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Dental Implant Home Care Instructions

The long-term success of a dental implant hinges on the patient's home care, and it involves two stages. The first is during and immediately after your implants are placed. The second is continuing care after your implants have established themselves. Proper home care of your dental implants will help prevent peri-implant gingivitis (a mild form of gum infection), peri-implant osteitis (inflammation of the bone), and damage to the artificial tooth.

  1. Immediately After Surgery

    • The placement of implants requires dental surgery. You may have to have one or several visits to accomplish the implant, which will ultimately grow into your jawbone. During stage one of your home care, immediately following surgery, you may experience swelling of the gums and face, bruising, slight bleeding and pain. If your periodontist has prescribed antibiotics, take them as directed until they are all gone. Also, if you have pain, tell the surgeon or dentist, who may direct you to take prescription or over-the-counter pain medications. You may also be told to restrict your diet to soft foods for up to a week.

    Routine Home Care

    • During stage two, patients are encouraged to care for their dental implants as natural teeth. This means brushing and flossing, being selective in what is eaten, and scheduling regular dental visits.

    Exceptional Oral Hygiene

    • While many dentists recommend cleaning your implants as you do your other teeth, the Mayo Clinic recommends practicing "exceptional oral hygiene." Brush after every meal. Special brushes can be used to brush behind and above or below the artificial replacements. The interdental brush, for example, glides between teeth and is designed to get in and around teeth and gums. You should also floss every day, carefully cleaning from the gum to the biting surface of the teeth.

    Common Sense

    • One reason patients often give for selecting implants over a bridge is that it allows them to eat more normally. However, care should be taken in biting down on hard objects (like hard candy or nuts), chewing ice, or eating extremely sticky foods (think: candy apples). In addition, the artificial tooth that covers an implant may be stained by smoking and coffee. Common sense is usually a good enough guide as to what and what not to eat and do when you have implants.

    Routine Dentist Visits

    • Finally, keep up regular routine visits to the dentist every six months to a year. Your dentist will perform routine maintenance, x-rays and recall evaluations as needed. While an implant can last a long time, the tooth on the implant suffers wear and tear like other crowns and bridges. You must be diligent in caring for it, just as you are your other teeth.

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