The All-on-4® treatment offers a renewed smile for those missing most or all of their teeth or living with ill-fitting dentures. However, like natural teeth, they require proper care and maintenance to ensure their longevity and optimal function. Neglecting oral hygiene or routine check-ups can lead to complications such as gum disease, implant failure, or discomfort.
This article will explore how to best clean around the All-on-4® dental implant site and the dental prosthesis. It’ll also include other tips for maintaining your All-on-4® teeth and ensuring they last as long as possible.
How To Best Clean Around The All-on-4® Dental Implant Site
Oral hygiene is paramount for the success of your All-on-4® implants post-surgery and long-term maintenance. Just like the dental prosthesis, it’s also important to clean the dental implant site.
The best way to keep the implant site clean is to:
- X-floss daily is also crucial for eliminating food particles and combatting plaque that your toothbrush can miss. For maximum effectiveness, we recommend also using a water flosser, such as a Waterpik.
- Brush your teeth twice daily using a soft-bristled toothbrush, warm water and a small amount of toothpaste on the tongue to kill bacteria and to give a fresh taste in the mouth. Also, remember to brush around the gumline.
How To Clean The All-on-4® Dental Prosthesis
The steps for cleaning your All-on-4® dental prosthesis are similar to cleaning the dental implant sites. The main difference is that instead of cleaning at and around your gum line, you’ll want to target the artificial teeth.
Using a soft-bristled toothbrush, brush your prosthetic teeth at least twice daily, or ideally after every meal. You’ll want to gently brush your entire bridge of teeth for at least two minutes using a circular motion.
It’s important to use a circular motion to enhance the bristles against the anatomy of the bridge, which adequately engages the plaque to grip and remove it. Don’t forget to include cleaning your tongue in the routine, too. To clean your tongue, do not use a back-and-forth motion. Instead, use one motion from back to front to scrape the tongue.
It’s also critical to remember to X-floss under your bridge. Tiny food particles love to hide wherever they can, particularly in the spaces between the All-on-4® tooth bridge and your gums. If they aren’t removed through cleaning, they can cause inflammation and build-up of bacteria. We recommend utilising a Waterpik after using X-floss to help flush out debris and enhance gingival health around the implants.
Why You Still Need To Visit A Dentist
Even if you follow strict home care routines and follow all the aftercare tips, it is still important to visit your dentist or dental surgeon. Just like with natural teeth, regular dental check-ups are important for maintaining your new All-on-4® teeth.
The dental clinician will be able to monitor the progress of the All-on-4® dental implants and spot any complications early. They can also provide deep cleaning and routine maintenance.
During a dental check-up, your dental clinician will remove the prosthesis to check the abutments of the implants and polish the bridge externally. This ensures a thorough oral health check-up and allows your dentist to spot any issues early.
Other Oral Hygiene Tips For Maintaining All-on-4®
Beyond maintaining good oral hygiene habits and remembering to clean the implant site and the prosthesis, there are a few other tips to keep in mind. If you want to best maintain your All-on-4® teeth, we recommend:
- Avoiding tobacco products, like cigarettes and vaping. Tobacco products can discolour your prosthesis and raise your risk for complications like periodontal disease and peri-implantitis.
- If you have any pre-existing medical conditions, like diabetes, it is important to stay on top of medication and management. Conditions like diabetes have been shown to negatively impact oral health over time if neglected.
- Some habits, like teeth grinding, can damage All-on-4® teeth over time and indirectly impact oral hygiene. If you suffer from teeth grinding (bruxism), we recommend speaking to your dentist or dental surgeon for treatment advice.
- Try to avoid eating any hard or chewy foods. This can damage the implants and make them harder to clean if cracks or damage form.
What happens if you don’t clean your All-on-4® teeth?
If you don’t properly clean your All-on-4® dental implants and prosthesis, it can lead to a range of complications. These include:
- Poor oral hygiene fosters bacteria growth, which raises the risk of infections. This can potentially lead to gum inflammation and diseases like peri-implantitis
- In severe cases of poor oral hygiene, it can lead to bone loss and implant failure.
Studies have shown that oral health is also closely linked to overall physical health and emotional well-being. Proper hygiene techniques are important for positively influencing your body’s physical and mental health.
Find Out If You’re Suitable At Next Smile Australia
If you’re interested in All-on-4® implants, finding out if you’re suitable is as easy as taking our online test or booking a consultation. You can either hop on over to our website to take the suitability assessment or book an appointment to chat with one of our All-on-4® dental surgeons today.
During a consultation, an All-on-4® dental surgeon will review your previous medical and dental history, which will help determine suitability. They will also use dental imaging technology to take scans of your jaw, which gives them a better idea about the state of your mouth and bone health.`
The All-on-4® dental surgeon will also explain the All-on-4® treatment process, providing a step-by-step overview. During this time, they will also discuss with you treatment goals, and provide information on the recovery timeline and aftercare.
If you want to learn more about the All-on-4® treatment or Next Smile Australia, we host regular education events through seminars or webinars. If you have any questions about All-on-4® or want to book an appointment, contact us today. We’d love to hear from you and help you start your journey to a new smile.