Brushing after dental implant surgery: how do I clean around stitches?
After implant surgery, brush the other teeth while avoiding the stitches. Use a rinse on the surgical area from the time your dentist advises, and avoid forceful rinsing or spitting during the first 24 hours.
Find your question
1. Can I brush on the day of surgery?
You can brush the other teeth on the day of surgery, keeping clear of the operated area. Use a soft toothbrush and gentle pressure so the bristles do not touch the stitches or wound.
Clean only the tooth surface next to the stitches, and do not pull the gum aside to reach inside the wound.
Cleaning different areas while stitches remain
| Area | How to clean it |
|---|---|
| Other teeth | Gently brush the outer, inner and chewing surfaces. |
| Teeth beside the stitches | Clean the tooth surface without catching the stitches. |
| The stitched wound | Keep the toothbrush off it and use a rinse as your dentist directs. |
Chonnam National University Dental Hospital and Gwanak Seoul National University Dental Hospital also advise brushing the teeth outside the surgical area.
2. When can I start using a rinse?
Start rinsing at the time your treating dentist specifies. Leeds Dental Hospital and the CUH implant guidance advise avoiding rinsing during the first 24 hours and rinsing gently from the following day.
Hold the rinse in your mouth, move it gently and spit it out. Swishing or spitting forcefully irritates the wound.
3. Can I use the prescribed rinse straight after brushing?
Leave a gap between brushing and a chlorhexidine rinse. NHS guidance explains that toothpaste can interfere with this medicine, so follow the product instructions or your dentist’s advice about the interval.
Use the prescribed amount and frequency. Holding it longer or using it more often will not make it a better cleaning routine, and skin disinfectants must not be used inside the mouth.
Your teeth or tongue may become discoloured, or you may notice a bitter taste. Stop using the rinse and contact your dentist or pharmacist if the lining of your mouth peels or irritation persists.
4. What if food gets caught between the stitches?
Do not pick food out with a toothpick, fingernail or cotton bud. Trying to scrape it away with a toothbrush can pull on a stitch and open the wound.
If you have started the advised rinsing routine, try rinsing gently. If food remains and is uncomfortable, have it removed at the clinic that performed the surgery.
The guide to meals after implant surgery lists foods that are easier to eat during recovery.
5. When can I use an electric toothbrush or water flosser?
Do not use an electric toothbrush or water flosser on an area with stitches. Our Home Dental Clinic advises restarting an electric toothbrush after the stitches are removed and healing has been checked.
Floss and interdental brushes can also catch stitches, so keep them out of the surgical area. Ask when you can restart them at your stitch-removal visit.
Once the final restoration is fitted, keep cleaning between the teeth. SDCEP advises choosing floss or an interdental brush to suit the restoration and gum condition.
6. Can I brush the surgical site as soon as the stitches are removed?
If the wound has not healed enough, brushing must wait even after stitch removal. Ask at that visit whether you can clean the surgical site, and brush gently once your dentist says you can.
KDCA guidance advises keeping a toothbrush off the surgical area until stitches are removed; Guy’s Hospital specifies avoiding it for one week after surgery. Follow the date given by the dentist who treated you.
Dissolving stitches do not need removal, but CUH explains that they may take several weeks to disappear. If stitches remain, the dentist checks the wound at your next visit before deciding when brushing can begin.
7. What needs extra care if I also had a bone graft?
Keep the toothbrush off a grafted area covered by a membrane until the gum heals. If several areas were treated, ask the dentist to show you which parts you can clean.
If a wound dressing or membrane seems to have come away, do not push it back with your fingers. Contact the clinic; Leeds Dental Hospital also advises contacting them if a dressing comes away.
8. What should I do if brushing causes bleeding or a stitch comes loose?
Stop brushing the wound if it bleeds, and bite on gauze as your dentist instructed. Repeated rinsing to wash blood away can prolong the bleeding.
Leeds Dental Hospital explains that saliva may contain a little blood for one or two days after surgery. Contact your dentist immediately if blood keeps flowing or pools in the mouth despite pressure with gauze.
Symptoms to report without waiting for the next appointment
| What is happening | What to do |
|---|---|
| Bleeding continues despite pressure | Contact the treating clinic immediately. |
| Pain worsens again, or swelling keeps increasing | Describe when it worsened and arrange an examination. |
| Pus, fever or a strong unpleasant smell | Contact the clinic rather than waiting for your scheduled visit. |
| An open wound or displaced membrane | Do not touch or try to cover it yourself; contact the clinic. |
If a stitch loosens, do not pull or cut it; contact your dentist. Mention any wound opening or bleeding as well.
