Protect Your Dental Implant By Banishing These Nighttime Habits

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Dental implants are the ideal solution if you have missing or badly damaged teeth.

 Having dental implant surgery restores your healthy, beautiful smile. And with proper care, your new replacement teeth can last a lifetime.

 That said, dental implants are not indestructible, and certain habits can threaten their integrity. To make the most of your fresh start, make sure your nighttime behaviours are not putting your replacement teeth at risk.

 Skipping Your Nightly Dental Hygiene

 Have you ever thought, “I am exhausted, and I brushed my teeth this morning, so I can skip brushing tonight”?

 Everyone’s tempted to hit the sack without brushing now and then, but both natural and artificial replacement teeth need to be brushed twice daily. Without good oral hygiene habits, gum disease can develop. Without treatment, this can lead to dental implant failure.

 So try not to skip your nightly brushing. It only takes 2 minutes to clean your teeth, and doing it will help protect your dental implants.

 Grabbing a Midnight Snack

 Maybe you brush every night, without fail, but before turning in, you head to the kitchen. If all you grab is a drink of water, you’re good to go. Nosh on any other type of midnight snack, however, and you might be putting your dental implants at risk.

 If you have a treat after brushing, traces of food will sit on your teeth all night long, increasing your chance of developing gum disease. To keep your replacement teeth stable and your natural teeth healthy, ditch your midnight snack habit. Or if you must indulge, be sure to brush again before you go back to bed, ideally half an hour after you have had food as your teeth are the most vulnerable to damage through brushing right after eating food.

 Grinding Your Teeth

 Do you grind your teeth when you sleep? The repeated pressure that tooth-grinding, or bruxism, puts on the jawbone can affect dental implant stability and lead to failure.

 Learning to stop grinding your teeth can be a challenge, but you’ll need to address this nighttime habit before getting dental implants. Your oral surgeon may recommend bone grafting to strengthen the jaw. And to better protect your replacement teeth, you may have to start wearing a custom-made mouth-guard at night.

 Staying in touch with your implant dentist and going for the regular after-care appointments helps to keep your smile safe.




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