How do I care for my dental implant and crown on the implant?
Your dental implant and crown will not decay since it is made out of titanium and porcelain, but it is more susceptible to gum disease than a natural tooth. Please brush very gently toward the gum around the implant. Gently hug your floss under the crown and below the gums against the implant, then instead of only moving the floss in an up and down motion, pull the floss to the side to help remove the plaque on the implant - we need to spend more time flossing an implant than a natural tooth. Use a water flosser on low to medium pressure perpendicular to the implant & crown, for example from the cheek-side to the tongue-side (do not shoot the water downwards toward the implant). Occasional warm salt water rinses or basic Listerine will also help to keep the gums healthy around the implant.
Be careful eating hard foods so the porcelain doesn't chip. Really tough and chewy foods may put too much pressure on the implant over time and cause the porcelain crown to come off or the implant to fail.
A nightguard will be helpful to protect the implant and crown if we clench and grind at night due to stress, poor sleep patterns, acid reflux, sleep apnea, or other medical conditions.
Your dentist will help you to maintain the implant by checking your bite once a year and making any bite adjustments if necessary. Our teeth shift throughout our lifetime, but an implant is anchored to our bone. This means our natural teeth will shift over time but a dental implant will not. To maintain a proper fit of our bite, the shape of the chewing surface of the implant crown may need to be adjusted over time. If your dentist feels the risk of tooth movement is high, your dentist may fabricate a retainer for you to wear at night to reduce the shifting of your teeth over time.
How long will my implant and crown last?
If we take care of them with excellent home care and professional maintenance, the implant will last a very long time (can last our lifetime) but the crown on the implant may come loose or chip over time, depending on the pressure we place on it.
We can think of it like a car. A car that's driven 40 miles a day in harsh weather conditions will not last as long as a car that's driven 5 miles a day, parked in the shade with regular maintenance. With our teeth, we can think of mileage as how much we put pressure on our teeth from chewing, clenching, or grinding. Harsh weather conditions would be sugary and/or acidic food and drinks. Maintenance would be regular dental visits, proper brushing, flossing, rinsing with water, xylitol, and fluoride.
A nightguard or retainer may help our implant and crown last longer if during sleep we: clench or grind our teeth, have dry mouth, mouth breathe, have acid reflux or untreated sleep apnea.
What happens if it breaks, comes off, gets loose, or gets infected?
The existing crowns may be repaired, or replaced with a new crown. Sometimes the screw holding the crown to the implant gets loose and will need to be tightened or replaced. If the implant starts to get gum disease, a gum specialist can do treatments just like we do for natural teeth to get the bone and gums around the implant healthy again.
As your dentist, we can control the quality of materials used, who we choose to refer you to for the surgery, what dental labs we choose to custom make the parts that go onto the implant, and how your teeth come together when you bite. We cannot control the quality of your bone the implant was placed in, any medical conditions that affect the bone, the conditions of the surgery, or what happens after the crown is placed on the implant. Please consider your "mileage" (including any clenching or grinding when we are sleeping) and "maintenance" regarding how long your dental work lasts.
Please contact us at 808-488-1988 or [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.