Proper Dental Hygiene

Since dental implants function just like real teeth, you’ll need to care for them just as you would your natural teeth. This involves eating a healthy diet, brushing and flossing regularly to remove plaque and keep bacteria balanced, and visiting your dentist. People with excellent oral hygiene can have dental implants that will last for the rest of their lives. They’re meant to be a permanent solution to your missing teeth, and they’ll help you keep a natural appearance and functionality of your teeth. Proper dental hygiene ensures that you can keep your dental implants for life and not have to do another reinsertion of the titanium base.

Crown Replacement

Although your dental implants are designed to last for life, the crown that attaches to your dental implant may only last for fifteen years. If you have great dental hygiene and get regular checkups with your dentist, your crown could last well beyond fifteen years. Each person and their mouth is different.

You can expect your crown to last for an average of ten to fifteen years. After this, you may need to get a new crown for your dental implant to maintain the natural appearance and function of your teeth. Getting a crown replaced is not as intrusive as getting the actual dental implant, so this maintenance to your smile will be minor and keep you looking great for years to come.

Location

The location of the dental implant in your mouth could affect its lifespan. If you have a dental implant in the rear of your mouth, it’s likely that this implant will experience more wear and tear from grinding and chewing than an implant that was placed more in the front of your mouth. The crown that’s on your dental implant will get more usage back there and therefore it will probably need to be replaced sooner.

Check with your dentist to make sure you don’t grind your teeth unknowingly as well—this could place extra strain and wear on your crown and dental implant that’s unnecessarily damaging. Implant failures are not common, but if you have extra pressure on your teeth, it could affect your implant’s functioning as part of your mouth.

Dental implants are a great replacement for your natural teeth. They provide excellent support for your dental crown, and your crown is durable and will last for years if taken care of properly. Keep your dental implants functioning great for life by taking proper care of your mouth and getting checkups regularly.

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1. Wide Range of Services and Experience

Some dentists only do implant dentistry, while for others implant dentistry is only a rare occurrence. If you believe you are candidate for implant dentistry, consult with a dentist who performs a wide range of dentistry, including a large number of implant cases. Such a dentist will carefully consider your implant dentistry needs, offer you options, and be completely comfortable with performing the dentistry you desire to achieve the smile of your dreams. While it is true that implant dentistry technology has progressed to the point that most cases do not involve several different dentists or specialists and months to complete, some patients’ needs are complex. If your situation requires the services of an oral surgeon or other specialist (whether it is because of excessive bone loss or jaw issues), a top implant dentist with a wide range of experience will refer you to an appropriate specialist with whom the implant dentist has a mature professional relationship. If your dental implant needs are simple, top implant dentists will have the experience, technology and tools to meet your needs in as little as one appointment. Don’t ever be afraid to ask to see examples of cases similar to what the dentist proposes to do for you, and ask to see at least ten similar cases. If the dentist has only a few examples, you probably will want to keep looking for a top implant dentist.

2. Exceptional Communication and Planning

Just as you would carefully choose a surgeon or financial planner, you should dedicate time to getting to know your implant dentist. Top implant dentists desire a relationship with each patient to clearly understand their expectations. The best implant dentists know that it doesn’t matter how technically correct the dentistry is if it’s not what the patient wants. Relationships that thoroughly explore a patient’s desires and the options for fulfilling them rarely happen in one visit. You and your dentist will most likely have to invest time in each other to ensure that your expectations are understood. Any dentist who is not willing to spend time with his patients to understand their needs and desires is unlikely to come near meeting their expectations and is even less likely to exceed those expectations. The best implant dentists know and realize that for a patient’s implant dentistry to last and perform well, careful planning must occur both before and after the procedure. Top implant dentists engage in comprehensive staging and planning and discuss not only the approach to your restoration but also the steps necessary to protect and ensure the longevity of your dental implants. If the implant dentist with whom you consult is more interested in what he or she can do for you than in what you want, or does not explain the process for realizing and maintaining your dental dreams, you are not talking to a top implant dentist.

3. Exceptional Environment

The secrets to finding a top implant dentist explained above relate to qualities of the dentist himself or herself. This final secret relates to the environment surrounding the dentist. Chances are great that if the office is designed for the comfort of those who spend time there, you will feel relaxed and peaceful. If you are greeted by people who are competent and genuinely interested in your well-being and comfort, you might reflect that the dentist who has surrounded himself with such exceptionally caring people is of like mind. Environments which reflect indifference to the comfort of the implant dentist’s patients or team are not likely to be the home of the best implant dentist for you.

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