How to Take Care of Your Dental Implants

Dental implants are a popular procedure in dentistry. In fact, nearly 3 million Americans have one or more implants! With a high success rate and growing affordability, your dental implant is something to smile about.

But to keep your new tooth or teeth in the best shape, it is just as important to take good care of them as it is to maintain your natural teeth.

The results of dental implant surgery can last decades with proper maintenance. However, care looks a little bit different from your typical oral hygiene routine.

In this article, we'll share practical, easy-to-follow tips to teach you how to take care of dental implants, whether you have one implant or several.

If You Grind Your Teeth, Use a Night Guard to Protect Your Implants

The number one rule for implant protection is to avoid excess force directly on that tooth. Yet, teeth grinding is becoming more prevalent, especially stress-related grinding, so it's more and more common for people with a dental implant to also deal with bruxism. If that's you, you'll need to take extra precautions, like wearing a night guard, to prevent clenching and grinding from damaging your dental restorations.

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How Grinding Damages Natural Teeth and Implants

Grinding causes uneven pressure distribution across the teeth, adding substantial force to natural teeth, dental crowns, bridges, and implants.

During sleep, bruxers clench and grind without realizing it. This repetitive pressure can be especially concerning for those who have just spent time and money on dental restorations.

Unlike a natural tooth, an implant doesn't have the cushioning (periodontal ligament) that helps absorb forces. Yes, it can handle the normal stresses of biting, but ongoing grinding or excessive biting (think: habits of chewing on pen caps, fingernails, and other hard objects) places unnecessary stress on the implant crown and the bone around it.

Over time, untreated grinding can lead to:

• Chipped, cracked, or worn implant crowns
• Loose or damaged restorations
• Uneven pressure throughout the mouth
• Damage to nearby teeth
• Jaw soreness, headaches, and muscle tension
• Increased strain on the implant area that can affect its stability

These side effects don't happen immediately, but there's a good chance that your grinding is causing gradual damage. The good news is that a simple night guard can protect both implants and your natural teeth.

How Night Guards Protect Implants From Bruxism

A night guard is an oral appliance worn over the upper or lower arch while sleeping. It helps prevent bruxism by:

• Creating a protective barrier between your upper and lower teeth.
• Distributing biting pressure.
• Reducing direct tooth-on-tooth contact while you sleep.

Choosing the right night guard is crucial, though. Over-the-counter boil-and-bite guards can be convenient and inexpensive, but they're also usually bulky, loose, and uncomfortable. A poorly fitting guard doesn't provide even protection, and if it doesn't fit right, you'll stop wearing it.

A custom-made night guard from the dentist or a direct-to-consumer manufacturer like JS Dental Lab gives you precise protection. These guards are designed from an impression of your teeth, so they fit securely and comfortably. There are different thickness levels (hard, soft, and hybrid or dual-laminate), chosen depending on your grinding severity.

If you have an implant-supported crown or bridge, ask your dentist which style is appropriate for your new restoration. Otherwise, getting a night guard that covers your dental implant gives it an extra level of cushioning to keep it safe from grinding.

Brush Up Your Brushing Techniques

Brushing twice a day is important, but how you brush matters, too, especially now that you have implants. The goal is to remove plaque around the gumline while avoiding irritation to the soft tissue surrounding the implant.

An implant crown can't decay. However, plaque and bacteria can build up where the crown and gum tissue meet, leading to inflammation around the implant. Healthy gums and a strong jawbone are a key part of long-term dental implant success.

Professional Implant-Friendly Brushing Tips

Start with the post-op dental implant care instructions your oral surgeon gave you at your visit. After the post-surgery time frame is over, plaque control is the goal.

These brushing techniques can make a huge difference in your oral health:

• Hold the toothbrush at a slight angle toward the gumline.
• Use small, gentle circular motions (don't scrub or get aggressive).
• Take a few extra seconds to give the implant crown and neighboring teeth some extra care.
• Replace worn toothbrush heads or bristles regularly.

The American Dental Association recommends using an electric or soft-bristled toothbrush and non-abrasive toothpaste. Medium and hard bristles and abrasives can irritate gum tissue and increase gum recession around the natural teeth and restorations.

Floss With the Right Implant-Friendly Tools

Flossing is necessary to prevent gum recession and gum disease, and when you have an implant, it becomes even more non-negotiable. Brushing cleans the visible surfaces, but doesn't fully remove plaque buildup and food debris from between the teeth or along the sides of an implant crown.

Daily flossing helps protect the gums around the implant, reducing gum inflammation that can progress into serious infections around the implant (peri-implantitis). Left untreated, this inflammation can damage the tissue and bone supporting the implant, leading to bone loss and infection.

Flossing Methods for Implants

The best flossing method depends on the type of restoration you have. A single implant crown can be cleaned like a natural tooth using basic threaded floss. Implant-supported dentures or fixed full-arch restorations may require implant-specific floss or thicker spongy floss, floss threaders, or interdental brushes. Adding a water flosser and anti-microbial mouth rinse can round out your routine.

