Since getting a dental implant to replace or reconstitute a tooth in your mouth is so expensive, you definitely don't want to deal with dental implant failure. Dental implant failure is when either an implant falls out entirely or the gums around it get so infected that only pulling it out will stop the pain. While failing to brush or floss certainly isn't good for your implant, you might not know about these three risky behaviors that can lead to dental implant failure.

Picking At Your Gums With Your Fingernails

While putting an actual rubber gum stimulator in your mouth might not be a bad idea, sticking your fingernails into the openings between your teeth and your gums definitely is. If an infection ends up forming in your gums, it'll spread much faster around your dental implant due to all the bleeding you caused in capillaries under your gum flaps.

If you have a habit of sticking your fingernails in your mouth to pick at your gums, try as hard as you can to stop now. If your gums itch and you don't have a gum stimulator, even a few light pokes with a toothpick is a much better option than letting your fingers run wild.

Not Treating Whatever Allergy Symptoms You Have

Even when the overall chance of an infection in your mouth is low, it'll be increased if you start suffering symptoms from an allergy. This is because allergies can lead to a sinus infection and a sinus infection can lead to a toothache. To maximize the resiliency of your gums, teeth, and dental implant, it's imperative that you take care of any allergy symptoms with over-the-counter medication. Even though you'll probably be fine without medication, any risk of having to get a new dental implant after a failure just isn't worth it.

Swimming In Salt Water Too Much

A little bit of salt water in your mouth isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, gurgling a small glass of salt water is one of the most effective ways to deal with swollen gums.

However, if you're exposing yourself to a huge amount of salt water day in and day out because you're practicing an aquatic sport like surfing, your dental implant could very likely start suffering greatly. Long term, salt water will lead to chipped and eroded enamel on both your normal teeth and the tooth with the implant on it. Without its full complement of enamel, your dental implant is much more susceptible to failure.

Your dental implant shouldn't be regarded as impervious to harm just because it was put in your mouth by a dentist. Only through consistently avoiding bad habits will you be able to ensure the long term viability of your implant, your gums, and the rest of your teeth. To learn more about dental implants, contact Lonnie W Tiner DDS. 

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