A skiing accident knocked a few of your teeth out. A paucity of dental hygiene has initiated erosion in the back of your mouth. Or, you know, you’re getting a little bit older, and your teeth are not what they used to be. Simply put: you have had dental implants to bring back that prominent and confident smile.

Dental implants are expensive and consist of a long, arduous process with your dentist. After a consultation, a couple of procedures, and a handful of follow-ups – and a few thousand dollars later – you want to ensure that your dental implants will have a long lifespan.

How can you achieve this aim of maintaining pristine dental implants? It’s not hard, but it may require a shift in your behaviour and habits.

Here are five tips to keep your dental implants healthy:

1. Follow What the Dentist Says

Doctors are frustrated when they find out that patients are not following their instructions. Indeed, clients are really creative and clever when they conjure up excuses, but medical professionals can see right through the fibs.

But the healthcare veteran’s health isn’t at risk. It is yours.

In other words, it is important to follow the guidelines, recommendations, and game plans established by the dentist, and your other healthcare providers, too. These suggestions are to ensure that your, in this case, your dental implants remain in good shape for years to come.

If you’re merely abandoning the instructions, then don’t be shocked your implants fall out.

2. Consume Plenty of Water

In a world of soda, coffee, caffeinated beverages, teas, and a myriad of other beverages, water tends to take a backseat in our drinking habits. And this isn’t a good thing.

There is a reason why they say water is the nectar of the gods. It is essential for your body, and you will soon realize that it can do wonders for your teeth – even the fluoride is good for your teeth. You don’t need to go as far as drinking 10 glasses of water per day, but you should be imbibing more than you are now.

3. Maintain a Healthy Diet – Stop the Sugar!

Fruits and vegetables are necessary in any balanced, healthy diet. Unfortunately, like water, we don’t eat enough of them. We tend to consume a lot more meat and sugar, two things that aren’t great for your teeth or your dental implants.

You may not need to give up meat, but you should limit your intake of sugar. The white substance, especially refined, can eat away at the bone or erode the quality of the implant.

Here is a trick: if you’re eating sugar, then take some water and rinse your mouth immediately.

4. Don’t Smoke Tobacco or Drink Alcohol

In addition to sugar, there are two other products that are horrendous for your teeth and implants: cigarettes and alcohol. Yes, most have quit tobacco, but many of us drink immense quantities of alcohol. Sure, you aren’t required to toss alcohol out the window, but you should minimize it.

5. Examine Your Dental Implants Regularly

Since you aren’t seeing your dentist every single day of the week, it would be prudent to perform your own inspection of your dental implants on a regular basis. After you have flossed, brushed, and rinsed, be sure to examine your implants to see if there is anything wrong with them.

Should you find one coming apart or it’s loose, then it would be wise to contact your dentist almost immediately, particularly if you have invested a lot of money in the insertions.

Life happens, whether it entails an accident or it involves neglect. Whatever the case, your dental health can oftentimes be neglected by both factors. An athlete can see his two front teeth knocked out. An average individual can see their canines dwindle because they don’t floss at all.

When these things happen, you will need dental implants. But to ensure that these implants don’t have the same fate as your natural teeth, you will need to be extra careful and diligent. So, listen to your doctor, improve your hygiene, and watch what you put in your mouth.