How to Clean Prostheses on Dental Implants
Clínica Zenha Blog
Oral Hygiene
A safe solution for replacing one or more lost teeth is the placement of dental implants and, later, rehabilitation on dental implants.
The oral hygiene care we take with rehabilitations over dental implants should be as strict or even more demanding than with our natural teeth, in order to avoid the accumulation of bacterial plaque and, thus, prevent the development of surrounding diseases such as peri-implant mucositis or peri-implantitis.
The variety of oral hygiene tools is vast, and therefore it is necessary to know the available instruments and understand how to use them in order to clean as efficiently as possible.
Toothbrush
The toothbrush can be manual or electric. It contributes to the mechanical control of bacterial plaque, but it is not sufficiently effective in completely removing bacterial plaque, for which complementary instruments are needed.
A frequent question is whether electric toothbrushes are as or more effective than manual ones. The fact that they have a smaller head makes it easier to clean hard-to-reach areas, such as the back faces of the last molars. Therefore, it can be a more advantageous alternative.
Never forget, brushing should be done at least 2 times a day.
Complementary Instruments
There is a wide variety of instruments that complement brushing. They should be used twice a day, and their use should be adapted to the type of rehabilitation and the manual dexterity of each user.
1. Dental Floss
Dental floss is essential for interdental cleaning. There are specific flosses for dental implants that allow cleaning around the dental implant. It should be inserted on both sides, covering the entire surface area, sliding gently towards the gum.
2. Interdental Brushes
Like dental floss, interdental brushes clean between the teeth. The great advantage of using interdental brushes is that they allow easier removal of bacterial plaque in narrow areas or hard-to-reach spaces, as they require less manual dexterity compared to dental floss.
There are various sizes available. The goal is for the interdental brush to fit well in the existing space. Therefore, different sizes may be necessary depending on the various interdental spaces.
If you have any doubts about the most suitable choice, speak to your dentist.
3. Irrigation System (Water Jet)
Irrigation systems help remove bacterial plaque and can be used with either water or antiseptic solutions. They are very useful for cleaning hard-to-reach areas where other tools cannot reach on their own.
They are easy and safe to use, but they do not replace brushing and other complementary instruments.
The maintenance of rehabilitations on dental implants largely depends on plaque control, making it essential to use and combine various oral hygiene tools. However, to ensure safe and effective use, proper instruction and motivation from patients are necessary.
If you still have any questions about this topic, schedule an appointment today.
