How to Clean Dental Implants

Dental implants are different from dentures in that they cannot be removed from your mouth. They are more expensive than dentures but have the benefit of protecting your mouth from gum loss. Fortunately there is little need for special care for dental implants, they just need to be cleaned like regular teeth.

What You'll Need:

• Manual or electric toothbrush


• Dental floss

Instructions:

1. Decide whether you want to use a soft manual toothbrush or an electric one. While regular non-electric brushes can do an acceptable job cleaning your teeth, some dentists recommend using an electric one. It is widely believed that electric toothbrushes do a more uniform and thorough job of cleaning the teeth.


2. Brush your dental implant teeth at least twice a day - once when you first wake up in the morning and then before you go to bed at night. For best results, brush them after every meal, as you should do with your normal teeth.


3. Hold the brush at a slight upward angle when brushing. Use gentle, circular movements as you clean the teeth, moving the bristles of the brush so that they come into contact with your gums as well.


4. Floss your teeth daily, at least once a day, to remove any food that may be lodged between your implants and gums. Take 10 to 12 inches of dental floss and floss along the sides. Be sure to floss all the way down to the gums.

Tip:

• If using a manual toothbrush, choose one that has an angled tip.


• Only use a small amount of toothpaste when brushing your implants.