For patients with dental restorations such as crowns, bridges, veneers and implants, the UConn Health dentist Dr. Avinash Bidra recommends regular six-month dental exams and a daily personal care regimen at home to help these restorations last longer.
Bidra is the lead author of the first national clinical practice guidelines for the care of such patients, published in the January 2016 issue of Journal of Prosthetics.
The American College of ProsthetistsThe new guidelines (ACP) are intended for professionals to follow themselves and tell patients what to do at home.
“At least biannual clinical examinations for the cleaning, adjustment, repair and/or replacement of tooth- or implant-supported restorations are new information for patients and the community about the lifelong need for dental maintenance,” said Bidra, a prosthodontist at UConn Health’s. Department of Restorative Sciences and director of postgraduate prosthetics at the School of Dentistry.
Prosthodontists are dentists with advanced training in restoring or replacing damaged or missing teeth to improve their appearance and function.
“Prosthetists often take great pride in meticulously restoring smiles so they look as natural as possible,” said Bidra. “Patients with multiple restorations supported by natural teeth or implants should know that professional and home maintenance is a lifelong treatment.”
To maintain dental restorations or implant restorations, Bidra recommends that patients:
- Have a dental exam and cleaning at least every 6 months.
- Follow your dentist’s personalized maintenance recommendations at home.
- Brush your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day.
- Floss your teeth at least once a day.
- Use a mouthwash recommended by your dentist.
- Wear a night guard regularly if recommended by your dentist to protect your restorations.
- Do not smoke or chew tobacco.
- Watch your diet carefully and avoid a diet high in sugar.
“This is news that oral health providers can comfortably share to preserve patients’ implants, crowns and veneers, and natural teeth,” says Bidra.
Clinical practice guidelines have not been used as much in dentistry as in medicine. That is why the ACP led a scientific panel of experts appointed by the American Dental Association (ADA), the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), the American Dental Hygienists Association (ADHA), and the ACP, who critically evaluated and discussed the findings from two comprehensive systematic reviews covering 10 years of scientific literature on the assessment of the risk of failure of dental and implant restorations.
The week of April 3-9 is National Prosthetic Awareness Week. In honor of the observance, scientific articles and clinical practice guidelines are freely available online, notes Bidra, who is the national chair for the awareness week.
Download the articles for free at The Wiley Online Library.
