Oral hygiene and maintenance of dental implants.

When dental implants were first introduced, the emphasis for long-term success was on the surgical phase of treatment. Subsequently, the emphasis changed from a focus on the surgical technique to proper fixture placement, which would be dictated by the prosthetic and aesthetic needs of each patient. In more recent years, implant maintenance and effective patient home care have been emphasized as two critical factors needed for long-term success of dental implants.