Are There Any Preventive Measures to Reduce the Chances of Bone Loss Following Dental Implants?

Taking care of dental implants is very similar to how you care for natural teeth.  The most important factor in preventing bone loss around implants is to make sure you have very good oral hygiene.  Brushing and flossing 2-3x daily preferably with an Ultrasonic type of toothbrush. In addition, professional cleanings every 3-4 months is part of the prevention protocol.  You asked about Fosamax.  This medication has actually been linked to cause jaw bone deterioration in a number of patients and would not be recommended to take with implants.  Good luck. 

The primary thing a dentist can do to help you with preventing bone loss around your implant is to make sure the way the teeth bite together on the implant is correct.  Implants do not move when biting on them.  Teeth do have some movement when chewing.  

Another way to get bone loss is untreated periodontal disease.  Visit the dentist regularly when you have invested in dental work.

If you have osteoporosis or osteopenia and your Primary care physician prescribes these medications for you, that would be the only reason for taking them. There is no indication to take them for preventio of oral bone loss.  There are two main reasons for bone loss around dental implants: one is peri-implantitis and the other is extreme lateral bite forces on the tooth.  The first one can be avoided by regular dental visits and cleanings by your dentist.  The second one is actually caused by an incorrectly adjusted crown on the implant.  When a crown is placed on an implant the dentist adjusts the bite according to your chewing direction and forces, if this is not done correctly, bone loss can occur because the tooth and implant is beig "pushed" sideways, implants are not capable of enduring these forces

There are three determinative factors that could cause implant failure. One would be the improper placement of the implant itself by the periodontist, which you have no control over. Second, would be the overall health of your body and oral health before having this procedure and third, is the amount of force that is placed on the implant during the healing stages.  Make sure you go to a good periodontist who does and knows about implants and can do them in his sleep!  Prior to placing the implants, make sure you have no issues that inhibit the healing process in the body and bones.. Make sure you are in good health, take calcium, magneseum and Vitamin D supplements and avoid any medication like Foxomax, which have been shown to help with osteoporosis but long term use of this drug often causes an adverse reactions in the jaw area and prevents healing!  Make sure after placement of the implants your bite is checked to avoid  unwanted stress and pressure on this area. Also the health of your gums before the procedure and after the procedure needs to be maintained. Brush and floss regularly and check up and cleaning with the periodontist should be scheduled every three or four months. Periodontal disease is a huge factor in loosening of implants and causing faliure.  I recommend the use of a product called Rotadent to get in hard to reach places.  With all this said....good luck and always find out about the side effects of drugs like Fosomax.

The oral hygiene is the most important factor in preventing the bone los.

You are supposed to brush twice a day and floss at lest twice a day. Make sure you brush the gingiva.It is very important that you brush the gum with gentle strokes. I would really recommend, in most of the cases, to use a soft tooth brush.

Having a good oral hygiene, is the key to preventing the bone loss.

Biologically, the implant will loose some of the surrounding bone at there neck regardless of the manufacturer. The problem is that all the new generations of dental implants have a roughened surface all the way to the neck o f the dental implants which will be exposed to the oral environment with the bone loss. For this reason, oral hygiene at home alone is not sufficient but needs to be coupled with a professional periodontal maintenance every three months on an alternated basis between the general dentist and the periodontist that have placed the implant. It is imperative that a periodontal office follow-up on the health condition of the dental implant and it's surrounding bone as well the surrounding soft tissue. please visit my website for more detailed publications on that subject under the category of peri-implantitis ( edgardelchaar dot com)

All the best

Edgard El Chaar

The best way to prevent bone loss around dental implants is to maintain proper dental hygiene which would include flossing.  This would help prevent  gum disease which will lead to bone loss in implants in the same way it would with natural teeth.  Regular periodontal maintenance (cleanings) and checkups by your dentist are a must.  Another factor to bone loss could be a none ideal bite which generally causes grinding (bruxism).  

Stay away from the medications unless absolutely medically necessary for other reasons.  The biggest cause of bone loss around implants is excessive loading of the implants.  Home care is important but if the implant is asked to carry an excessive load the bone around the implant will break down over time and the implant can be compromised or lost.

Actually, you want avoid those drugs. They can cause you to lose the implants. Just see your hygienist every three months, brush and floss. What really counts is how they look on the Xray 4 months after they have been placed and that the forces of the bridge work is loaded properly on the implants.

No.  Bisphosphonates like Fosomax have actually been shown to increase the risk of bone loss and actually bone death in the bones of the jaw.  If you are taking bisphosphonates now or have taken them, make sure to make your surgeon aware of this if the implants have not already been placed.  Immediately after placement of implants, some surgeons think it is a good idea to be on the correct antibiotic to reduce chances of infection which could cause bone loss.

It is also important that you have meticulous oral hygiene after implant placement, but be careful not to disturb the area.  Many surgeons will recommend specific mouth rinses as well.