Dental implants are one of the most often recommended tooth replacement options and one of the most popular among patients. If you’re looking to fill a hole in your smile left by a missing tooth, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better way to do it.
Patients who lost their teeth due to decay may wonder whether their dental implant could be susceptible to the same issue. If you want to know more about that, here’s what you should know about the relationship between dental implants and cavities.
Can Dental Implants Get Cavities?
Tooth decay is a product of acid-producing bacteria in the mouth. After these bacteria feed on sugars and starches, they secrete acid onto the teeth, eroding the enamel on the surface. Over time, this produces cavities in the tooth.
The good news is that dental implant crowns are typically made out of porcelain, which is substantially more acid resistant than your enamel. As a result, tooth decay is much less of a concern.
In short, the answer is no—dental implants are unlikely to get cavities.
What Can Put Implants At Risk?
That said, it isn’t a good idea to let bacteria run rampant in your mouth. While tooth decay isn’t much of a risk for dental implants, infection certainly is.
It’s possible for bacteria to creep under the gum line and begin to attack the bone tissue holding the dental implant in place. This is called peri-implantitis, and it’s one of the leading causes of dental implant failure. So, you can’t neglect oral hygiene just because your dental implant can’t get cavities.
How to Care for a Dental Implant
Thankfully, preventing infection isn’t all that difficult. In fact, it mostly comes down to keeping up with all the other things you’re already doing for your other teeth.
First of all, take care to brush your teeth well twice a day and floss them daily. You can ask your dentist to recommend you specific products to make cleaning your implant easier.
Speaking of, you should make it a point to see your dentist twice a year for checkups and cleanings. This will give them an opportunity to check on the state of your dental implant and your oral health in general. Do this, and your dental implant will stick with you for decades to come.
About Our Practice
At Epic Family Dentistry of Carrollton, we like to say that we offer our patients the best of both worlds. As a family-owned practice, we take the time to come to know our patients as people, and we make sure that they always feel heard. However, we also have the same technical expertise and advanced dental technology that you’d find in any big hospital. That balance is how we’ve been able to help so many people smile their brightest over the years.
If you have any questions about dental implants, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (972) 820-7294.