How to look after your implant-supported teeth for life

Getting dental implants – whether a single crown, a bridge or a full arch like All-on-4 / All-on-6 – is a big step.

Most patients ask me before surgery:

“How long will my implants last?”

My honest answer is always the same:

“Implants are designed to be a long-term solution –

but how long they last depends as much on you as on me.”

I’m Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon Dr Ali Direnç Ulaşan, owner and clinical director of Milim Dental –

Turkey’s first Health Tourism Authorized boutique dental center, located about one hour by car from Sabiha Gökçen Airport.

My team and I perform:

Single and multiple dental implants

Full-arch All-on-4 / All-on-6 implant bridges

Advanced bone graft and sinus procedures

Complex revision cases after failed implants

But no matter how advanced the surgery is, the story does not end when we screw the new teeth into place.

In many ways, that is just the beginning.

This article explains, in clear language:

How to care for implant-supported teeth long term

The difference between early healing care and lifetime maintenance

How to clean under bridges, All-on-4 and All-on-6 restorations

Habits that protect or damage implants and bone over time

What follow-up schedule we recommend for our own patients

If you already have implants, or are planning them, this is your manual for keeping them healthy for as long as possible.

1. Implants do not get cavities – but they can get sick

One of the first myths we need to break is:

“Doctor, implants don’t decay, so I don’t need to worry as much, right?”

It’s true that:

The implant itself (titanium or zirconia) does not get cavities like natural tooth enamel.

But the tissues around the implant absolutely can get inflamed and infected.

Around natural teeth we talk about:

Gingivitis

Periodontitis

Around implants we talk about:

Peri-implant mucositis – inflammation of the gums around the implant

Peri-implantitis – inflammation plus bone loss around the implant

Peri-implantitis is one of the main reasons implants are lost in the long term.

The good news:

most of this is preventable with proper home care and regular professional maintenance.

2. Early phase vs lifelong care – what’s the difference?

We can divide implant care into two phases:

2.1. Early healing phase (first 3–6 months)

This is when:

Bone is integrating with the implant (osseointegration)

Gums are healing around the implant and any bone graft area

You may have temporary crowns/bridges or provisional All-on-4/All-on-6 teeth

Our focus here is:

Protecting the surgical site

Avoiding excessive chewing forces

Preventing early infection

You’ll receive detailed instructions on:

What to eat and what to avoid

How to brush around the area

How and when to use mouthwashes

When to come for check-ups

2.2. Long-term phase (after final restorations are placed)

Once you have your final implant crown/bridge or full-arch fixed teeth, the focus changes:

Now we protect the supporting bone and gums

We monitor the prosthesis, screws and bite

We manage habits like clenching, smoking, and sugar intake

This phase lasts for as long as you have implants – ideally, for life.

3. Daily cleaning: your non-negotiable routine

Implant-supported teeth must be cleaned every day, just like natural teeth – sometimes even more carefully.

The exact tools depend on your case, but the principles are the same.

3.1. For single implant crowns

Treat them like a natural tooth – with extra attention:

Soft toothbrush (manual or electric)

Angle the bristles towards the gum line, small circular motions

Floss or interdental brushes between teeth

Slide gently around the implant crown to remove plaque

Consider a water flosser as an additional tool, especially if you have multiple implants

The goal:

Keep the gum around the implant pink, firm and not bleeding.

3.2. For implant bridges and All-on-4 / All-on-6

Fixed bridges and full arches require a different technique because:

Food and plaque can accumulate under the bridge

You cannot simply floss like between single teeth

We typically recommend:

A soft toothbrush for visible surfaces

Interdental brushes and/or

Superfloss / special implant floss to slide under the bridge

A water flosser to flush the underside and hard-to-reach areas

With All-on-4 / All-on-6 full-arch bridges, you will be shown:

Exactly where and how to insert special brushes

How to clean the junction between the bridge and the gum

How often to clean (usually twice daily thorough cleaning, plus quick rinses if needed)

If you’re an international patient, we usually demonstrate this in person, then send you video reminders and written instructions.

4. Professional maintenance: why regular check-ups are essential

Even with perfect home care, you cannot see everything:

You can’t see early bone changes

You can’t see small screw loosening or micro-fractures

You can’t measure pocket depths around implants

This is why professional follow-up is part of the life plan of every implant.

4.1. How often should you come?

In most stable cases we recommend:

Every 6 months for professional cleaning and check-up

In higher-risk patients (heavy smokers, diabetics, history of periodontitis), we may recommend:

Every 3–4 months

For international patients, we usually design a shared plan:

Main check-ups and x-rays with us

Interim professional cleanings with a trusted clinic near your home

4.2. What do we do at these visits?

A long-term implant maintenance visit at Milim Dental typically includes:

Clinical examination of gums around implants

Checking for:

Redness

Swelling

Bleeding on gentle probing

Pus or deep pockets

Evaluating your bite:

Any new contacts or high spots?

Are certain implants overloaded?

Assessing prosthesis stability:

Loose screws?

Micro-movement of bridges?

Small chips in ceramic or acrylic?

Professional cleaning:

Using instruments and tips specifically designed for implants (to avoid scratching)

Removing hardened plaque (calculus) from around implants and teeth

Periodic x-rays:

To monitor bone levels around the implants

To compare over the years for any signs of peri-implantitis

If we see early problems, we can intervene before they become serious.

