Many people who have lost their teeth ask their doctors to “plant” a few realistic, beautiful and comfortable dentures (i.e. dental implants). Once the teeth are “planted”, some people think everything is fine, gnawing on bones, biting sugar cane, eating everything, and not paying attention to oral hygiene, which often results in the abortion of dental implants. What is the proper care for dental implants? Once the dental implant is “planted” in the mouth, it needs careful care. Dental implant care can be divided into two phases: the post-operative recovery period and the normal use period. I. Recovery period care – within three months after the surgery Although the dental implant surgery is not big, if you do not pay attention to the care after the surgery, it is easy to have wound infection, cracking and other situations, and in serious cases, it may lead to dental implant failure. Therefore, the following issues should be noted after surgery: 1. On the day after surgery, the patient should eat a semi- or full-fluid diet, remove the wires to advance to a soft diet, and not use the teeth in the surgical area to chew food. Patients who have dental implants immediately after extraction should not chew too hard food with dental implants for three months after surgery. It is important to abstain from smoking, alcohol and stimulating foods. Under the guidance of the doctor, take appropriate calcium supplements and increase the intake of high calcium foods and vitamins. 2. Within 24 hours after surgery, you should not brush the teeth in the surgical area to avoid stimulating the wound. Pay attention to maintain oral hygiene, use mouthwash several times a day to prevent wound infection, and insist on brushing teeth once a day in the morning and evening. 3. Reduce the movement of the muscles around the surgical area and try not to laugh or speak frequently for three months after the surgery to prevent excessive movement of the cheek area and wound tearing. 4. Observe the condition of the implant and the wound frequently, and once problems are found, reflect them to the doctor and solve them as soon as possible. The comfort, beauty and good chewing function of dental implants often make people forget about their existence and neglect the correct use and maintenance of them, plus the fact that dental implants do not have the sensory ability of natural teeth and cannot be harmed by pain signals, so it is often too late once problems occur. Therefore, it is important for patients to pay attention to their dental implants during their use. Therefore, the patient must pay attention to the following points during the use: 1. Let the dental implant reasonably assume the chewing function and prevent excessive force. Due to the different factors such as bone quality and health condition of each person. The hardness and toughness of the food that can be chewed by dental implants also varies. Which foods cannot be chewed (such as bone, hard beans, dried meat, etc.)? Patients should listen to the doctor’s advice and gradually find out the foods that are suitable for dental implants to chew, so that the effectiveness of dental implants can be best utilized. 2. Do the daily cleaning of the mouth and dental implants. Poor oral hygiene can easily cause peri-implantitis. In addition to brushing your teeth once a day in the morning and once in the evening and rinsing your mouth after meals, you should pay special attention to the hygiene of the dental implants, with the focus on the neck of the dental implants and the surrounding gum tissue. You should use a toothbrush with soft bristles and rounded ends, toothpaste with soft rubbing agents and warm water. When brushing, point the bristles at a 45-degree angle toward the root of the dental implant and press them against the junction of the dental implant and the gum, so that half of the bristles touch the dental implant and half of the bristles are pressed against the gum, and brush each tooth carefully in order. The brushing action should be gentle to avoid direct stimulation of the toothbrush and damage to the gums around the dental implant. The adjacent surfaces of the dental implants can be cleaned with the aid of dental floss or interdental cleaners, etc. Periodontal massage can also be done under the guidance of the doctor. Smoking will increase the incidence of peri-implant tissue inflammation, therefore, patients should reduce smoking after dental implants, and it is better to quit smoking. 3. Regular review and medical care. “It is not enough to brush your teeth correctly after implantation, but you need to go to the hospital regularly for cleaning of dental implants and natural teeth. You should also ask your doctor to check regularly if the connection part of the dental implant is loose, and if there is any bite incompatibility between the dental implant and the natural teeth, and if any abnormality is found, the doctor can correct it in time. The process of taking care of dental implants is also the process of treating oral diseases. It is important to learn to use and protect dental implants properly so as to finally ensure the complete success of dental implants.