When you first get dental implants, you may think you can treat them however you want. They’re just prosthetic teeth, after all; the posts won’t get cavities, infections, and so on. Even so, the truth is that there are bad habits you should avoid with dental implants in the future. Indulging in such practices will threaten your treatment, harming your now-restored smile. For more details, read over this summary of bad oral habits to avoid (or quit) when you have dental implants.
Chronic Tobacco Use
Among the many reasons to stop using tobacco, one is that it causes implant failure. Chewing or smoking the stuff will make your prosthetics ineffective.
The issue stems from tobacco’s makeup. This plant contains a unique mix of chemicals, which can delay or even stop one’s recovery from implant surgery. Using tobacco also keeps bone tissue from fusing with implant posts, causing the entire treatment to fail. Given these facts, you should give up smoking or chewing; find an activity that distracts you from cravings instead.
Alcohol Consumption
On top of tobacco, you should also avoid (or at least limit) intake of alcohol. Drinking beer, wine, and spirits can take a serious toll on dental implants.
Alcohol’s effects on your mouth mirror tobacco’s. In other words, too many drinks can harm your ability to heal from dental implant surgery. This outcome greatly increases the risk of treatment failure, as it makes successful fusion between your jaw and implant posts less likely. To keep it at bay, you should give up alcohol in the immediate months after surgery.
Eating Hard & Sticky Foods
While dental implants can handle most meals, they aren’t great with everything. The posts can sometimes take damage from hard and sticky foods, so avoiding the latter is best.
The fact remains that dental implants aren’t invincible. Often enough, sticky foods can displace these prosthetics by clinging to their surfaces. Hard items – bread, crunchy snacks, etc. – may similarly cause damage, putting pressure on the posts until they crack. All that said, try following a soft food diet once you finish treatment, especially during the recovery period.
Going Without a Mouthguard
Though highly durable, dental implants can still potentially crack or break. That means going without a mouthguard is a habit you can’t afford.
You see, using a mouthguard adds extra protection to your implants. The device can stop you from grinding your teeth at night, which would put pressure on your posts. A specially-made sportsguard would also help, as it’d prevent your implants from getting damaged or displaced.
For your smile to thrive long-term, give up the bad habits to avoid with dental implants. Your grin will then stay safe for a good while!
About the Practice
RNR Dentistry is based in Fair Oaks, CA. Led by Dr. Ramona Rivera, our practice is geared toward top-tier, cutting-edge, and family-oriented dental care. That means we provide a great many procedures for patients of all ages, with results that are always tailored to your smile. Such offerings even include dental implants, which we place from start to finish at our office. For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (916)-967-2217.