How Do I Floss My Dental Implants?

Dental implants can completely change your life. One day, you’re having trouble chewing, covering your mouth when you smile, and being cautious of how you laugh. The next, you’re talking, eating, and speaking more confidently than you have in years. Dental implants will also change the way you floss. If you want to know why, and how, here’s a guide to cleaning in between your teeth when you have dental implants.

Why Is Flossing Different with Dental Implants?

To understand how you should floss your implants, it’s important to know what it is you’re trying to avoid. Your teeth are connected to the gumline by a natural seal that prevents food and bacteria from seeping under the gumline. This barrier is filled with nerve endings, which means if you come close to breaking it while you floss, you’ll know it.

Obviously, dental implants aren’t natural teeth, so they aren’t covered by this barrier. Instead, something called the “peri-implant seal” is used to connect the dental implants to the gums. This artificial seal doesn’t contain any nerve endings—if you break it while flossing, you won’t even be able to tell.

How To Floss a Dental Implant

When you clean around a dental implant you should take care not to push the floss below the gum ridge. If you do, you could accidentally break the peri-implant seal, allowing the jawbone to become contaminated. This can contribute to advanced gum disease and bone loss, both of which cause implant failure.

You have to push down fairly hard to risk breaking the seal, so as long as you’re careful, you should be just fine. If you’re worried, you can always try using floss threaders to make the process of cleaning your teeth a little bit easier. You might also try substituting traditional dental floss for interdental brushes or oral irrigators, both of which can make staying clear of the gum ridge a bit easier.

Cleaning your teeth with dental implants is less scary than it sounds. After a few weeks of doing it daily, flossing your dental implant will become second nature.

About the Author

Dr. Shandy Condie is a dentist who loves nothing more than being able to make a positive change in the lives of her patients. People are often nervous when they first visit her office, so she’s become an expert at putting anxious patients at ease. Dr. Condie received her Doctor of Dental Surgery from the Creighton School of Dentistry, and she has completed hundreds of hours of continuing education since. If you have any questions about caring for her dental implants, she can be reached at her website or by phone at (480) 279-3100.