Dental implants are a cosmetic treatment that can completely transform the look of your smile. While this is a cosmetic treatment, it's important to remember that dental implants are a serious surgical procedure. Dental implants come with the risk of infection. An infection won't just cause your implants to heal incorrectly, but they can also cause a great deal of discomfort and lead to additional oral problems. Knowing how to prevent an infection is important.
Infection Risk
After your dental implant procedure you are at risk for two types of infections, peri-implantitis and peri-implant mucositis. Peri-implantitis is an infection that impacts the hard and soft tissues. Over time, this destructive infection causes your gum tissues to deteriorate, eventually exposing the implant.
Peri-implant mucositis is an infection similar to gingivitis that affects the soft tissues that surround your dental implant. The primary danger of this infection is that it doesn't generally cause any discomfort or have any easily detectable symptoms. Only after an examination by your dental provider can it be detected, due to accelerated bones loss.
Prevention Tips
No matter the type of infection, bacteria is most often the leading culprit. Minimizing the level of harmful bacteria found in your mouth will serve as your primary line of defense to ensure your mouth, teeth and gums remain healthy. In addition to a solid at home oral health care regimen, there are a number of additional things you can do. Here are a few tips to help you minimize bacteria and avoid an infection.
Use saltwater. One of the best things you can do to help prevent an infection is to rinse with saltwater. A saltwater rinse works by helping your wounds heal faster and killing infection causing bacteria found inside your mouth. Mix one cup of warm water and one teaspoon of regular table salt to prepare this mixture.
Eat softer foods. Make it a point to only eat soft foods until your implant has fully fused with your jaw. Hard foods put undue stress on your new implant and they could scrap against your already sensitive gums, causing a cut. Bacteria can find its way into one of these cuts and cause an infection.
Make certain you are doing your part to help minimize bacteria in your mouth to ensure your oral health. If you're concerned about the health of your dental implants, resources like Bruce Mathes DDS should be your primary source of information.
Share2 March 2015
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