Maintaining Your All-on-4 Smile
Your new All-on-4 smile looks and feels fantastic! But do you know how to maintain your All-on-4 dental implants to keep them looking and functioning well for a lifetime? Our dentist in Ballwin MO is glad to provide you with tips.
All-on-4 is a type of dental implant, which is a permanent replacement for missing teeth. A traditional dental implant is a metal post surgically implanted into the jaw; one dental implant typically holds a single artificial crown. In an All-on-4, four dental implants hold all the replacement teeth for the upper or lower arch. In other words, a dentist implants four metal posts into the upper or lower jaw, and then attaches a full-size denture that replaces all the teeth on that arch.
Like other dental implants, an All-on-4 is meant to last a lifetime. However, a condition known as “implant failure” is still possible. An implant failure can cause your dental implant to loosen or even fall out, and this can compromise the entire All-on-4 denture placement.
Maintain your regular oral hygiene routine by brushing at least twice each day. Using a soft toothbrush designed for implants, brush in a gentle side-to-side motion. Take care to reach all surfaces of the implant and gums.
Floss once a day, using a special implant flosser or interdental brush to remove food particles from between the implant posts and to clean beneath the denture base.
Use an antiseptic rinse specifically formulated for dental implants to flush away bacteria and promote gum health.
Ask our dentist to recommend specific cleaning tools and products to keep your All-on-4 in great condition. Using products with abrasive or harsh ingredients may damage your beautiful new smile.
Nutrition is always important, of course, but especially so when you have All-on-4 dental implants. A balanced diet – one that is rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains – helps support the tissues that keep your implants in place.
Give yourself a chance to adjust to your new All-on-4 by starting with a soft diet, and then gradually introducing chewier and crunchier foods.
It is also important to avoid foods that may damage your dental implants immediately after placing them. Nuts, hard candies, and sticky foods can potentially damage the base of the denture. Once fully healed, however, dental implants are designed to be durable and sustain regular use just as your natural teeth would!
Certain lifestyle preferences can increase the risk of implant failure, especially during the healing process in the weeks or months after receiving your All-on-4. Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do to maintain your All-on-4, as smoking is a significant factor for implant failure. Avoiding alcohol may help extend the life of your All-on-4, as alcohol slows healing and negatively affects your immune system.
Other lifestyle factors, such as grinding your teeth (bruxism), can affect the health of your All-on-4; treat bruxism and any other condition that may shorten the life of your All-on-4 dental implants.
Our dentist can provide specific instructions to keep your All-on-4 in the best shape possible to last a lifetime. These tips can be personalized to fit your individual needs.
Your dentist will recommend a specific schedule for checkups and professional cleanings. During these appointments, our dentist will monitor the health of your gums, implants, and surrounding tissue. They will also look for issues that could compromise your All-on-4, such as inflammation around the implant (peri-implantitis) or loose screws.
For All-on-4 dental implants, consult with 100 West Dental. Our dentist in Ballwin provides All-on-4 dental implants and a wide variety of other dental services. Connect with us today to set up a consultation or dental exam to see if All-on-4 dental implants are a good fit for your smile.
We'd love to provide you and your family with an unexpectedly awesome dental experience. Call (636) 585-0100 or schedule online to set up your visit. We'll be in touch soon.
