Just How Important Is A Dental Check-up Anyway?
If you’ve ever undergone treatment for dental implants in Richmond, you’ll know the importance of ongoing dental check-up’s. However do you know why they’re carried out? After all you’ve only just had your implants, so surely you shouldn’t need to go back unless you experience any problems.
Critical first few months
Most dental implant issues tend to occur within the first 6 months after placement. The reason for this is that although well-fitted dental implants are incredibly strong and durable, they can also be prone to attack from bacteria, especially within the first few months until they properly settle. For this reason it’s imperative that the patient practices impeccable dental hygiene. The issue with implant problems are that they aren’t always visible to the untrained eye and more importantly, they aren’t always painful. For this reasons regular 3-6 monthly check-up’s with your implant dentist are key.
Looking for change
Any implant dentist worth their salt will be looking into the mouth and comparing your current situation to the previous check-up. In some cases change can be good (eg signs of better brushing, less plaque etc) but change can also be bad (eg, signs of bacterial build-up, weakened implants and peri-implantitis). Simply by spotting the signs early, it’s possible for the dentist who first fitted your dental implants in Richmond to put the problems right.
Gazing into the future
From those first few months, careful examinations coupled with a recent dental history can actually give the dentist strong clues to predict roughly how long natural and implanted teeth are going to last. For the patient this means that they can
- Focus their resources on dealing with any immediate problems should they arise
- Plan ahead for problems in the future, say 12 months, or even 5 or 10 years from now
An experienced dentist should be able to give you realistic predictions about the longevity of your implants and teeth and in a way, if you’re prepared for it, predicting your dental future can bring peace-of-mind.
Planning
In the end it’s all about being mentally prepared. Yes dental implants might last forty years or more, but then again they might not. When possible dental issues are predicted well in advance most people are kind of okay with it as it doesn’t come as a shock. Knowing is definitely better, and this is what regular check-up’s can bring about.
If you want to find out more about how dental check-up’s can help you after undergoing dental implants in Richmond, then contact Sheen Dental. Before any implant treatment we make sure that every patient has their own unique treatment plan and this includes ongoing and regular check-up’s. Contact us on 020 8876 5277 or visit our website at www.sheendentalimplants.co.uk to get the information needed to make an informed dental decision about your future oral health.