Dental implants are used to replace missing teeth, in a permanent, safe way. When you have a tooth missing, you may have trouble eating certain foods, or you may begin to experience pain in your jaw from biting differently. With the use of dental implant technology, dentists are able to recreate sturdy, permanent teeth that act much like your natural teeth do. To get your mouth ready for implants, and to ensure implantation success, there are a number of steps you can take to get your mouth healthy before treatment.

Brush and Floss Your Teeth Regularly

It's important to brush and floss your teeth at least twice a day, but it's even more critical to regularly brush and floss your teeth when you are waiting to get dental implants. The health of your gums is crucial to dental implantation success. When your gums are dry, or bleed easily when brushed, your gums are not healthy enough for dental implants. When you take care of your teeth regularly, you are both cleaning your teeth and strengthening your gums. 

If You're a Smoker, It's Time to Quit

Many dentists won't even give dental implants to patients that smoke. Smoking causes your mouth to dry out, your gums to have problems, and the motion of smoking should be avoided upon implantation. If you want dental implants, it's time to quit smoking. The success rates of dental implants for non-smokers is much higher, and your health will improve overall.

No Special Care is Needed for Dental Implants

Once you have a tooth restored with a dental implant, it is not necessary to treat that tooth in any special way. Although it's important to consider that this tooth is not going to feel temperature extremes or be sensitive, unlike your other teeth. Be careful to avoid chewing hard foods to prevent implant breakage, just as you would refrain from chewing tough food items to protect your natural teeth. You brush and floss dental implants just like your normal teeth, and after awhile you won't notice a difference between the two.

The overall health of your mouth depends on a number of things. If you have broken teeth, or missing teeth, it's time to have the teeth restored. Teeth left broken in your mouth can get infected, causing all types of problems with your gums and jawline. The better you take care of your teeth, the better you will feel overall.