Every patient who gets a dental implant in our office leaves with the same recommendation: wear a nightguard, regardless of whether you think you clench or grind.

Here's the reasoning. At night, most people's teeth touch occasionally even without a full grinding habit, and that contact isn't always even across the mouth. If it happens to land on an implant repeatedly over months and years, it puts direct, concentrated force on a structure that doesn't have the same natural give that a real tooth has. Over time, that can wear down the bone supporting the implant.

A nightguard spreads that force across more teeth instead of letting it concentrate on one spot. Think of it like walking across a gravel driveway barefoot versus in sneakers. The gravel is still there either way. You just stop feeling every single piece of it in one place.

It's a small, low-effort step, and it's one of the more overlooked pieces of long-term implant care. If you have an implant and don't currently wear one, it's worth a conversation at your next visit.