Dental Implants - Page 3
If it is not possible to construct a fixed prosthesis for you jaw, a removable overdenture may be designed may be designed to fit over the implants. While it is removable by you, it can be secured to the abutments by various types of attachments or magnets.
If you do have some remaining natural teeth, a prosthesis fixed to two or more implants may also be made to replace the missing teeth. They may be attached to natural teeth or may stand alone in the areas where teeth have been lost. Single missing teeth can be replaced by an implant-supported replacement tooth.
Aftercare During the first year after your new prosthesis has been placed on the implants, it is necessary for the dentist to confirm that it fits well and works satisfactorily. Regular checkup appointments will usually be scheduled at 1, 3, and 6 month intervals in the first year. At these checkups, x-rays may be taken to examine the implant-bone relationship and rule out any disease. After the first year, follow-up examinations are usually necessary only once a year.
How To Clean Your New Teeth After Implant Therapy Good oral hygiene is just as important to patients with an implant prosthesis as to those people who have their natural teeth. It cannot be said enough that you must thoroughly clean the abutments and prosthesis daily if your implants are to give you long-time service. Because the flow of saliva slows down while you are asleep, the natural cleaning action of saliva decreases. This means that bacterial plaque builds up while you are asleep. Therefore, the most important times for cleaning the abutments and teeth are in the evening and in the morning. The most important areas to be cleaned are the abutment posts, underneath the prosthesis, and the area around the gums. (The abutment posts, remember, are the shiny metal posts that stick up from the gums and attach the prosthesis to your jaw.) Follow These Steps In
Cleaning Your Abutments and Prosthesis |
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1. Clean the abutment
Post |
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A crochet hook is very helpful
in passing the ribbon through the space and then grasping it on the
other side of the post to bring it forward. |
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Or, you can wrap the ribbon
around the posts in a figure eight (Behind one post and in front of
another post). |
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Then use the ribbon in the
manner of a "shoe-shine rag" |
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Clean the underside of the prosthesis Use ribbon that has toothpaste on it to clean the underside of the prosthesis in each space. Use the ribbon again in the manner of a shoe-shine rag, But this time use a front to back stroke. extra-thick floss is available at the drugstore and may also be used for this phase of cleaning. ![]() |
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Some
patients find that an interproximal ("between surfaces") brush
helps in cleaning the sides of the abutment posts and the undersurface
of the pros-thesis. Use the brush with a back and forth stroke.![]() |
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A
small amount of toothpaste used with the brush may increase its ability
to clean well. ![]() |
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| 3.
Brush the posts and prosthesis If you follow a set order each time you clean your prosthesis, as shown and described in the illustration, you will be sure that all surfaces will be clean. Brush the upper and outer surfaces of the prosthesis as you would natural teeth, using a regular soft toothbrush. Clean the inner and outer sides of all abutments posts and surrounding gum tissues with a soft multi-tufted nylon tooth-brush and toothpaste. Use a short, horizontal, back and forth movement. |
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