As you might know, dental implants are pretty durable. They’re tough enough to chew food, resist stains, and more. If you’re not careful, though, they might fail and need replacement. Luckily, you can help implants avoid that outcome with good practices. In fact, your Falls Church dentist will outline a few you should quit. So, here are four bad habits to avoid with dental implants.
Overindulging in Sugar
It’s true that implants usually let you eat as you please. They restore your bite force and allow you to chew all sorts of foods. Even so, you still shouldn’t overindulge in sugar.
While they can’t decay, implants are vulnerable to sugar. Overeating of the latter attracts bad bacteria, leading to gum disease. This infection would break down the tissues around your implants. From there, the prosthetic teeth would lack stability and fail.
Using Your Teeth as Tools
Implants can chew food, but they aren’t meant for other tasks. As such, you shouldn’t use them as tools. Doing so would likely ruin them.
You see, implants aren’t invincible. They can (and will) break if put under enough pressure. Therefore, using them to open packages or containers isn’t smart. Instead, keep the right tools in a convenient place, and don’t put your smile at risk.
Smoking or Chewing Tobacco
Like most, you may know tobacco is bad for you. It can cause cancer, heart disease, and many other severe ailments. At the same time, though, this product is also harmful to implants.
In reality, tobacco damages your whole mouth. It often triggers gum disease and slows your recovery from implant surgery. As a result, it greatly raises your risk of implant failure. By interfering with your gums and jawbone, it can keep your new teeth from fusing properly.
Skipping Brushing or Flossing
Implants are decay-proof, as they aren’t made of tooth enamel. However, this fact doesn’t mean you can skip out on brushing or flossing. Going without these routines would harm the prosthetics.
While artificial, implants benefit from good oral hygiene. Brushing and flossing help maintain your gums and other connective mouth tissues. To that extent, skipping them would cause your mouth to deteriorate. The tissues holding your implants would erode, resulting in implant failure.
Clearly, there are bad habits to avoid with dental implants. That being the case, remember those above – quitting them will ensure your new teeth have a long lifespan!
About the Practice
DentaCrafters is based in Falls Church, VA. Led by Drs. Nada and Duckett, our practice is committed to comprehensive dental care for all its patients. That means we offer preventive, cosmetic, and restorative services, as well as emergency oral procedures. Naturally, our team also provides excellent dental implants that can restore your full smile! For more details or to book a visit, you can reach us on our website or by phone at (703)-241-5775.