While you're beginning to floss daily, don't be surprised if your gums bleed a little. This is normal, and should improve over time. If you continue to have bleeding gums or the bleeding is moderate or severe, contact your dentist for an urgent appointment and stop flossing.

Avoid Implant-Destroying Habits

Like your natural teeth, dental implants are durable — but they're not indestructible.

Implant crowns can chip, crack, or loosen if they're exposed to extreme force or long-term damaging habits. You don't have to avoid everything you enjoy, but a few activities are particularly destructive to dental restorations (and teeth). Use caution when chewing or eating these items:

• Ice
• Hard candy
• Popcorn (avoid biting down on the unpopped popcorn kernels)
• Hard nuts or brittle
• Sticky caramels, taffy, or other chewy candy

Another cautionary movement is using your teeth to open packages or bottles. These movements, as well as hard and sticky foods, can pull on or damage the crown and other restorations.

If your implant or crown suddenly feels different or painful when biting, switch to soft foods only and contact your dentist quickly. It may have shifted slightly, which can be easily fixable if caught early enough.

Why Smoking and Tobacco Use Are Implant-Destroying Habits

One more caution: If you use tobacco of any kind, be aware that your new crown is at risk of implant failure. Smoking and other tobacco products can impair the healing process, reducing blood flow to the gum tissue. The mouth has a harder time managing inflammation and infection, which are both important right after implant placement.

The implant needs time to integrate with the surrounding bone. When tobacco enters the picture, the fusion period becomes complicated. It can take longer for the implant to heal, or it may fail to connect entirely.

If you smoke or use tobacco, talk to your dentist or healthcare provider about resources to help you quit. In the meantime, be sure to stay hydrated to keep the saliva flow healthy and follow proper oral hygiene care.

Take Care of Your Teeth Regularly

Speaking of proper oral health care, your regular dental checkups and professional cleanings will boost the life of your teeth and your implants. Regular checkups allow your dentist to monitor the implant, surrounding gums, bite, and neighboring teeth to watch for any potential problems.

During dental implant maintenance visits, your dentist checks for gum inflammation and bleeding, plaque and calculus buildup, and changes in the fit or stability of the implant crown. Maintaining your gum health, especially in the early stages of implant placement, can help you avoid peri-implantitis.

Your provider will probably take X-rays periodically to check the surrounding bone around the implant. If you're a grinder or have gum disease, these images let you know if your condition is causing damage that isn't visible with a routine exam.

Pay Attention to Warning Signs

One advantage of routine dental visits is that your dentist can spot problems early. But you're the only one who recognizes day-to-day changes in your mouth.

Contact your dentist between cleanings if you notice:

• Persistent bleeding around the implant
• Red, swollen, sore, or receding gums
• Pus, drainage, or a bad taste near the implant
• New pain or tenderness when chewing
• A crown that feels loose or moves
• A change in bite (how your teeth fit together)
• Cracks, chips, or rough edges on the crown
• Ongoing bad breath that doesn't improve with oral hygiene

These symptoms don't always mean implant failure, but they should be evaluated. Early care can help protect the implant and fix problems before they become serious or painful issues.

Conclusion

Knowing how to take care of dental implants is a mix of consistency and proper techniques. Brush gently and thoroughly, clean between your teeth daily, and avoid habits that can damage your restoration.

If you grind or clench, protect your implant with a properly fitted night guard. For help choosing the right custom-made night guard for your bruxism level, head to JS Dental Lab. Our professional, friendly experts can guide you to the right type of guard and the materials that will keep your implant safe from the forces of grinding and clenching.

FAQs

How soon can I brush and floss after dental implant surgery?

Your dentist or oral surgeon will give you a timeline for brushing and flossing based on your unique situation. Follow their post-op instructions closely before you return to your usual brushing and flossing routine.

Can I use mouthwash if I have dental implants?

Yes, you can use mouthwash with dental implants, but ask your dentist for recommendations on the best rinse. Some mouthwashes are necessary for controlling bacteria, especially if you have gum disease, while others can irritate the surgical area or cause dryness, which delays healing.

What foods should I avoid while my dental implant is healing?

Soft foods are recommended after dental surgery. Avoid foods that require heavy chewing or are hard, sticky, crunchy, or very hot. These foods can irritate the area or place too much pressure on the healing implant.

How do I clean underneath an implant-supported bridge or denture?

Fixed bridges and implant-supported dentures need extra care to clean them. You need to get below the restoration, not just around it. Ask your dentist for the best tools to do this, such as floss threaders, an interdental brush, or a water flosser.

Can dental implants fail years after they're placed?

Yes, implants can fail any time after placement. Although they are designed to be long-lasting, problems can develop later because of gum disease, bone loss, excessive bite pressure, tobacco use, or poor oral hygiene. Regular dental visits help identify changes early, before they become a threat to the implant's stability.