Dental implants cannot decay, but the supporting bone and gum around the implant must be carefully maintained to protect against long term failure. And although they are visually indistinguishable from natural teeth, dental implants need to be cared for in a slightly different manner. As a consequence, it is important to maintain healthy gum tissue and supporting bone by building an effective plaque removal routine and practicing it two to three times a day. We encourage patients to visit our dental hygienist for professional maintenance visit three to four times per year, depending on the prosthesis design and the patient’s abilities to perform adequate home care.
Electric toothbrushes disrupt biofilm better than a manual brush due to the ability to generate more brush strokes than the human hand. Regardless of the toothbrush chosen, you should brush for a full two minutes with a soft bristle brush.
We recommend interproximal cleaning products that promote gingival stimulation such as soft picks, rubber tip stimulators, and proxabrushes with plastic wires.
And finally, the dental hygienist plays an integral role in determining what professional maintenance schedule is best suited for your implant based on the type of implant prosthesis, dexterity, and overall health.
Novy Scheinfeld, DDS, PC
ZoAnna Scheinfeld, MS, DMD
Hanna Orland, DMD
3781 Chamblee Dunwoody Road
Chamblee, GA 30341
770-455-6076
and
290 Carpenter Drive, 200A
Sandy Springs, GA 30328
404-256-3620
the right smile 