5. Habits that damage implants (and what to do instead)

Implants and implant-supported teeth are strong –

but they are not indestructible.

Certain habits increase your risk of long-term complications more than others.

5.1. Smoking

Smoking is one of the biggest enemies of implants.

It:

Reduces blood supply to gums and bone

Increases the risk of infection and delayed healing

Is strongly associated with peri-implantitis and implant loss

If you smoke:

Ideally, stop completely – especially if you had bone graft or sinus lift

At the very least, reduce drastically and avoid smoking around surgery phases

We are always honest with patients:

smokers can still receive implants, but their long-term risk is higher – and maintenance must be even more disciplined.

5.2. Night-time clenching / grinding (bruxism)

Bruxism can:

Overload implants

Loosen screws

Chip or fracture ceramic or acrylic teeth

Damage the bone around implants over time

If we suspect bruxism (or you already know you clench), we will usually recommend:

A night guard (occlusal splint) designed to protect:

Your implants

All-on-4 / All-on-6 bridges

Remaining natural teeth

Wearing a night guard consistently is, for many patients, the difference between:

A stable prosthesis for years

and

Repeated fractures, loosenings and adjustments.

5.3. Using teeth as tools

Implant-supported teeth feel very solid.

That can tempt you to:

Bite pens

Open packages

Crack nuts

Please don’t.

Treat your implant teeth as expensive, high-precision tools – because they are.

Use them for chewing food, not for cutting, tearing or breaking objects.

5.4. Poor nutrition and uncontrolled medical conditions

Your general health matters:

Poorly controlled diabetes

Severe deficiency states

Chronic inflammation

can all increase the risk of implant complications.

We encourage all our patients to:

Control systemic conditions with their physicians

Maintain a balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals

Avoid extreme crash diets that affect healing (especially around surgery periods)

6. Special situations: full-arch cases and bone grafts

If you’ve had:

Full-arch All-on-4 / All-on-6 implants

Advanced bone graft procedures

Sinus lifting

Zygomatic implants or complex reconstructions

your long-term care is even more important.

6.1. Why?

Because:

There is more hardware in your mouth (implants, screws, prosthetic joints)

The restorations cover a larger area, creating more places for plaque to hide

The underlying bone (often grafted) must be protected from chronic inflammation

For such patients we are particularly strict about:

Regular maintenance visits

Detailed hygiene instruction

Night guard use (if you have strong bite forces)

X-ray monitoring

In return, many of these patients go from:

“I can’t chew properly and my denture moves.”

to

“I eat normally, smile confidently, and forget my teeth are not natural.”

But this only stays true if the maintenance plan is followed.

7. What if something feels wrong?

Even with perfect care, issues can appear.

The most important rule is:

Do not ignore early warning signs.

Contact your implant dentist or our team if you notice:

Bleeding around an implant that doesn’t improve with good cleaning

Persistent bad taste or odour in one area

A feeling that a part of your bridge is moving or “clicking”

Pain on chewing in a specific implant

Sudden changes in bite or how your teeth meet

Swelling, pus, or a pimple-like spot near an implant

Most problems are much easier to treat in early stages:

A simple professional cleaning and local treatment may solve mucositis

A loose screw can be tightened before it fractures

A small chip in a prosthesis can be repaired before it breaks more extensively

Waiting “to see if it goes away” often turns a minor issue into a major one.

8. International patients: how does follow-up work if I don’t live in Turkey?

Many of our implant and All-on-4 / All-on-6 patients live abroad.

For them we create a hybrid follow-up plan:

Key phases (surgery, early healing, final prosthesis, and periodic check-ups) with us at Milim Dental

Regular cleanings and basic follow-up with a trusted local dentist or hygienist near their home

We provide:

Detailed surgical and prosthetic reports

X-rays and 3D images when needed

Clear instructions for your local clinician regarding implants, bone graft areas and prosthesis design

You remain our patient,

even if you are thousands of kilometres away –

and we stay in touch for questions, photos and advice.

9. In summary: what long-term care of implant-supported teeth really means

If we compress everything into a simple checklist, long-term implant maintenance means:

At home:

Brush twice daily with a soft brush

Use interdental brushes / floss / water flosser as instructed

Wear your night guard if recommended

Avoid smoking or reduce as much as possible

Don’t use your teeth as tools

At the clinic:

Have professional check-ups and cleanings every 6–12 months

Take periodic x-rays to monitor bone around implants

Adjust the bite if needed

Repair small issues early

And above all:

Treat your implant-supported teeth with the same –

or even more – respect than your natural teeth.

10. Final message from a surgeon-led, boutique team

Dental implants, All-on-4 and All-on-6 bridges, zirconia and e.max restorations, bone grafts –

these are all powerful tools we use to rebuild smiles.

But tools alone are not enough.

At Milim Dental, as a surgeon-led, multidisciplinary, boutique clinic, we see implant treatment as a long-term partnership:

We design and place the implants

We perform the bone grafts and advanced surgeries when needed

We deliver stable, aesthetic restorations

You:

Care for them daily

Keep your follow-up visits

Tell us early if something changes

When both sides do their part, implants can truly be a long-term solution, giving you:

Confidence to smile

Comfort to chew

And the freedom to forget, most days, that your teeth are not the ones you were born with –

but the ones you chose, and continue to care for.