{"id":358,"date":"2026-04-10T12:10:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T12:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clarencedentalpractice.co.uk\/blog\/?p=358"},"modified":"2026-04-10T12:12:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T12:12:43","slug":"long-term-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clarencedentalpractice.co.uk\/blog\/long-term-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Dental Implant Aftercare"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Teeth implants can last for more than twenty years providing they are looked after well. Here's how....<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There is no getting away from the fact that dental implants are the most effective means of replacing a missing tooth, or teeth. The fact that they replace the tooth root means that the substitute teeth are anchored firmly into the jawbone and will not move around as dentures can sometimes be prone to do. This stability also means that even harder to chew foods are no longer a problem and implant patients can typically eat whatever they like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because an implant is made entirely of artificial materials means that it can\u2019t decay. One issue with this is that it could lead some patients to believe that they don\u2019t need to clean them well, but this would be a bad mistake to make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact is that although implants won\u2019t decay, their strength and security relies on healthy bone tissue. It is this that can deteriorate if care is not taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immediate new implant care<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Good aftercare begins as soon as the implant has been placed. There is a period where it will integrate with the bone tissue and care should be taken not to put any stress on it. This not only includes not eating hard foods but also not participating in any activity which could \u2018jolt\u2019 it. For example, running on the road. This only lasts for a short time and our Staines implant dentist<\/a> will advise you along the way. These restrictions will ease over a short period and you will soon be able to lead a normal life again. Special cleaning will be required during this period and our dentists will advise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smoking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you smoke and want to have healthy dental implants, preferably you need to stop. This will be necessary even before an implant is placed. If you are thinking of stopping to have them placed and then start afterwards, this could be a bad and expensive mistake. The fact is that smoking is a leading cause of periodontitis, an advanced form of gum disease that affects the bone and causes it to deteriorate. If this happens, it will lose its \u2018grip\u2019 on the implant and it will start to become loose. Eventually, unless treatment is successful, you are likely to lose the implant altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same applies if you drink alcohol. While the occasional drink should present few problems; if you are a heavy or regular drinker, the same results can occur. Your lifestyle habits will form part of the discussion during your initial consultation at the Clarence Dental Practice. In some cases, we may suggest alternatives, such as dentures if it is felt that your lifestyle is not conducive to maintaining healthy dental implants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diligent cleaning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This should also apply to your natural teeth and not just your dental implants, so please take this as good general guidance for improving your oral health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of us brush our teeth, but there is often significant room for improvement in how we do so. Following the advice below, will help to ensure that cleaning of the teeth and implants is most effective and will help minimise the risk of tooth decay and gum disease as well as the more specific issue of peri-implantitis which can affect implants and is similar to gum disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use a fluoride toothpaste<\/strong> - This not only helps to strengthen tooth enamel but also offers antibacterial properties that will help to fight potentially harmful bacteria. Most toothpastes will contain this but it is best to check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use a 'healthy' toothbrush<\/strong> - Brushing with worn out bristles is an ineffective way of removing debris and bacteria. Make sure your brush has healthy bristles and change the brush or brush head, if electric, every three months for maximum effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gently brush the gums<\/strong> - Don\u2019t just brush the surface of your teeth. Too many people do only this and ignore the gums altogether. You should angle the bristles towards the gum line so that they reach into the gums and remove debris and bacteria from there. This small adjustment to your brushing routine can make a big difference to your oral health and help to protect your dental implants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flossing<\/strong> - Even fewer of us use floss. This is one big change that everyone should make. Using floss helps to reach areas that toothbrushes struggle to reach. Much decay and gum disease starts in the gaps between the teeth and flossing will help to reduce this significantly. If you find it difficult, ask our local dental hygienist to demonstrate how. If you still struggle, you will be able to suggest alternatives although flossing is the most effective so it is advisable to persevere with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hygienist appointments<\/strong> - Again, this is something that everyone should do to maintain a healthy mouth. Not only will our Staines dental hygienist <\/a>be able to offer advice and guidance on how to improve your oral care, but will also carry out an important but non-invasive treatment known as a scale and polish. This is a three part procedure that will remove hardened bacteria and minerals from your teeth, implants and gum line and is essential for minimising any risk of periodontal disease that could damage your teeth or dental implants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you follow the above advice, you should find that your implants last a long time indeed. Twenty years is usually considered the norm if looked after, but they can last for much longer too, although this will depend on individual circumstances and lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you can see, once your implants have undergone the osseointegration process (the fusing of bone and implant that naturally occurs), it really isn\u2019t hard to look after them. A few simple adjustments and improvements are all that it takes to have many years of healthy implants. If you would like to know more on this topic or are considering having teeth implants and would like to talk to someone about it, why not contact the Clarence Dental Practice so that we can help? You can call us on 01784 463 695<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you've invested in a dental implant to replace a missing tooth, you'll want to look after it. Here's how to protect it and minimise any risks long-term.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":74,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[20],"class_list":["post-358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-dental-implants"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarencedentalpractice.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarencedentalpractice.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarencedentalpractice.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarencedentalpractice.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarencedentalpractice.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=358"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarencedentalpractice.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":365,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarencedentalpractice.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358\/revisions\/365"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarencedentalpractice.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarencedentalpractice.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarencedentalpractice.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarencedentalpractice.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}