Can food get stuck under the bridge?
Food and bacteria can always get stuck under the bridge in between the gum line and the bridge. This is completely normal and it shouldn't worry you, as cleaning your immediate funnel teeth is very much like cleaning your own teeth. You have to brush around all the surfaces of your teeth, the biting side, the cheek side and the tongue side. You also have to clean beneath the Immediate final teeth using a specialised floss called X floss; we can show you how to do this when you are at home, which should continue on a daily basis.
Can my implants get infected?
Implants can get infected when they are not being looked after. If you are not visiting the dentist regularly or if you are not cleaning them enough they can become infected. You usually will start to feel a bit of discomfort around the implants, you can get a bad smell and bad taste in your mouth, which is usually a sign of infection. There can also be some swelling around the face, implants and gum line. If we catch this infection early, it is normally very easy to treat. It can become a little bit more complicated if the infection is left and it develops more around the implants. So if you feel that there may be something wrong with your implants, make an appointment with us ASAP.
What tools do I need to use to clean them?
We recommend using a soft toothbrush to brush your Immediate Final Teeth, we do not recommend using an electric toothbrush as that can rattle
around too much we also recommend using a product called x-floss to clean beneath the teeth and between the implants. We will give you tools like a Waterpik, which can also be used to help you to clean food out from beneath the Immediate Final Teeth. Interdental brushes are also handy to brush between the gum line and bridge line. We will explain in your 3 week review how to use each of these products.
Can I get new implants?
Often when patients are talking about problems that occur with the implants, they are actually referring to the Immediate Final Teeth (bridges). It is usually quite easy to fix any issues that may occur with the teeth such as breaks or chips. It's as easy as you come in the morning, we take out your Immediate final teeth, put in your temporary teeth, and over a few hours, we bring them to the lab where they will repair whatever damage there is to your Immediate Final Teeth. You will then get your teeth back towards the end of the day. If you find that you are having multiple breakages, we may need to use some other tactics such as anti-clenching injections or upgrade your teeth to zirconia ( a harder, more durable material).
Are there dietary restrictions to follow?
Once the implants are fully integrated and healed in the bone you can go back to a normal diet. For the first four months we'll recommend going on a
soft diet to allow the implants to completely heal and integrate into the bone. After 4 months, you can go back to eating a regular diet such as apples, steak, chips etc. Obviously, it's important to still be cautious as some foods can cause your teeth to chip or break ( such as hard/sticky toffee/caramel, some nuts, hard lollies etc). But for the most part, you can eat whatever you like.
Below is a video explaining these questions in detail: