Your Guide to Preventing Peri-implantitis
by Lonnie Bryant
An inflammatory reaction resulting in degradation of bone and tissue around a dental implant, peri-implantitis is a serious disease, causing considerable discomfort and often leading implant loss. With 5-8% of dental implant recipients suffering from peri-implantitis, taking preventative measures is of the utmost importance throughout the life of your implants. Let's look at some helpful advice for preventing peri-implantitis, to keep your gums and mouth healthy.
Maintain excellent dental hygiene
Your dental implants require a daily care routine, just as natural teeth do. To prevent chronic inflammation and stave off peri-implantitis, brush and floss your implants twice daily to remove interdental debris as advised by your dentist. Using a good quality mouthwash will also help to remove debris without causing trauma to the peri-mucosal cuff at the implant site.
As the way you need to floss implants differs from natural teeth, speak to your dentist for advice on how to floss correctly, as well as recommended use of oral irrigation devices and electric toothbrushes to maintain the health of the gums around dental implant sites.
Limit or abstain from cigarettes and alcohol consumption
The inhalation of tobacco can wreck havoc on your gums and teeth, causing inflammation and periodontal disease while putting you at increased risk of oral cancer. Consuming alcoholic beverages creates an acidic environment in your mouth, causing tooth decay and limiting the production of saliva, which can lead to gum disease. To protect your dental implant sites from peri-implantitis, limiting or abstaining from using tobacco or alcohol is highly recommended.
Control periodontal disease
If you lost your natural teeth as a result of periodontal disease, it is vital that you continue your treatment program. Many implant recipients believe that their periodontal disease is cured when the implants are in, but this is not the case.
As a bacterial infection that inflames the gums and can cause damage to the jaw bones, periodontal disease must be controlled in order for your dental implants to be a long-term success. Discuss use of anti-microbial mouth rinses or prescription of antibiotics with your dentist as a short term solution to treating periodontal infections.
Book regular visits to your dentist
Peri-implantitis is a treatable and reversible disease, and the earlier it is stopped in it's tracks, the better your chances are of making a recovery and avoiding implant loss. As such, one of the best ways you can prevent peri-implantitis is to visit dentists via clinics like Collins Dental Image every two months for a comprehensive peri-implant tissue evaluation and implant maintenance.
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About Me
There are more than two ways to straighten a smile, and in this blog, I plan to discuss them all. I plan to look at the differences between braces and retainers and explain why sometimes you may need them both. I look at the differences in cost, time commitment and efficacy. Personally, I have had a bit of experience with this subject – I had braces as a young teen, and I had a permanent retainer. In this blog, I discuss what I have learned, and I present all kinds of new information on the topic. Whether you are trying to make decisions for yourself or your child. I hope you find this information useful.