Dental implants can be a marvelous way to replace a tooth lost due to age, infection, or injury. While these prosthetic devices are in many ways stronger than natural teeth, they still require proper oral hygiene and careful chewing practices to stay in great shape and last as long as they can. Here’s a brief guide to a few bad habits that can degrade or destroy your dental implants as well as a few tips for kicking them.
Your Bottle Opener Is Your Smile’s Friend
Many people are in the unfortunate habit of using their teeth to open bottles or packages. Using implants or natural teeth to crack open a soda or tear open a box constitutes dental abuse and sends countless people to their emergency dentist’s office due to chipped, cracked, fractured, and even dislodged teeth. Instead of using your smile to open a beverage or packet, use a bottle opener, a box cutter, or another appropriate tool.
Dental Implants Aren’t Designed for Chewing Inedible Items
Some people chew ice or found objects like paperclips or writing utensils due to stress, boredom, or frustration. Unfortunately, this habit is a recipe for disaster for natural teeth and dental implants alike. These objects are too hard for teeth and implants to handle, and chewing on them can damage enamel, break teeth, or even increase the likelihood of implant failure. If you need something to chew when you’re bored, try a brand of sugar-free gum that has the American Dental Association’s seal of approval.
Don’t Smoke Your Implants’ Chances of Success
Tobacco use in any form is terrible for your oral health in general, but it is particularly damaging for dental implants when they are first placed. Nicotine, the addictive chemical in tobacco, has the side effect of causing blood vessels to constrict, which makes it harder for the gums to heal and fight infection.
While a patient is recovering from dental implant surgery, this can compromise the process of the implant integrating with the bone and gum tissue surrounding it, causing the implant to fail sooner. Patients should stop smoking at least two weeks before receiving dental implants, and, while it’s best to quit completely at that point, they should refrain from the habit for at least two months afterward.
Dental implants can last for a lifetime if they receive excellent care. By cutting out these habits, you can keep your smile beautiful while avoiding the need for expensive repairs or restorative dental procedures.
About the Author
Dr. Tarangini Suggala earned her dental degree at the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine and has more than a decade of experience in her field. She continues her education with postgraduate coursework and is an Invisalign certified provider. Her office in Carrollton offers general, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry such as dental implants. To learn more about protecting your dental implants, contact her office online or dial (972) 446-1111.