Getting new dental implants is a crucial first step to better oral health. From there, you will need to take good care of your implants to increase your personal success rate. Implants can last for decades as long as you practice good maintenance, and we will go over these steps when you pay us a visit.

Get Your Teeth Professionally Cleaned

You should continue brushing and flossing at home every day. However, you still need to see our periodontist in Winchester, VA twice annually. These visits give Drs. Steven Saunders, Victor Saunders and Jeff Dickson a chance to see if there is an infection developing. Treatment is much simpler if we can catch a problem before it escalates too much.

Avoid Using Your Teeth as Tools

Many people use their teeth to open packaging. You should never use your teeth, especially an implant, for anything other than chewing. You also need to watch out for harmful habits that could damage the implant or crown. Chewing on ice cubes and biting on your fingernails can crack the crown.

Use antimicrobial mouthwash

Another way to prevent bacteria from infecting the gum tissue is to use mouthwash regularly. However, when you are at the store, you should opt for a mouth rinse that is specially designed to be antimicrobial. This means it specifically targets bacteria and does much more than just make your breath smell good.

Little To Fear at Our Office

For the most part, you just need to care for your dental implants the same way you would for your natural teeth. Implants have a success rate of 95 percent, so as long as you follow a few basic steps, you can expect your restorations to last for the rest of your life. Get in touch with a Shenandoah Valley Implant Institute staff member promptly, and we will review the implant procedure in more detail.