cover missing or lost teeth may no longer be the way to go. Besides being hard to care for, dentures make eating uncomfortable. You have to put the artificial teeth in before cleaning your teeth after a meal, or take them out before bed because of the worry that you might swallow them in your sleep. With the latest breakthrough in dental implants, you won't run into any of that.

The Latest Dental Implant Breakthrough

It's time to stop worrying and fussing over how to deal with missing teeth. Dental implants have become the trend for replacing missing teeth. Most dentists recommend an implant, or tooth planting, to patients who have missing or lost teeth. The implant is placed through oral surgery, by embedding an object such as a titanium screw, which is safe for the teeth and mouth, into the jawbone.

A synthetic crown is then attached to restore the look of the tooth, replacing the crown that was removed. To date, only a few cases of complications from implants have been reported. The negative effects patients experienced were not fatal and could still be treated. That said, getting a dental implant costs quite a lot.

But considering the benefits and function, the high price is justified by the quality you get, because an implant can last a lifetime. There are in fact many advantages to getting an implant compared with the budget the procedure takes. Even so, you still need to follow the restrictions that come with dental implants.

Read Also: Dental Implant Procedure and Success Rate Explained

Things to Avoid With Dental Implants

There are several things that implant, or tooth planting, patients should avoid, including:

  • Smoking

Patients who get a dental implant should avoid smoking. Smoking can damage the bone that supports the implant and the teeth, so the implant can come loose. If you want your dental implant to last, you should quit smoking.

  • Teeth Grinding

This habit can also shorten the life of an implant once it is in place. It can even cause the implant to fail.

  • Food Debris Between Teeth, Tartar and Plaque

Food debris, tartar and plaque can cause an infection that makes the implant come loose.

  • Hard Impacts

Another thing to avoid with dental implants is a hard impact. A direct, hard blow to the implant can shift it or knock it out of position.

  • Eating Food That Is Too Hard

Hard food can slowly wear down the crown attached to the implant.

Those are some of the things implant patients should avoid so that the implant can last a long time.

Other Articles: How to Care for Dental Implants to Keep Them Strong & Healthy