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Dentist Navan: getting the most from dental implants

Getting dental implants is a significant step with substantial time and financial investment. Getting the most out of your implants is also something you should give consideration to. Let's find out how our dentist Navan allows you to get the most from your care.

How long do implants last?

Dental implants are a two-part piece of equipment; there is the subgum titanium section and the oral prosthetic section, and they each have different lifespans. The established titanium artificial root is considered permanent, requiring dramatic trauma or very severe gum disease to dislodge it and for it to require replacing. The prosthetic could range from a full denture to an individual crown-like tooth. This can be replaced in the event of damage but should not be expected to last longer than 15 years due to the everyday grind of eating and talking.

Why they may fail

Issues with dental implants are most likely in the osseointegration stage, and although many of the factors are genetic, some will be in your control. So, we're going to focus on the ones that you can actually improve related to lifestyle.

General hygiene

General hygiene doesn't stop with implants; the accumulation of plaque may not carry the same risks of cavity formation as it would with natural teeth, but still can contribute to gum disease, providing a safe haven for bacteria to concentrate before invading gum tissue.

The same guidance of twice-daily brushing and controlling your intake of sugary foods should still be followed, using a straw when drinking soda and swallowing sweet products quickly. Attending checkups every six months with our dentist Navan becomes even more important because, unlike natural teeth that contain nerves, implants do not and require assessment even more.

Smoking

Smoking significantly reduces the rate of tissue and bone growth. Smoking after receiving implants is not recommended during the osseointegration phase and can be particularly damaging early in the process. This is because a wide range of growth inhibitors are absorbed directly into the gum tissue from the smoke in the mouth.

Diet

In adult patients, diet can be a factor, and it's more than just in case of increasing calcium intake. For calcium to be absorbed and biologically useful, substantial quantities of vitamin D3 also have to be available, and it is more common for patients to be struggling with their D3 intake than calcium itself.

Follow up and screening appointments

Even if your implant seems to be functioning well, attending follow-up and screening appointments is extremely important. There may be factors that are not obvious that could be addressed but will only be discovered after a professional examination.

How a failed implant is treated

Our dentist Navan can intervene if it is clear that implants are not working to plan. A bone graft may be an option if the bone density turns out to be insufficient. Beyond this, standard infections can occur if you have a weakened immune system; however, this can be addressed with a course of antibiotics.

There is also self-perpetuating inflammation that can occur where the more inflammation that occurs in the bone tissue, the greater the inflammatory response. This results in soreness, bleeding and pus forming around the implant. Although not actually infected, we can break this vicious cycle of inflammation by using a short course of steroids.