New Dental Implants? 4 Steps To Proper Care During The Holidays
The holidays are just around the corner. If you'll finally be enjoying your new dental implants before the season arrives, you'll need to take care of them. The holidays and cold weather pair together to create some unique safety hazards for your new dental implants. Here are four steps you should take to protect your new implants.
1. Avoid the Hot Drinks
If you enjoy hot drinks during the cold months, especially things like hot spiced cider during the holidays, you need to avoid those now that you have dental implants. Beverages that are too hot can wreak havoc on your implants and on your mouth. Your dental implant posts are constructed from metal that retains heat quite well. When you drink hot liquids, the posts heat up and retain the heat. Unfortunately, the hotter the posts get, the more damage they'll do to the tissue in your gums. Protect your mouth by reducing the temperature of the beverages you drink during the holidays.
2. Don't Apply too Much Pressure
If you're in the habit of using your teeth to open packages, or even bite your nails, you'll want to avoid that practice. Applying too much pressure to your dental implants can create cracks in the porcelain teeth. To avoid those cracks, use scissors for your packages and clippers for your fingernails.
3. Steer Clear of the Sticky Foods
If you were planning on sampling the saltwater taffy or other sticky foods during the holidays, you'll need to change your plans. Chewing on sticky foods can dislodge your implants, causing them to become separated from the posts that are securing them into place. Now that you have dental implants, leave the sticky foods alone.
4. See Your Dentist if Problems Arise
If you're going to have new dental implants for the holidays this year, it's important that you know the warning signs and at what point you should visit the dentist. You still need to see the dentist twice a year, even if you've had all your permanent teeth replaced with implants. However, if you develop problems with your implants, you should see your dentist sooner. If your dental implants become loose or painful, you need to visit the dentist. You also need to visit the dentist if your gums become inflamed or if you develop a foul-smelling discharge around the dental implants. You could be dealing with an infection.
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