Caring for Your Implant Teeth

For: Missing One Tooth (Single Implant), Missing Multiple Teeth (Implant Bridge), Missing All Teeth (Full-Arch Implants)

Stage: After your final implant crown, bridge or full-arch teeth are delivered, and for long-term care

What to expect when your final implant crown, bridge or full-arch teeth are delivered, and how to keep them healthy for the long term.

https://drraffi.com/aftercare/implant-restoration-care/
Chicago office: (773) 792-1043 · Bourbonnais office: (815) 933-4121

Questions about your recovery? Call the office where you were treated.

The Most Important Things to Do

Clean around your implants every day. Plaque around an implant can inflame the gum and bone just as it can around a natural tooth.
Keep your regular cleaning and checkup visits so we can check the implants, the gums and your bite.
Do not use your teeth as tools. Avoid chewing ice, hard candy or pens, and opening packages with your teeth.
Wear your night guard if one was made for you.
Call us if anything feels loose or your bite changes. Small problems are easier to fix early.

A crown, bridge or full-arch set that feels loose, moves, or makes a clicking sound.
A chip or crack in your implant teeth.
A bite that feels uneven or high once the numbness is gone.
Gums around an implant that bleed, swell, feel sore, or show pus.
Pain around an implant, or a bad taste that does not go away.

Your new teeth may feel slightly different from what you are used to. Your tongue, lips and cheeks usually adjust within a few days.
Mild tenderness of the gums around the implants for a few days.
A short period of getting used to your bite. If it still feels uneven after a few days, call us for an adjustment.
After full-arch teeth, speech may sound a little different at first and improves with practice.

Start with softer foods for the first few days while you get used to the new teeth, then return to your normal diet.
Cut very hard or tough foods into small pieces rather than biting straight into them.
Avoid chewing ice, hard candy, bones and popcorn kernels, which can chip any crown or natural tooth.

Brush twice a day with a soft toothbrush, paying attention to where the implant teeth meet the gum.
Clean between and around implants once a day with the tools you were shown, such as floss, small between-the-teeth brushes or a water flosser.
For an implant bridge or full-arch teeth, clean underneath them every day as you were shown. This is where food and plaque collect.
If you play contact sports, ask us about a sports mouthguard.

Keep your regular cleaning and checkup schedule. We may recommend visits more often for implants, especially full-arch teeth.
At these visits we check the implants, the gums, the bite and any screws or attachments.

Last revised September 25, 2026

Questions about your recovery? Call the office where you were treated.