Dental Implant Maintenance Near You

You have invested in a dental implant, but the care and maintenance of your implant can impact its longevity. In a nutshell, cleaning around dental implants differs from natural teeth for two reasons: the first is that implants and natural teeth attach to surrounding bone and gums in a very different way; secondly, the materials used for dental implants are different from natural teeth. Essentially, dental implants replace teeth roots and dental crowns, dental bridges, or dentures are attached to the implants through a connector piece known as an abutment.


Cleaning implant-supported tooth replacements is just as important as cleaning natural teeth, as both depend on healthy surrounding tissues for support. Plaque collects on implant crowns just as it does on natural teeth and must be removed daily at home with proper flossing and brushing. Without daily care, an infection may develop known as peri-implantitis which can result in the loss of the implant. Unlike inflammation around teeth, poor implant health can quickly lead to a loss of bone around the affected implant, and if not attended to, can rapidly progress to the loss of the implant itself.

Proper instrument selection, along with a gentle touch for cleaning, that will not impact the crown, bridge, denture, abutment, or the implant itself, are the main keys to ongoing implant health. At Preventive Dental Hygiene Care, a desiccant gel can be used to remove larger or deeper deposits without disruption to the tissue. Maintaining a bacteria-free, smooth surface is critical. If they are scratched, they can attract and harbor bacteria. That is why the instruments used are most often made of titanium, or resins. Natural teeth do not scratch in the same way, and therefore specialty instruments are not required for them.



If any part of the grey implant body itself is visible, this may mean there is slow chronic infection that has resulted in gum and/or bone loss. There is often little to no pain associated with this disease process. Exposed implant surfaces are generally microscopically “rough” to increase surface area for bone attachment. But once exposed, this surface roughness makes implants difficult to clean and disinfect. Additionally, some implants are screw-shaped, and their threads add to the cleaning dilemma.


Despite these special cleaning challenges, implants are highly successful. In fact, studies indicate long-term success rates are well over 95%. However, the prevention of peri-implantitis is fundamental to implant health, maintenance, and function. Attention to detail, and gentle, yet effective deposit removal on implants and their related components is an important part of their success.

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