Maintenance of dental implants: what hygiene to adopt.?

First of all, apart from traumatology, the recourse to dental implants follows a microbial disease, whether carious disease or periodontal disease . Patients with implants are therefore patients who have one day combined all the factors allowing the occurrence of these diseases, and dental loss. These patients are therefore at risk.

Then, dental implants require appropriate dental hygiene. Indeed, the diameter of a dental implant cannot be exactly the same as that of a natural tooth; this is especially true for molars, which can measure up to 12mm in diameter, whereas a dental implant will measure a maximum of 6mm in diameter. This difference implies that the shape of implant-supported teeth is slightly different from that of natural teeth, they are a little more triangular. This anatomical particularity therefore requires meticulous cleaning of the interdental spaces, with appropriate means.

The maintenance and care given to dental implants will have a significant impact on the long-term success of this treatment. In other words, the better you take care of it, the longer the implant will last.

This implant maintenance is based on two approaches:

If you are considering the implant solution to replace one or more teeth, be aware that dental surgeons generally set up a post-operative visit protocol to monitor the progress of the treatment and ensure the patient’s good oral health. . Ideally, he will offer you a implant passport containing all the data on the prosthesis or prostheses placed. Thanks to this document, it will be much easier to trace and monitor the chosen implant system over time.

What are the risks of poor implant maintenance?

In natural teeth, through the accumulation of dental plaque, poor oral hygiene can lead to gingivitis and then periodontitis  and tooth loss. With implants, it’s pretty much the same thing…

The major risk is that of inflammation forming around the implant. This gingival inflammation, called perimucositis , is caused by the presence of bacteria in the oral cavity. It is characterized by swelling of the tissue around the implant and can be considered the peri-implant equivalent of gingivitis. At this stage, the condition is reversible if the factor (proliferation of bacteria) is treated in time.

If not treated in time, perimucositis can attack the bone tissue and lead to progressive resorption of the bone, which can ultimately cause a loss of stability of the implant. At this advanced stage, it is called peri-implantitis . The treatment of this pathology requires surgery due to its irreversible nature.

What are the precautions to take post-operatively?

Following the placement of one or more dental implants, it is necessary to follow a number of instructions  :

How to maintain your dentures on implants?

Maintaining your dental implants requires first and foremost good dental hygiene . Whether for natural teeth, prostheses or other dental veneers, brushing your teeth is the basics in terms of maintenance and hygiene.

Brushing of teeth and implants should be done after each meal, at least twice a day for three minutes. To optimize its effectiveness, we recommend performing the brushing movement starting from the gums towards the tooth.

Using an electric toothbrush generally offers better results thanks to the rotating head. If you have the possibility, prefer it to the classic toothbrush.

WARNING: above all, do not use an electric toothbrush on the implants for 3 months following their placement (the vibrations of the brush could disturb the proper osseointegration of the implants).

To complete the brushing, you can use once a day, preferably in the evening, an interdental brush or dental floss which will allow you in both cases to reach the areas between the teeth or the implants and remove the deposits which are at the origin of the formation of dental plaque.

The use of interdental brushes is essential for cleaning the interdental spaces at the level of implant-supported molars (because this space is wider than in natural teeth).

There are also dental floss dedicated to the maintenance of implants . These threads have a thin insert and a thicker part, like foam (they look a bit like shoelaces!). This type of wire is essential for cleaning bridge pontics (on implants or on natural teeth), and their design allows precise insertion into dental spaces, and very effective cleaning.