Dental implants are a popular method for replacing missing teeth. While daily flossing and brushing routines are largely the same as with natural teeth, dental implant patients will notice that special instruments are used by their dental hygienist to clean around the implants. Cleaning and maintaining dental implants differs from natural teeth for two reasons.
The first reason stems from the different ways dental implants and natural teeth attach to surrounding gum and bone tissue. With natural teeth, the periodontal ligament attaches the tooth roots to a bony socket surrounding them. The ligament contains small fibers which connects the tooth to the gum and bone tissue. Blood vessels in the ligament supply cells and nutrients making it more able to prevent and fight infections.
Lacking the attaching ligament, dental implants are surgically screwed into the jawbone to act as replacement roots for the missing teeth. A connecting device, called the abutment, is attached to the metal implant post allowing restorative crowns, bridges, or dentures to be mounted. Critical to the implant’s long-term effectiveness is the how well the bone and implant fuse together through the osseointegration process.
A second reason cleaning and maintenance differs is due to the materials used in implants differing from those in natural teeth. Dental implant components are often made of titanium while restorative bridges, crowns, or dentures are often ceramic or porcelain. These materials lack the strength of natural tooth enamel which is why dental hygienists have to use special instruments to clean around implants.
Infection Prevention is Critical
The same as with natural teeth, implant-supported tooth restorations must be thoroughly cleaned to ensure their longevity and maintain sound oral health. Implant crowns accumulate bacteria and plaque on them the same way natural teeth do. This biofilm should be removed daily as failure to do so, can lead to the development of an infection. Untreated infections can quickly progress causing bone loss around the implant and could result in loss of the implant.
While home care is critical, having routine hygienist cleanings is vital to keeping implants clean and infection-free. When selecting the appropriate instruments for cleaning implants, hygienists have a few factors to consider including the type of debris to remove, the location of the debris, what surface it has accumulated on, if the deposits are hard (tartar) or soft (biofilm), and the difficulty involved to remove it.
Tools Hygienists Use to Clean Implants
Due to the material lacking the strength of natural tooth enamel, special instruments are used to clean dental implants to avoid damaging the restoration. This is especially true when cleaning the smooth, polished surfaces of the abutments and crowns because scratches to these surfaces can attract bacteria and lead to infections. To avoid damaging these surfaces, hygienists use special tools to clean the implants. Called curettes and scalers, these instruments are often made of plastic rather than the metal instruments commonly used to clean natural teeth. In some cases, ultrasonic devices are also employed that utilize high-frequency vibrations to gently remove debris. Typically these devices are used on low power settings in conjunction with water irrigation and antibacterial solutions.