Implant maintenance and recall

Dental implants are a second chance! You make the life-changing decision and invest in these wonders, and we must take care of them! Implants must be cared for like our natural teeth. If they are not taken care of, then they may be lost due to infection around their implant or some other reason. Care for them includes at-home care and meticulous hygiene, along with recall visits. Most dentists and hygienists can perform these for you. Our office does not have a hygienist on staff; you will need to find a dental home to have these preventative cleanings done. We will happily aid you in finding one if you do not have anyone in mind. We staunchly encourage any patient with natural teeth left to make sure to continue their recall appointments with their general dentist/hygienist (in fact, we likely won’t place implants if you do not do this first!)

At these recall visits, the doctor examines the implants to make sure they are looking healthy, and you are doing a good job of cleaning around them and the rest of your mouth. They will be cleaned if necessary, along with the prosthesis, x-rays obtained, and if need be, the special attachments in the dentures will be replaced due to wear.

One of the best parts about these special treatments is that patients get a lot more biting force back! This, however, leads to faster wear of dentures, and thus we recommend replacing the denture every 5-10 years.