It's not exactly stressful to receive a dental implant, but it can still be a little demanding. This is to be expected, although the end result is more than worth it. After detailed planning, the implant itself (a titanium alloy screw) is inserted into your jaw and integrates with the bone. The dental crown (your new prosthetic tooth) is then attached to the implant. Given the fact that your dental work took time and effort (and of course, money), it's important to take the best possible care of dental crown implants. So what's involved in maintaining the prosthetic crown attached to your implant?

No Risk of Decay

Your dental crown is ceramic, which gives it a certain advantage over natural teeth. It can't decay, so there's no risk of developing a cavity. Don't let this information mislead you, as you still need to clean your dental crown along with your other teeth—for the sake of your other teeth. For the most part, you just need to clean it as though it was a natural tooth.

Brushing Your Crown

Obviously, cleaning your dental crown implant involves brushing it. You should refrain from using a toothbrush with the hardest possible bristles. Toothbrushes are available with bristles of soft or medium hardness, and this is the best option for dental crowns. The crown cannot decay, but it can be scratched. Any indentations on the crown's surface create an inviting place for potentially harmful cariogenic (cavity-causing) bacteria to colonize, which creates an unnecessary risk for the rest of your teeth. The same basic principle applies if you use an electric toothbrush. A soft brush head is the best choice for your implant's crown.

Traditional Flossing

Flossing around your implant also requires a certain approach. Manual dental floss shouldn't be used around your crown. Tissue damage or even lacerations caused by moving the floss back and forth can damage your gums, potentially exposing the upper section of the implant, which should remain safely concealed by your gingival tissues. This may allow bacterial colonization of the implant, which can lead to certain infections specific to implants (peri-implant mucositis, which is untreated will develop into the more serious peri-implantitis), and can lead to implant failure.

Best Flossing Options

Ditch your dental floss (around your new dental crown, at least). Instead, you should be using a water flosser or an air flosser. A water flosser sprays a concentrated jet of water to dislodge any debris in your interdental spaces (which are the spaces between your teeth). An air flosser, as you may have guessed, uses a jet of air to achieve the same purpose. A water flosser is the better choice, as the use of water can be more effective at dislodging small particles of food from your interdental zones. 

The best way to care for your implant's crown should quickly become routine, but it's important that you start as you mean to continue—by caring for your crown as effectively as possible from the moment it's implanted.

Contact a local dentist for more info about dental crowns.