A healing cap is a small metal component connected while the gum heals. If it becomes loose or falls out, have the dentist treat it rather than tightening it yourself.
Questions for your next appointment
- How should I brush the tooth beside the stitches?
- When should I start this rinse, how often should I use it, and how far apart should rinsing and brushing be?
- Are my stitches dissolving, and when is the next wound check?
- When can I use an electric toothbrush or water flosser on the surgical area?
If you are unsure how to brush
If the technique is unclear, take your usual toothbrush to the appointment and ask for a demonstration. Taking your rinse too makes it easier to ask how to use it.
Brushing after implant surgery: FAQ
Can I use salt water instead of the prescribed rinse?
CUH advises gentle salt-water rinsing from the day after surgery. If a rinse has been prescribed, ask your dentist before replacing it.
Can I floss before the stitches are removed?
Keep floss away from anywhere it could catch a stitch and use it only between the other teeth. Restart flossing at the surgical area after healing, following your dentist’s instructions.
Can I cut a stitch end that catches my tongue?
Cutting it yourself can loosen the knot, so have it trimmed at the clinic. Explain that it is poking your tongue or cheek.
Does using a rinse mean I can skip brushing?
The other teeth still need brushing even when you use a rinse. Gwanak Seoul National University Dental Hospital advises disinfecting the surgical area with the provided solution while brushing the remaining teeth.
Can I swallow chlorhexidine rinse?
Spit it out after rinsing rather than swallowing it. NHS instructions also advise not swallowing chlorhexidine mouthwash.
Can I brush the stitches if there is no pain or bleeding?
A wound is not necessarily fully healed just because it does not hurt. Keep the toothbrush off the surgical site before stitch removal and ask at your appointment when brushing can begin.
Sources and dates checked
Sources checked 2026-10-28
- KDCA National Health Information Portal: Dental implants
Post-treatment care: avoid brushing the operated area before stitch removal and use the advised mouth rinse. Updated 2026-06-05; checked 2026-10-28.
- Chonnam National University Dental Hospital: After implant surgery
Brushing other teeth, cleaning the surgical area, avoiding forceful rinsing on the first day and contacting the clinic for persistent bleeding. Published 2026-05-22; checked 2026-10-28.
- Gwanak Seoul National University Dental Hospital: Care after dental treatment
The implant-surgery subsection describes the provided solution and brushing unoperated areas. Instructions for other procedures were not combined with it. Checked 2026-10-28.
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals: Restorative dentistry before and after surgery
Early rinsing, care before stitch removal, bloodstained saliva, persistent bleeding and displaced dressings or healing caps. These are this hospital’s instructions, not a universal timetable. Reviewed 2025-06-04; checked 2026-10-28.
- Cambridge University Hospitals: Insertion of dental implants
Sutures, dissolving stitches and gentle rinsing from the following day. Approved 2025-07-18, version 7; checked 2026-10-28.
- Guy’s and St Thomas’: After having a dental implant
Avoid brushing the implant site for one week and attend the wound check. This is the hospital’s own guidance. Reviewed 2024-12; checked 2026-10-28.
- NHS: How and when to use chlorhexidine
Dental-product directions, spacing from toothpaste and the distinction from skin disinfectants. No single concentration or dose is presented as a prescription for everyone. Checked 2026-10-28.
- NHS: Side effects of chlorhexidine
Discolouration, taste changes, peeling of the mouth lining and persistent irritation. Checked 2026-10-28.
- Our Home Dental Clinic: Brushing after implant surgery
Care of adjacent teeth, electric brushes, floss, rinses and uncomfortable stitch ends. General clinic guidance rather than an individual patient case. Published 2026-10-14; checked 2026-10-28.
- SDCEP: Implant oral hygiene
Long-term interdental cleaning to suit the restoration. Not used to set a restart date immediately after suturing. Checked 2026-10-28.
- Sumanth et al.: Implant treatment with a bone graft, PMID 26199539
A 2014 report of one patient. Stitches were removed eight days after implant placement with grafting and ten days after second-stage surgery. No brushing restart date was reported. DOI 10.1007/s13191-014-0376-9; checked 2026-10-28.
Editorial responsibility and interests
Written by the Dentalview Editorial Team using public-health and hospital guidance, medicine information and the original case report, checked on 2026-10-28. This general information has not been reviewed by a medical professional and does not replace individual diagnosis or postoperative instructions. There are no advertising-fee, affiliate-fee or other financial relationships with the institutions described.