We are pleased to serve the community of Slidell, LA. Our doors are always open to welcome new patients who areready to receive the best in dental care.
Find Us:
Patient Library
Find helpful information in our digital library.
Archive:
- 2019
- 2018
- 2017
- 2016
- 2015
Tags
- celebrity smiles (55)
- oral health (18)
- dental hygiene (1)
- tooth contouring (1)
- cosmetic dentistry (8)
- dental injury (6)
- mouthguards (2)
- veneers (4)
- crowns (5)
- mouthguard (2)
- dental injuries (1)
- dentures (2)
- oral hygiene (20)
- pediatric care (1)
- teeth whitening (5)
- tooth bleaching (1)
- Toothache (4)
- nutrition (6)
- dental erosion (1)
- chipped teeth (1)
- sedation dentistry (1)
- oral sedation (1)
- athletic mouthguards (1)
- Dental Implants (12)
- orthodontics (4)
- braces (9)
- laser dentistry (2)
- gum disease (15)
- wisdom teeth (4)
- periodontal disease (4)
- root canal (4)
- Root Canals (2)
- dental sealants (1)
- bone grafting (2)
- pediatric dentistry (6)
- tooth decay (9)
- sealants (1)
- tooth staining (1)
- bad breath (1)
- bonding (1)
- Fillings (1)
- abscessed tooth (1)
- partial denture (1)
- dental emergency (1)
- anesthesia (1)
- periodontal (gum) disease (1)
- restorative dentistry (3)
- geographic tongue (1)
- teeth wear (1)
- air abrasion (1)
- burning mouth syndrome (1)
- tooth grinding (1)
- dental crowns (1)
- orthodontic treatment (6)
- bacteria (1)
- porcelain veneers (2)
- preventative dentistry (1)
- tooth pain (3)
- pregnancy (2)
- tmj disorders (1)
- sinus surgery (1)
- teething (2)
- Oral Cancer (3)
- cancer treatment (1)
- bone loss (1)
- teeth grinding (2)
- bruxism (1)
- blood pressure medications (1)
- medicine (1)
- Dental Extractions (1)
- Damaged Teeth (1)
- thumb sucking (1)
- smile makeover (2)
- osteoporosis (1)
- smoking (2)
- gum recession (2)
- pulp capping (1)
- root canal treatment (3)
- chipped tooth (1)
- Filling (1)
- dental implant (1)
- Oral Cancer Screening (1)
Categories:
Clean Your Implants Just Like you Clean Your Natural Teeth
Dental implants to replace teeth are a popular choice as much for their durability as their life-likeness. Most implants last for decades, which can result in lower long-term maintenance costs than other replacement options.
But to achieve this longevity, you must take care of your implants. You should brush and floss them daily right along with your remaining natural teeth — and continue regular semi-annual dental visits for cleanings and checkups.
You may be wondering, though: if they're made of inorganic materials, why worry with brushing them? It's true that bacterial plaque, the thin film of food particles most responsible for dental disease, doesn't affect them.
Your implants, though, don't exist in a bubble: they're imbedded in real bone, surrounded by real gum tissue and placed next to real teeth. All these other living tissues are susceptible to infection caused by plaque, even from plaque on non-organic implants.
The bone and tissues around an implant can even have a higher susceptibility to infection. This is because an implant's attachment in the jaw differs from that of natural teeth. An implant is imbedded directly into the bone; a natural tooth, on the other hand, maintains its hold through an elastic gum tissue between it and the bone called the periodontal ligament. Tiny fibers from the ligament attach to the tooth on one side and to the bone on the other.
Besides holding the tooth in place, the ligament also contains blood vessels that supply the tooth and surrounding tissues not only with nutrients but also antibodies that help fight infection. Due to the absence of a ligament connection, an implant doesn't enjoy the same level of protection from infection. Â It's much easier for tissues and teeth around an implant to become infected, and harder to stop it.
That's why prevention through daily hygiene is so important. So, be sure to brush and floss all your teeth — including implants — every day, and keep up your regular dental visits. And at the first sign of a possible infection — swollen, red or bleeding gums — see us as soon as possible for an examination.
Consider your implants a long-term investment in both your smile and dental health. Taking care of them will pay dividends for many years to come.
If you would like more information on taking care of your dental implants, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Dental Implant Maintenance.”