When you get a dental implant, it's probable that your dentist will advise that you begin to use an interdental brush to keep the area around the implant clean. In fact, many dental clinics will provide their patients with a few of these brushes to use in the weeks and months until your next appointment. If you haven't previously used a brush of this nature, you should ask your dentist or dental hygienist for a demonstration of how to effectively use it. This simple device can be critical to keeping your dental implant in optimal condition. Here are some tips on how to use an interdental brush around an implant.

Clean Gently On Each Side Of The Implant

As its name suggests, an interdental brush is designed to help you remove stuck food particles and bacteria from between your teeth — and this can mean in between a dental implant and one of your natural teeth, too. Gently stick the tip of the brush between the implant and the tooth beside it, and make a sweeping movement away from the gumline. You never want to move toward the gumline, as this can push bacteria into your periodontal pockets and eventually cause gum recession that may compromise the dental implant.

Clean At The Gumline

An interdental brush can also be valuable for cleaning at the gumline of the dental implant, which is where a lot of bacteria can gather. This can also be an area that you miss with your toothbrush, unless you turn its bristles at an angle and concentrate on moving along the gumline. Carefully use the end of the interdental brush to sweep along the implant, making sure to rinse your mouth out afterward. Once you've used the brush to loosen the bacteria from the implant, rinsing it will eliminate it from your mouth.

Clean Behind The Tooth

You should also plan to use your interdental brush for cleaning the backside of your dental implant. While you should also brush the back of the implant with your toothbrush, the interdental brush allows you to do so methodically, especially in the voids between the implant and the teeth beside it. Many interdental brushes bend at the tip, which can make it easy for you to reach the back of the implant. By taking these careful steps, you'll keep bacteria away from the implant to ensure that you don't run into problems with it.