Patients who are getting dental implants need to understand how important it is to develop a good oral hygiene routine. Patients may have questions about how they should floss as part of their oral hygiene routine after getting dental implants.

The following are six mistakes patients need to avoid when it comes to flossing and dental implants.

Assuming that you don't need to or aren't supposed to floss at all around dental implants

Some patients who get dental implants think that they don't have to put as much effort into caring for their implants because implants can develop decay like real teeth. However, exercising proper oral hygiene by brushing and flossing is still important even for patients with flossing. 

Not being gentle enough when flossing

While flossing around dental implants can be important and advisable, patients need to understand how important it is to be gentle when flossing around implants. Patients need to adjust their flossing habits a bit once they've had implants put in place so that they don't inadvertently damage their gums. 

Pushing the floss into the gum pocket around your implant

The most important thing patients need to avoid when flossing around implants is damaging the peri-implant seal between the implant and the gums. While real teeth are attached to this area through what's known as periodontal ligaments, these periodontal ligaments are not present at the site of a dental implant.

Patients must never push floss into the gum pocket when they floss around their implants or they could leave themselves susceptible to dental implant failure and bacterial infections of the gum pocket. 

Not discussing flossing with your dentist

Patients should discuss flossing with their dentist since flossing around implants is a sensitive issue. Some dentists might recommend that patients avoid flossing around their implants or use an alternative method of clearing away food particles and plaque such as water flossing. 

Flossing immediately while your mouth is still recovering

Although patients should floss teeth that were not impacted by dental implant surgery right away after the procedure, they should hold off on flossing around new implants until their gums have begun healing. 

Using low-quality floss that is susceptible to breaking or shredding

Patients who floss around dental implants need to understand how damaging floss shreds can be to their implants. Floss shreds can get caught in a dental implant and increase the chance of infection. That's why patients with implants need to make sure that they're buying high-quality floss that is not prone to breaking or shredding. 

Speak to a dental service like Total Dentistry to learn more.