Protecting Your Investment
Dental implants are built to be permanent — but only with the right care. This guide covers everything you need to know about protecting your implants at home and what professional maintenance at Aria includes.
Your Aria Warranty Requires Annual Hygiene Appointments
As part of your Aria treatment agreement, you are required to complete your annual implant hygiene appointments to keep your warranty in good standing. Missing these visits may affect your warranty coverage. If you are unsure of your appointment status, call us at 602-877-0429 and our team will get you scheduled.
The Risk No One Talks About
Dental implants cannot get cavities — but the tissue around them is still vulnerable. Peri-implantitis is a bacterial infection of the gum and bone surrounding an implant. It is the primary cause of implant complications years after a successful placement, and it is largely preventable.
Understanding how it develops — and how to stop it — is the most important thing an implant patient can know.
The good news: peri-implantitis is largely preventable. Patients who maintain consistent at-home care and attend regular professional visits have dramatically better long-term outcomes.
At-Home Implant Care
Caring for dental implants requires a different approach than caring for natural teeth. The implant surface, abutment, and the tissue around them each demand specific tools and techniques. Here is exactly what to use, what to avoid, and why it matters for your implants specifically.
Brush your implants twice daily for a full two minutes. The gumline where the implant crown or bridge meets the tissue is the critical zone — plaque that accumulates here triggers the inflammation that leads to peri-implantitis. Be thorough, but gentle: implant surfaces and abutments can be scratched by the wrong tools.
A Waterpik with the dental implant attachments is required for All-on-4® and full-arch implant patients — this is not optional. The space under your implant bridge and around each abutment harbors bacteria that no toothbrush or standard floss can reach. Daily water flossing with the correct implant tip is the only reliable way to keep this zone clean and protect the tissue and bone supporting your implants.
Standard string floss does not work the same way around implants as it does around natural teeth. Implant crowns sit differently at the gumline, and full-arch bridges require a floss threader to pass floss underneath. Interdental (proxy) brushes are ideal for cleaning the spaces between implant abutments.
Dental implants are strong — but the restoration on top (crown or bridge) and the bone around the implant can be affected by certain habits. Protecting your implants means being intentional about what stresses them on a daily basis.
Professional Maintenance at Aria
At-home care handles daily plaque control around your implants. Professional maintenance goes deeper — removing calculus from implant surfaces that cannot be brushed away, monitoring bone levels with imaging, and catching any issues before they become serious.
Importantly, implant maintenance requires different instruments than a standard dental cleaning. Metal scalers scratch titanium implant surfaces. Aria uses only implant-safe instruments specifically designed for titanium and zirconia.
Warranty reminder: Aria patients are required to complete annual implant hygiene appointments as part of their treatment agreement. Keeping these appointments on schedule is what maintains your warranty coverage. Our team tracks your visit history — call us at 602-877-0429 if you are unsure of your status.
Warning Signs
Do not wait for your next scheduled visit if you notice any of the following. Early intervention almost always leads to better outcomes.
Occasional light bleeding when you first start flossing can be normal, but persistent bleeding at the gumline during cleaning is an early sign of peri-implant inflammation that warrants evaluation.
Visible swelling, redness, or puffiness of the gum tissue around the implant — especially if it develops suddenly or worsens over a few days — should be seen promptly.
Well-integrated implants should not hurt when you bite or chew. Pain or sensitivity during function can indicate a bite problem, a loose component, or bone loss that needs to be addressed.
Any movement or shifting of the implant or the restoration on top of it is not normal and requires immediate evaluation. A loose abutment screw is often an easy fix — a loose implant itself is more serious.
Visible exposure of the implant collar or abutment — the metal showing below the crown — can indicate bone loss and tissue recession. This requires prompt evaluation to determine the cause and appropriate response.
A persistent bad taste, unusual odor, or any visible discharge from around the implant site are signs of active infection. These should be evaluated as soon as possible — do not wait.
Notice any of these signs? Call us right away. Early intervention almost always results in a simpler, less costly resolution than waiting.
Call 602-877-0429Maintenance Schedule
The right interval depends on your individual risk profile. Here are the general guidelines — your Aria team will recommend the schedule best suited to you.
History of gum disease, active bruxism, smoking, diabetes, or early signs of peri-implant disease. More frequent monitoring protects the implant and catches issues early.
Good home care, no history of gum disease, healthy healing after implant placement. Four-month intervals provide consistent professional monitoring with manageable time between visits.
Excellent home care, no risk factors, long track record of stable implant health. Six-month intervals may be appropriate — at the discretion of your Aria provider based on ongoing assessment.
Your Investment Deserves Protection
Whether you received your implants at Aria or elsewhere, our team can build a professional maintenance plan tailored to your restoration and your risk profile. New patients with existing implants are always welcome.
Questions & Answers
Yes. While dental implants cannot get cavities, the gum tissue and bone around them require diligent daily care to prevent peri-implant disease. The key tools are a soft-bristle toothbrush (manual or electric), a water flosser (such as a Waterpik), and implant-safe floss or interdental brushes. Abrasive toothpastes and hard-bristle brushes should be avoided as they can scratch implant surfaces and abutments.
Peri-implantitis is an inflammatory condition affecting the gum tissue and bone surrounding a dental implant — similar to gum disease around natural teeth, but often progressing more rapidly. If left untreated, it can lead to significant bone loss and ultimately implant failure. It is the leading cause of long-term implant complications and is largely preventable with consistent at-home care and regular professional maintenance visits.
Most implant patients benefit from professional implant maintenance visits every 3 to 6 months, depending on their individual risk profile, home care habits, and restoration type. At minimum, Aria patients are required to complete their annual implant hygiene appointment as specified in their treatment agreement — this is what keeps your warranty in good standing. More frequent visits are recommended for many patients depending on their clinical picture.
Yes. Your Aria treatment agreement requires that you complete your annual implant hygiene appointments to maintain your warranty coverage. These appointments allow the Aria team to monitor your implant health, catch any issues early, and confirm that your implants are being properly maintained. If you are unsure of your appointment status or have missed a visit, contact us at 602-877-0429 as soon as possible — our team will work with you to get back on schedule.
General dental cleanings can complement your implant maintenance, but implants require specific instruments and protocols that differ from those used on natural teeth. Metal scalers can scratch titanium implant surfaces and should be avoided. Aria's professional maintenance visits use implant-safe instruments and include imaging to monitor bone levels — which a general cleaning does not replace. We recommend Aria maintenance visits in addition to your regular dental care.
Contact Aria promptly if you notice any of the following: bleeding or swelling around the implant site, pain or sensitivity when chewing, the implant feeling loose or shifting, visible gum recession around the implant, or any unusual taste or discharge. These can be signs of peri-implant disease or early implant complications that are best addressed as early as possible.
For implant patients, yes — especially for full-arch restorations. A water flosser reaches areas under the bridge and around abutments that a toothbrush simply cannot access. Studies consistently show that water flossers are more effective than string floss alone for cleaning around implants. It is one of the single most important tools for protecting your investment long-term.
Dental implants are designed to be a permanent, lifelong solution. With proper at-home care and regular professional maintenance, implants can last decades — many patients keep their implants for the rest of their lives. The restoration on top (crown or full-arch bridge) may require adjustment or replacement over time, but the implant post itself is built to last.
Book Your Visit
Whether you are a current Aria patient due for your next visit, a new patient with existing implants, or someone who just received your implants elsewhere and wants to establish proper care — we are here for you.
Let us know a little about your situation and our team will reach out to schedule your visit.