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Cleaning around implant crowns

M

MountainMama

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 1, 2018
Messages
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My dentist just said brush and floss as usual. It feels like food gets stuck between the two implant crowns (side by side molars) as there are no gums between them (it is flat).
It feels really weird to floss because the floss goes way down under the crown, and I worry that I am pushing food down further. Is there a better way to floss?

Also, how do you prevent bacteria from getting under or around the crown and getting to the implant? Or is that not even a concern?
 
Have you tried Superfloss or TePe brushes? Can you get a hygienist to watch your technique and check you're doing it right?
 
Have you tried Superfloss or TePe brushes? Can you get a hygienist to watch your technique and check you're doing it right?

I have some interdental brushes. I think I will call the dental office Monday and ask about it, though. I tried to search it on google and there was a lot of conflicting information about flossing.
 
When flossing around implants the floss may appear to disappear deep under the gum. This is exactly where you want it to go. It is better to use dental tape made of a single strand of teflon rather than the old style floss which is made up of fine strands twisted together as if any of these fine strands get caught and break off under the gum it can really harm the implant. As Gordon says, your dentist will be able to recommend the best and safest way to clean your particular implant configuration.
Bacteria will get under the gum whatever you do. By cleaning the area just under the gum really well you will get the gum to form a tight seal around the implant keep it all healthy.
 
When flossing around implants the floss may appear to disappear deep under the gum. This is exactly where you want it to go. It is better to use dental tape made of a single strand of teflon rather than the old style floss which is made up of fine strands twisted together as if any of these fine strands get caught and break off under the gum it can really harm the implant. As Gordon says, your dentist will be able to recommend the best and safest way to clean your particular implant configuration.
Bacteria will get under the gum whatever you do. By cleaning the area just under the gum really well you will get the gum to form a tight seal around the implant keep it all healthy.
Thank you! It does feel like it is going so deep and it is weird! I will pick up dental tape. I have been using the floss, as that is all I have. I have screw retained implants and I don’t really know what the “bottom” of them would look like.
I am going to call Monday and ask them about showing me how to floss.
 
When flossing around implants the floss may appear to disappear deep under the gum. This is exactly where you want it to go. It is better to use dental tape made of a single strand of teflon rather than the old style floss which is made up of fine strands twisted together as if any of these fine strands get caught and break off under the gum it can really harm the implant. As Gordon says, your dentist will be able to recommend the best and safest way to clean your particular implant configuration.
Bacteria will get under the gum whatever you do. By cleaning the area just under the gum really well you will get the gum to form a tight seal around the implant keep it all healthy.

Oh and this may be a really dumb question but is all the floss that is flat and wide dental tape, or is it specifically called dental tape? I ask because my husband has some that looks like tape but is called dental floss on the package. Would it be labeled as tape?
 
MM, a waterpik is ideal for implant. It blast a streaming jet of water rinse off surface of particles. It gets in between hard to reach places very well.
I can second this suggestion. I have one of those ultra flosses and they really great for cleaning between implants and teeth in general. I also use the rubber caredent brushes.
 
I'm not sure there's a formal definition, I would tend to call the wide stuff tape and the narrow stuff floss :)
 
@drhirst mentioned teflon (PTFE) - to my knowledge, none of the PTFE flosses are officially described as tape... their shape is sort of in between traditional round floss and the "tape" type (e.g. Satin Tape). Sort of a narrow tape shape.

So I think the flosses Lincoln are referring to are called:
  • Oral-B Pro-Expert Premium Floss or Colgate Total Pro Gum Health Interdental Floss in the UK and Ireland
  • Oral-B Glide floss range in the US
There might be others for all I know...
 
Yes. A good way to test is to pull some apart and see if it separates into little wispy frayed edges or cleanly breaks into two.
 
Yes. A good way to test is to pull some apart and see if it separates into little wispy frayed edges or cleanly breaks into two.
Got it, thanks for the clarification!
 
@drhirst mentioned teflon (PTFE) - to my knowledge, none of the PTFE flosses are officially described as tape... their shape is sort of in between traditional round floss and the "tape" type (e.g. Satin Tape). Sort of a narrow tape shape.

So I think the flosses Lincoln are referring to are called:
  • Oral-B Pro-Expert Premium Floss or Colgate Total Pro Gum Health Interdental Floss in the UK and Ireland
  • Oral-B Glide floss range in the US
There might be others for all I know...
Thank you! That helps a lot!
 
Yes. A good way to test is to pull some apart and see if it separates into little wispy frayed edges or cleanly breaks into two.

The stuff we have is the glide kind and I couldn’t break it apart even when I tried so I guess it is the right kind. ?

I got in this morning to see a hygienist and she demonstrated how to floss. I wasn’t going nearly low enough and was being too timid. Now I feel better about it.
 
@drhirst Quick question about the floss again. I have the Oral B glide and I couldn’t break it by pulling. It stretches when I attempt to pull it apart (width-wise) so I am guessing that is the kind I should use. However, tonight when flossing between the two implant crowns, the floss stuck and snagged and started peeling pieces off when I was pulling it out. No matter which way I pulled it (through or up) it ended up coming apart in long thin strips. I “think” I got them out but my gums are stinging a bit now, and I am worried little bits might still be in there. Is there any way to make sure that I got all the pieces out? I am going to mention it to the oral surgeon when I go in for the pain in the one implant but I am afraid to floss now.
 

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