Caring For Your Implant Crown
Your implant has fully fused to the bone, and now your custom crown is attached, completing your new tooth. It looks, feels, and works like a natural tooth. Caring for it is all about keeping the gum and bone around the implant healthy.
The First Few Days
- Mild gum tenderness around the new crown is normal for a day or two.
- Your bite may feel different at first as you get used to chewing on that tooth again.
- Warm salt water rinses soothe the gums if they feel tender.
Why Cleaning Matters
- The crown cannot get a cavity, but the gum and bone around the implant can become infected if plaque builds up. This is called peri-implantitis.
- It is the main reason implants fail later, and it is almost entirely preventable.
Eating
- You can eat normally. Your implant crown is built for full chewing.
- Ease into harder foods over the first day if the area feels new or tender.
- Avoid biting extremely hard objects like ice or pens, the same care you would give any tooth.
Call Us If
- The crown feels loose, clicks, or moves.
- Your bite feels high or uneven after the visit.
- The gum around the implant is red, swollen, or bleeds when you clean.
- You notice a bad taste or odor, or anything concerns you.
How To Make Your Implant Crown Last A Long Time
An implant crown can last for many years, but only if the gum and bone holding it stay healthy. Plaque at the gum line is the one real threat, so that is exactly where your care goes.
- Brush the gum line spotless, all the way around the implant crown on the cheek side and the tongue side, where plaque tries to collect under the edge.
- Floss around it every day, or use a water pick, to clear what the brush cannot reach and keep the gum healthy.
- Keep your regular cleanings. We clean around the implant in a way you cannot at home and catch any early gum inflammation before it becomes a problem.
Keep the gum line clean and your implant crown can last for many years!
Questions about your implant crown or your recovery? Call the office anytime. We are here for you!
