Dental implants are incredible prosthetics that can fill in gaps in your mouth. They also look exactly like real teeth. If you're having them placed in your mouth by a cosmetic dentist, these care steps can help you take good care of them over the years. 

Clean with an Interdental Brush 

Like normal teeth, you'll need to brush dental implants regularly to keep them clean and white. However, you don't want to use just a regular toothbrush. For optimal cleaning results, you'll want to instead use an interdental brush. 

It features a small handle and a narrow head, enabling you to get in between dental implants with ease. You can thus prevent food particles from collecting over time. Interdental brushes also have soft bristles to prevent you from causing damage to your implants or making your gums bleed unnecessarily. Just make sure you use this brush after each meal.

Avoid Certain Foods 

Dental implants are renowned for their durability, but that doesn't mean they're virtually indestructible. They can, and will, chip if you eat the wrong foods. That's why after these implants are secured into your gums by a cosmetic dentist, you need to make slight adjustments to your diet.

First and foremost, avoid any hard foods that could cause dental implant chips. These include suckers, dried foods, and peanuts. You'll also want to avoid foods with a sticky consistency, such as caramel and gum. They can easily get logged in between your implants and cause bacteria to spread uncontrollably. Then, you might have to deal with a painful infection. 

Visit Your Dentist Regularly 

Getting dental implants put in by your dentist is a fairly straightforward procedure, but you should still make it a priority to schedule regular visits with them after the operation is completed. They can make sure your implants are settling in correctly. 

They can also check surrounding structures, most notably your gums, to ensure they're healing appropriately as well. During these visits, you should let the dentist know about any soreness or pain you may be feeling. If it's too much to deal with, they can prescribe numbing agents for fast, effective relief.

There are so many benefits to having dental implants put in, from a complete smile to improved speech. So that you can reap these rewards for years and years, you need to take good care of these implants. This will require proactive steps on your part and professional assistance from time to time. Contact a dentist, like John S. Lyon DDS, for more help.

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