Losing a tooth can be extremely hard on your self esteem, and this is why many people opt for the placement of natural looking dental implants. Implants can be placed in a wide variety of mouths, as long as long as health has been retained. Specifically, your immune system must be healthy and your mouth should show no signs of infection or gum problems. When the implant root is secured in the jaw, you will need to take very good care of the implant area. Your jaw will need to produce new cells that attach directly to the implant root. This is called osseointegration, and it is how the root stays secured enough that it can retain its integrity when put under bite stress. Unfortunately, certain things can affect the rate of osseointegration. One of these things is the buildup of bacteria around the root. Special cleaning products can be used to help keep the area clean though, so make sure to invest in the following items.

Water Flosser

A natural tooth that sits in the mouth will be attached to the gums, and collagen fibers secure the tooth in place. This collagen forms a barrier between the tooth root and the jaw bone. The collagen forms a tight bond with the tooth root so that bacteria cannot move down underneath the gums. This protects your dental roots and the bone, and this is one reason why jaw infections are rare. A coarse piece of tissue called the dental ligament also keeps teeth secured and protected. 

When a dental implant root is added to the mouth, the root and the bone must sit side by side so they can attach to one another. There is no collagen that forms around the sides of the implant root, and this means that the root can easily be exposed to bacteria. To reduce the movement of bacteria close to the jaw, a cap is placed over the dental implant root. The cap sits extremely close to the gums. This device is called the abutment. While the device does stop the movement of bacteria, the tops of the gums can pull away from the cap in much the same way that they do around the natural teeth. This creates a gum pocket where bacteria can move closer to the bone. 

To prevent bacteria from gathering around the implant abutment and possibly causing osseointegration issues, make sure to use a water flosser around the top of the dental implant. A water flosser that can force water around the sides of the abutment is best, so make sure to find a device that has a small spray nozzle. Place the flosser about one-quarter inch from the implant cap and concentrate the flow around the sides of the device.

Non-Abrasive Toothpaste

While a dental implant root is made of titanium, the abutment does not require nearly as much strength as the root. This means that the cap can be made from a material like stainless steel or ceramic. Ceramic caps are becoming more and more common, because they look more natural when the artificial tooth cap is secured in the mouth. However, ceramic can scratch, and scratches will leave small spaces in the abutment where bacteria can gather. This can cause infection and osseointegration issues.

To keep bacteria away, make sure to use a non-abrasive toothpaste. Abrasives are hard particles that are placed in toothpastes to scrape the plaque and tartar off the teeth. While abrasive agents are helpful, they are not necessary to clean the teeth, gums, and dental implants. However, you may start to notice some plaque and tartar build up if you use a toothpaste without an abrasive material. Prevent this by purchasing a non-abrasive toothpaste with a tartar control additive. These pastes typically contain sodium pyrophosphate, which bonds to the compounds in the mouth that cause tartar to develop.

Reach out to a dentist for additional info.