There are many reasons for seeking out information on dental implants but one of the top ones we have seen is from our patients trying to maintain their dental implants in Marylebone, whether they are concerned about food becoming trapped beneath their implant or general care for their implants.
A lot of the concerns that are brought forward by patients are fears about food particles becoming trapped, either beneath the gum line or along the titanium implant, into the jawbone. In short, there are concerns that these issues will cause abscesses, which are the cause of the majority of root canals.
It is an understandable worry when thinking about implants, as many of our patients are using implants to immobilise prosthetic teeth, like bridge sections or a full denture. One of the recurring problems with both of these is that food gets trapped beneath them, but they are easily removed and cleaned. But this simple removal is not possible with implants.
Single implanted teeth
In cases of single implanted teeth, the artificial titanium root is osteo integrated into the jaw creating an extremely close association between the titanium and your bone. This is actually far closer than the association found in a natural tooth root and the jawbone, leaving no opportunity for food to enter the jawbone around the edges of the implant. When this occurs with natural teeth, there is usually some form of decay or damage to the root which allows food to enter, which cannot happen with the inert titanium implants.
Implant immobilised dentures and bridges
When a denture or bridge is immobilized with an implant, a gap is maintained between the start of the prosthetic and the surface of the bone. This is to allow the gums to be maintained, as if the prosthetic was permanently affixed to the surface of the gum, this could cause long-term issues. In this gap, it is possible to trap food particles and it requires diligent cleaning. Usually, this can be achieved with a mixture of mouthwashes and a water flossing jet system.
If you are struggling with food becoming trapped under an immobilized denture, please feel free to get in contact with our clinic. After a brief check up, our dentist will be able to advise you on your personal situation and how best to resolve it.
As part of regular dental care, you should attend dental hygienists even if you have a complete set of immobilized dentures. Our hygienist is more than capable of thoroughly cleaning beneath a denture without having to disconnect the dental implants in Marylebone.
For the majority of patients, maintenance of dental implants in Marylebone is minimal to none and is extremely similar to the maintenance of their natural teeth with regular brushing and 6-month check-ups. After full integration has been achieved, most dental implants will have a useful life of over 10-years. Due to the stain resistant materials used in prosthetic teeth, if you have a mixture of natural and implant immobilized teeth, they may pick up stains at different rates causing their colour to alter relative to the rest of your teeth. This can be resolved with teeth whitening or regular scale and polishes.