The dental implant is one of the most important surgeries regarding oral health. It is also the best option for you if you are missing a tooth. Maintaining it for a long time is also crucial for your oral health and overall health. Making them last longer depends on many things, like your dietary habits, the quality of oral care you have been provided during the surgery, and the expertise of the oral surgeon working on you.
Regardless of their conditions, you can make your implants last longer by following your dentist’s post-operative care instructions properly. These are the tips by an expert in dental implants in Knoxville that will let you know how long the implants typically last and the things you should do and avoid if you had an implant.
How Much Implants Typically Last?
If you had an implant just now, you should know how much an implant usually lasts in a person’s mouth. You should ask your dentist about its longevity, but the average implant lasts for 20 to 30 years, and in some cases, it may last for a lifetime. That depends on how you maintain it and how you maintain your oral health.
However, the teeth that are prosthetic and attached to your implants need to be changed every 15-20 years. Prosthetics will also last longer if you take care of it properly. You should ask your dentist how to make it last longer; he will advise you on this matter more professionally and correctly.
Some factors greatly affect the life of your implants, like your oral hygiene; it is one of the most important aspects that decide the life of your implant on your teeth. If your oral hygiene is good, it will help your implants last longer. If you smoke and drink regularly after getting implants, they will expire much sooner than they expire without alcohol intake.
Some medical conditions like diabetes and autoimmune conditions also affect the implants in terms of healing speed and accuracy. Good bone density helps your implants last longer; that’s why you need to examine your bone density before getting implants.
Maintain Proper Oral Hygiene
Proper oral health and hygiene play a very important role in the longevity of the implants. You should brush your teeth regularly, and also flossing your teeth after lunch and dinner helps your mouth be clean. Get your oral health checked regularly within a month or two after getting implants; the dentist will be able to detect if there is any problem with the implants and will advise you not to do something that directly harms it.
Mouthwash also helps you stay healthy, so you should prefer antibacterial mouthwash that gets rid of all the bacteria present in your mouth, keeping your oral health intact.
Stay Away From Harmful Habits
Harmful habits equally destroy your oral health as it does your overall health. They usually include drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and constantly chewing gum. They slow down the healing process of your mouth and, while doing so, greatly affect your implant’s longevity negatively.
Excessive alcohol stains your teeth and is a threat to your oral health. Chewing hard candies and ice might cause your prosthetics and implants to loosen quite a bit; you should stay away from them, or you can use them but under the limit or as per the prescription of your dentist.
Consult Your Dentist Now!
After getting dental implants, you should ask your dentist about how to make them last longer; he will give you some post-operative care instructions that need to be followed properly and precisely. If you still face an issue with your implants, you can contact them and let them know what is happening with your implants; they will guide you in the right and healthy direction.