Home Care (Implants)

How to Care for Dental Implants

Dental implants are the best way to restore missing teeth – but just like the real thing, they require consistent home care to stay healthy and strong.

Whether you have a single implant, an implant bridge, or a full arch, here’s how to keep everything clean and functioning beautifully.

Caring for Implant Teeth

For individual implant crowns, implant bridges, or All-on-4 arches, brush just as you would natural teeth — using a soft toothbrush and non-abrasive toothpaste. Pay special attention to the gum line around each implant.

For bridges and All-on-4 restorations, use a  water flosser daily to clean under the bridged portion of the prosthetic. You can also use floss threaders or proxy brushes to access areas that are difficult to reach with other methods.

Consistent daily cleaning will lower risk of peri-implantitis (bone infection around the implant) and keep the surfaces of your teeth in beautiful shape.

Extending the life of your implants

The metal implants themselves should be hidden under the gums, but your health care decisions still impact how long they last. The two greatest factors in limiting implant success are nicotine use and high blood sugar. Smoking and vaping both release enough nicotine to cause issues with implant integration. The less nicotine used during the healing period, the better chance the implants have. Even once the implants have healed, nicotine is not ideal for maintaining strong bones and can cause premature failure. Similarly, high blood sugar can also inhibit implant integration. However, diabetics who are able to keep their A1C below 7 tend to heal very well and have a high success rate with implants overall.