Introduction
Dental implant treatment involves a surgical procedure to place the implant in your jawbone. Once in, the dental implant will replace the natural tooth root and help position a crown to complete your smile. This is a long and meticulous process that involves several steps. And during these steps, you will encounter some pain or discomfort.
Read to learn more about dental implants and the pain you should expect during and after the treatment…
Do dental implants hurt...
Some amount of pain is normal. After all, you will undergo surgery to have a dental implant successfully placed in your mouth.
During implant treatment?
At Cosmedica Dental, we value our patient’s comfort in any dental procedure we do. And for dental implant surgery, you can expect a pleasant experience as we administer potent and efficient local anaesthesia. This numbs the area around the surgical site so you will feel little to no pain or discomfort.
Other techniques to counter pain during dental implant treatment include sedatives or general anaesthesia. Sedatives will make you feel sleepy but will still keep you conscious. Meanwhile, general anaesthesia is a complete state of unconsciousness. These are good to use during lengthy procedures with several implant placements or for anxious patients.
Immediately after dental implant surgery?
With properly administered local anesthetics and good sedative techniques, you should still not feel any pain immediately after getting dental implants. It will take some time for the anesthesia to wear off.
But, after a few hours, when the effects of the anesthesia have subsided, you are likely to feel some discomfort already. Your jaws may hurt, and your gums feel slightly tender and sore. You may use cold packs to alleviate the soreness. Also, take your pain medication as prescribed for better post-treatment recovery.
2 – 3 days after getting dental implants?
Any pain will likely come from inflammation around the surgical site a few days after your implant surgery. This is normal, as your gums are healing around the implant. Your jaws may also feel slightly sore.
Follow your dentist’s post-op instructions to help with pain or discomfort. Continue with your pain medications and, if prescribed, your antibiotics. Antibiotics help prevent infections that may cause severe pain. Pain should slowly decrease as you reach the week mark. If the pain is so bothersome that you cannot go about your day, contact your dentist so they can take a closer look and identify if there is anything to be worried about.
A week post-implant placement?
Pain, a week after implant placement, should only be very minimal. Patients barely even report any discomfort. So, if you feel anything unusual during this time, it is better to call your dentist for a check-up.
Seven days after your dental implant surgery, there are still some precautions to take note of to facilitate a favourable recovery. Eat healthily, boost your immune system, do not smoke, maintain good oral hygiene, and avoid any trauma to the implant site – these are among the top tips you should follow for sound healing. If you wish to know more, check out our blog post on how to care for dental implants.
One month after implants?
Ideally, any pain, swelling, and discomfort should have already been resolved. Your gums should be healing nicely, and your jaws should feel at their most comfortable. Anything out of the ordinary should be reported to your dentist, as this may signal complications and possible implant failure. Remember that early diagnosis helps with better treatment. So, do not prolong voicing your concerns if you have any!
Conclusion
Ultimately, dental implant treatment should not be painful. Some discomfort is normal but shouldn’t make you feel severely unpleasant. To ease your worries, our team at Cosmedica Dental is here to help.
Our clinic is equipped with the latest innovations in Implant Dentistry for a relatively pain-free experience. Aside from that, our dentists and staff are well-trained to carry out precise implant surgery and to keep your uneasiness at bay. We also have a dedicated aftercare team you can contact after your implant surgery if you have any concerns or questions.
FAQs – Are Dental Implants Painful?
Both these procedures use local anesthesia that numbs the area to control pain. However, when the anesthesia wears off, pain after tooth extraction resolves faster than pain after getting a dental implant.
You may experience some pain or discomfort for up to 7 days. But, this should gradually decrease as the days go by. With good healing, you should be set to go back to school or work after three days.
It depends on your pain tolerance. Some pressure is expected during implant surgery, but this shouldn’t be too uncomfortable because of the local anesthesia administered.
Implants and root canals are done for different reasons. If you have severe tooth decay but your dentist can still preserve your tooth, a root canal is the treatment of choice. But, if the tooth is significantly damaged, tooth extraction may be a better option. After extraction, your dentist will then recommend having an implant. So, an implant is a less ideal choice because it only means you need to have your tooth removed and replaced.
Severe pain is not normal after a dental implant treatment. Notify your dentist immediately so they can check and resolve the problem.