Tips for Flossing Around Dental Implants

Patients sometimes misunderstand dental implants when first getting them. Some people think implant treatment must be painful. Meanwhile, others believe that these replacement teeth let you eat anything right after placement. A big mix-up, though, is the idea that flossing dental implants isn’t needed. In truth, you should floss your new pearly whites daily to keep them functional. Read on to learn the need for implant care, why flossing is part of that care, and tips for flossing implants.

Implants Need Care

You see, your ceramic-and-titanium teeth can last for up to twenty years. However, that only applies when they’re well-maintained. If they don’t get proper oral care, there’s a good chance they’ll fail before reaching the twenty-year mark. In that case, they’ll likely need to be extracted and replaced.

Therefore, you must look after your implants with at-home oral hygiene and regular trips to your dentist’s office.

Why Flossing Dental Implants Helps

While you might think your toothbrush is enough to protect against implant failure, it can’t reach all the areas of your mouth. Brushing on its own will leave bits of plaque on your implants. Over time, this plaque can build up and trigger peri-implantitis, an infection that causes your replacement tooth to fail.

Thankfully, flossing your dental implants will prevent that outcome. Dental floss can reach those hard-to-reach places missed by your toothbrush. In doing so, it ensures debris like plaque and oral bacteria don’t trigger implant failure.

Implant Flossing Tips

That said, you shouldn’t floss a dental implant as you would a natural tooth. Because the former is artificial, you need to use a specific method. Next time you floss, follow these steps when you get to your implant:

1. Thread the Floss Properly – Thread the floss between your dental implants and gums. To make things easier, use a floss threader with a loop at one end and a flat edge at the other.
2. Move the Floss Gently – Hold the floss around your fingers in each hand and slide it up and down the sides of your implant.
3. Consider an Oral Irrigator – Patients who find traditional floss difficult to use can try an oral irrigator.
4. Exercise Strong Caution – If you aren’t careful, flossing could break the peri-implant seal that attaches your gums to your replacement tooth. Bacteria could then damage your bone and undo the implant’s fusion.

As you can see, some myths about implants can put your treatment at risk. Therefore, remember the tips above so your restored smile lasts as long as possible!

About the Author

Rosenfeld Dental Associates is based in Edison, NJ. As led by Dr. David S. Rosenfeld, the practice provides personalized dental care to each patient. To that end, it offers preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry, not to mention emergency treatments. Its staff can thus handle most needs, from dental checkups to dental implants! For more information or to book an appointment, you can reach them at their website or by phone at (908)-668-7838.