After a dental implant, is it necessary to have follow-up visits at the dentist?

Doctor's Answers 3

After a dental implant procedure is completed, it is imperative that you go back to your dentist for follow up visits.

Regular active maintenance visits are so important to keep the state of your oral health in tip-top condition and to prevent painless and undetected dental problems from worsening.

Additionally, your trusted dentist will also help you to maintain your dental implant and to periodically make adjustments or repairs to the implant as needed.

For more information on dental implants in general, please take a moment to read this article that I wrote: https://www.human.com.sg/dental-implants-singapore

Just like any other type of dental work you may receive, dental implants require maintenance.

This maintenance is essential for the longevity of not just the implant, but also to ensure the continued health of the other teeth and your mouth as a whole. Maintenance is essential in preventing the main causes of tooth loss (that resulted in the need for the implant in the first place) which are tooth decay and gum disease.

Some patients who have a history of nocturnal bruxism (tooth grinding) may be at increased risk of breaking the implant crown, the fixture screw or the implant itself. Most likely, your dentist would have provided you with a bite guard that you have to wear every night to prevent this from happening. At your maintenance visits, the condition of your bite guard needs to be checked to ensure that it can function properly.

Dental maintenance visits are an opportunity for your dentist and you to check in and identify any potential problems early.

Having a dental implant or any other type of dental treatment performed without a maintenance plan in place is just like buying a car and driving it around without auto insurance.

Soon after receiving your dental implants, it’s very important to visit your dentist regularly to ensure healing has been successful and to diagnose any developing problems as soon as possible.

If your implants are not healing properly, they could fail. Once implants fail, they will need to be removed and allow your bone and gums to heal, before attempting again. More frequent dental visits will help to diagnose any problems before they become serious. In addition, it’s important to check on the health of your gums. Gum disease is a common cause of implant failure and should be treated as soon as it begins to develop.

Proper care, follow up and oral hygiene, will result in successful healing and long term prognosis of an implant. Which include the following:

  • Taking prescribed medications timely (following the placement of an implant)
  • Brushing and flossing teeth regularly
  • Flossing around your implants to prevent the onset of gum disease

Similar Questions

Why do different dentists disagree on whether I should have a root canal treatment or an extraction and dental implant?

Dentists choose treatment plans based on many different factors. Some of these factors have nothing to do with clinical data. As a patient, your dentist should go through the different treatment options with you so that you understand the treatment itself, and the long term maintenance required with that selection. Keeping the tooth by performing root canal treatment and a crown may mean that the tooth may still crack further and require extraction at a later date.

Photo of Dr Jaclyn Toh

Answered By

Dr Jaclyn Toh

Dentist

Should I get dental implants or braces for a front lower teeth gap due to removing baby teeth in my adulthood?

Losing a baby tooth later in life always presents as a dilemma for patients. Certainly a missing front tooth affects our confidence as it is in a visible region. This is often a multidisciplinary problem and best assessed by an orthodontist who work closely with a restorative dentist.

Photo of Dr Enrica Sham

Answered By

Dr Enrica Sham

Orthodontist

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