What Bad Habits Are Concerning for Your Dental Implants?

Being careful where something of value is concerned is so important in life. You know there’s someone out there who had a big house full of valuables but went on vacation without locking their front door and was subsequently robbed. While unfortunate, this hypothetical situation could certainly be avoided. While much, much smaller than a house, dental implants are also a substantial investment that can make a significant impact on your quality of life. There are simple things you can avoid doing each day to boost their durability. Keep reading to learn about bad habits to avoid when it comes to your dental implants in Everett.

Smoking

While smoking means trouble for natural teeth, it could be disastrous for dental implants. Smoking is a source of elevated risk for gum disease. Smokers are 2-3 times more likely to lose their dental implants.

Not Flossing

While your dental implant can’t get a cavity, it can still be jeopardized if you allow plaque to affect the rest of your mouth. In fact, flossing is even more important than brushing in this regard. Flossing removes the food debris and plaque around the gum line – including parts of the dental implant you can’t clean by brushing. Since gum disease is the leading cause of dental implant failure, avoiding it is literally the most important thing you can do for your new investment.

Grinding Your Teeth

Bruxism is the term for when you grind your teeth or clench your jaw in your sleep. It puts frequent extra pressure on your teeth for harmful abrasion that can damage or loosen your dental implant. Your dentist can determine if you have bruxism and develop a custom mouthguard to keep your teeth and implant safe. If you wake up with a sore jaw, it’s worth telling your dentist about.

Eating Too Much Sugar

You probably hear plenty about how harmful sugar can be to your health, but from a dental perspective, it raises your chances of developing gum disease. This is the leading cause of tooth loss in America. Eventually, gum disease can damage your jawbone and destroy the connective tissues that hold your natural teeth and dental implant in place. While gum disease can be treated if detected early enough, it’s much easier just to limit your sugar intake.

Chewing on Non-Foods

You need to ditch nervous habits like chewing on ice, pens, or your fingernails. Dental implants are made from high-quality materials, but they are not designed to chew on non-food items. It’s not worth risking a crack or chip in your restoration. You could also potentially damage the bones around the dental implant and put it at risk of failure.

While staying mindful about avoiding these bad habits will work wonders for the lifespan of your dental implants, it will also boost your general health. When you schedule a consultation with your dentist in Everett, you can ask if they have some more tips about things not to do to protect your investment.

About the Author

Dr. Jason Kaopua earned his dental doctorate from Oregon Health & Sciences University. He has completed advanced training in a wide variety of specialty topics to advance his clinical prowess, including sleep apnea, BOTOX, dental implant placement, Invisalign, Lumineers, soft tissue laser treatment, and more. If you are interested in dental implants, Dr. Kaopua can perform the placement at his office location, plus he offers mini dental implants and implant dentures. You can schedule a consultation on his website or by calling (425) 267-3333.