If you’re considering ceramic dental implants—also known as Zirconia implants–you’ve probably wondered if maintaining them will be a lot of extra work for you. Will you have to add extra steps to your dental hygiene routine to take care of them?
The short answer is no. Here’s why: Ceramic dental implants actually stay cleaner than titanium implants, naturally. Plaque doesn’t stick to them. They are less likely to get infected, too. Metal implants have a charge. That charge attracts bacteria.
Of course, for any implants, you do need to take just as much care of them as the rest of your teeth. And immediately after the surgery, it is important to follow your dentist’s recommendations to prevent implant failure. At that time, you’ll want to avoid coming into contact with the implant area and rinse your mouth gently.
As you heal, your dental hygiene needs to be adequate to ensure long-time survival of the implants. Make sure you give the soft tissues in the implant area a clean environment to reduce the risk of infection. Brush and floss your teeth daily, or rinse them if you tend not to floss. This is especially true for titanium implants, because more plaque grows on them than on ceramic implants.
Getting regular cleanings is essential if you get any types of implants. That enables your dentist an opportunity to spot any problems—and intervene—before the implant is lost.
If you are a smoker, keep in mind that smoking is the number one risk factor for implant failure. Make sure you pay extra attention to your oral hygiene.
The health of your body affects the health of your mouth, so the more you take care of yourself, the more you will set the stage for successful implants. Eating right, getting enough rest, keeping Vitamin D levels in the normal range, and managing medical conditions such as autoimmune disease can all make a difference.
Ceramic dental implants don’t take a lot of work to maintain. The small daily steps you take to maintain good oral hygiene can go a long way toward keeping them looking great.
