Once the patient has the implants correctly placed in the mouth, it is necessary and essential from that moment on, carry out a good maintenance of these dental implants as well as of the prosthesis on the implants and the rest of the teeth.
We must bear in mind that chewing involves a series of movements involving many muscles in the face, some of which can exert tremendous force on our teeth when chewing. Natural teeth are endowed with defense mechanisms against those traumas suffered by the forces of chewing; among them one of the most important is the periodontal ligament, a structure that surrounds the roots inside the bone and acts as a shock absorber. However, dental implants do not have this periodontal ligament, not allowing any flexibility, it is therefore fundamental After any implantology treatment, establish maintenance and control routines for these implants throughout life, in the same way as with the rest of the mouth.
Thanks to this monitoring we will be able to detect any problem in time and fix it before it’s too late. A complication that today may seem insignificant, tomorrow may lead to the loss of the implant, the surrounding tissues and even the prosthesis. For example, the mobility or fracture of a poorly adjusted implant, or the inflammatory involvement of tissues that surround the implant with destruction of the bone tissue that supports it, known as peri-implantitis.
How to ensure the correct maintenance of dental implants?
The maintenance of dental implants is carried out mainly complying with two fundamental aspects. On the one hand, establishing a correct oral hygiene at home to try to adequately control plaque bacteria.
On the other hand, the second important point in the maintenance of dental implants is make regular visits to the dentist for the revision of dental implants, in which the progress of the patient with the prosthesis on the implants (satisfaction, comfort and aesthetics) and the health of the supporting and surrounding tissues are assessed.
- Hygiene and cleaning of dental implants
It is essential for a correct maintenance of the implants, an adequate tooth brushing and the use of the Dental Floss and mouth irrigator to effectively clean debris around implant prosthesis and teeth.
After dental implant placement, appointments are required to review hygiene at appropriate intervals in order to continue monitoring the control of oral dirt, thus avoiding the appearance of pathologies around the implant and allowing them to last for a long time.
- Implant maintenance and control visits
During the first year consecutive after implant placement, follow-up visits will be everythree or four months.
After the first year, a sequence of reviews will be assigned based on the patient’s needs. However, the longest interval between implant revision visits will be a maximum of six months.
At each check-up appointment, the dentist will assess the tissue surrounding the implant abutment and any changes in color and consistency that the implant may present will be noted.
Normally, to assess the connection between the tissue and the implant, a technique that we callprobing. In this test it is very important since it helps us assess the health of the dental tissue around natural teeth and implants. In this measure, a plastic periodontal probe is used to protect the implant so that it is not damaged.
On many occasions, especially in cases of large restorations, it is necessary and highly recommended to place aBracebetween the teeth, which is a device made of a plastic material that serves to relax the muscles of the face and avoid great stress on dental implants.
