A Great Smile Starts Here

At Home Care:

Good oral hygiene makes your mouth look and smell healthy, helps prevent dental health problems and makes your smile great. Good oral hygiene consists of clean teeth free from food particles; gums that are pink and do not hurt or bleed when brushing or flossing and bad breath is not a constant problem.

Brushing properly is the most important step to maintain good oral health. Brushing should last at least two minutes and is necessary at least twice per day. Use short gentle strokes paying extra attention to the gumline and hard to reach back teeth. You should brush both the inside and outside of a removable prosthesis. Then brush around the gums and abutments with the prosthesis removed. When brushing dental implants, use the IMTEC ACCESS toothbrush with curved memory bristles to all sides of the implant post. Brush a fixed prosthesis thoroughly, as you would natural teeth. You may want to use an interdental brush with a bent handle to clean around your abutment posts.

Flossing twice a day helps prevent plaque and tartar build up and removes any debris from between teeth. Start with about 18 inches of floss. Wrap floss around both index fingers. Use fingers to guide floss between teeth and move floss up and down. With dental implants, you will need to floss even more than before. You may be asked to use a special floss to clean around your gums, abutment posts and prosthetic teeth.

Floss around the abutment posts of a removable prosthesis while dentures are removed. Use floss or other suggested nonmetallic instruments around the front, sides and back of the abutment posts of a fixed or removable prosthesis.

Rinsing with antiseptic wash eliminates much of the bacteria that cause plaque and tartar to build up. Antiseptic washes freshen breath and remove loose debris from the mouth. Prescription mouth rinses must be used daily to protect your dental implants.

Dental Visits:

On your first visit we will take a full health history. Remember to tell our dental staff if any changes in your health have occurred since your last visit. Regular checkups will help your teeth stay cleaner, last longer and can prevent painful problems from developing. Dental implant patients should be especially careful in caring for their implants and the surrounding tissues to avoid problems and prolong the length of time your implants stay healthy.

A thorough cleaning - Most visits to Dr. Bulard’s office begin with a complete cleaning from your dental hygienist.