Pain is a common concern among individuals who are considering dental implants. As with any major dental procedure (or surgery in general), some discomfort is to be expected during the recovery process since it is a surgery that typically involves removing teeth, cutting gums, drilling into the jawbone and inserting a titanium post.
It must be planned and executed carefully so complications, side effects and unnecessary pain can be avoided which is why finding a quality dentist is so important.
- Will There be Pain During the Surgery?
- Will There be Pain After the Surgery?
- How to Prevent or Relieve the Pain
- Problems That Cause Additional Discomfort
- What to Read Next
The procedure itself is not painful since it is performed with either general or local anesthesia to completely numb your mouth. If you’re anxious about the discomfort during the procedure and being aware of the drilling noises and forces being applied to your mouth, ask your dentist about the available sedative options and suggest that you be put to sleep.
Once the numbness wears off, however, pain is one of the first things you’ll notice.
While a small number of patients experience a considerable amount of discomfort after the surgery (usually due to a complication or failed implant), most people find it and recovery not nearly as painful as they expected it to be. Depending on where it was placed, discomfort can also be felt in the chin, cheeks or underneath the eyes.
Patients say that the aching they experience is roughly the same as after having a root canal done or getting a tooth pulled. Overall, patients report that the results are well worth the process.
Will There be Pain During the Surgery?
The procedure should be completely trouble-free, but there can be some discomfort. Your surgeon will perform the operation with local or general anesthesia so that your gums and jaw are completely numb.
You might hear/feel the tools being used, but no agony should be experienced. Those who have a phobia of dental/surgical procedures can opt for general anesthesia (injected or inhaled), which allows them to be unconscious the entire time.
Sedatives can help you relax if you are nervous about procedure. Also, it is important to have some way of communicating with the surgeon if the anesthetic wears off while they are being installed. While this is extremely rare, it is better to be safe than sorry!
Will There be Pain After Surgery?
The complexity of the operation can impact the amount and duration of soreness afterwards. Having a bone graft or sinus lift done before your surgery will typically cause additional tenderness afterwards.
You may also experience side effects such as bruising, swelling and bleeding to a certain degree depending on your gum and bone health. The experience varies from person to person and depends on how quickly they heal.
Almost all of the swelling should be gone in the first 3-5 days after the surgery and the pain should be almost completely gone after 7-10 days.
If you notice any signs of swelling, infection or irritation after the timelines mentioned above, you should seek medical attention. They can check the implants and surrounding gum tissue and repair and minor problems. If these signs last for more than two or three weeks then something might be wrong with it.
With plenty of rest, painkillers, and ice packs, you should be able to minimize the amount of pain you experience after your surgery. A few days of pain and discomfort is a small price to pay for long-term dental health and a great looking smile.
How to Prevent or Relieve the Pain
There are a number of ways to minimize the soreness you experience during the 7 to 10 day healing period after.
Find a Skilled Dentist
Most importantly, find a dentist or surgeon who has extensive training and experience. I highly advise against choosing the dentist who offers the lowest prices.
Follow Instructions
Follow the post-procedure instructions that you are given carefully.
Take Painkillers
Your dentist will recommend that you take painkillers following the procedure to alleviate the discomfort. Ibuprofen is typically recommended. If you choose to take it, you should take around 600mg every eight hours or so. If this does not relieve your pain, tell the dentist so they can prescribe something stronger.
Use Ice Packs
Used an ice pack (or a bag of frozen vegetables) to reduce the swelling. Apply it to your cheek or lip as soon as you can after you get home.
Salt Water
Bathe your gums (don’t swish or gargle) in warm salt water.
Eat Cold and/or Soft Foods
Avoid solid/hard foods to prevent irritation. Cold and soft foods like ice cream, smoothies and yogurt are ideal.
Continue to Brush and Floss (Carefully)
Pay extra special attention to your oral hygiene.
Rest
Get plenty of rest and don’t do anything strenuous to let the healing process do its thing.
Get Help if Necessary
If the pain gets worse, lasts longer than it should or is abnormally strong, contact a medical professional immediately to avoid serious problems.
Problems That Cause Additional Discomfort
There are a number of possible complications that can arise during and after surgery that can cause additional discomfort.
Loose healing cap
The small screw that is placed in the top of the implant while the gum is healing becomes loose. The cap must be removed, cleaned and re-fitted.
Loose implant
Insufficient bone volume, external pressures/forces and more can cause it to become loose. It must be removed in most cases.
Bone burn
In rare cases, the heat of the drill can damage the bone surrounding the post. The prosthetic and dead bone must be removed.
Infection
Gum or bone can become infected. This can be treated with antibiotics.
Nerve damage/pressure
A nerve is damaged by the drilling or the post is placed too close to it. Artificial tooth must be removed and redone if it is safe to do so.
Rejection
The patient’s body rejects the implant. Solutions include trying another type or an alternative solution.
What to Read Next
- How to Much Do Dental Implants Cost?
- Dental Implants vs. Bridges
- Dental Implants vs. Dentures
- Dental Implant Problems – What Can Go Wrong
- How to Find a Dentist You Can Trust
- Dental Implant Before and After Photos
Over to You
If you’ve had implant(s) done, what was the pain like? How did the procedure go? Let us know in the comments!
I am due to get the 2nd part of my implants taken care of later this week. My gum has healed over top of the two implant posts. What kind of pain should I expect? I am mentally not thrilled knowing that my gum is going to be required to be ‘opened’ and/or cut.
Had 2 implants done 9 years ago in Costa Rica.
Zero pain during the implant and bone process and almost zero for 8 hours after the operation and then nothing at all. I wanted to be knocked out but was told it’d be another $1,000. I told them “It’s OK I can do with a local” LOL.
Went back 6 months later for the abutments and crowns (that’s how long it took for the bone grafts to “take” back then. Now I understand it’s a lot shorter (2-3 months)) .
A little local and ZERO pain afterward.
I just had my first experience with a dental implant today. It was performed on my lower jaw; the tooth right next to where my wisdom tooth used to be. I also want to note that I did NOT need bone grafting. Let me just say that I do not handle dental procedures well. The anxiety of it all makes me cry, shake and just generally freak out. I was placed in a surgical room and my eyes were covered for protection. I was awake, and just had general anesthesia (where they just numb your gums, lip and cheek to the point where you feel like you lost a fight). 😉 There was no pain and the entire procedure lasted no more than 10 minutes. All I felt throughout the procedure was a little bit of vibrating (no drilling sounds, and certainly nothing that sounded scary). There was nothing traumatic about the experience at all and I felt quite dumb for reacting the way I did prior to the procedure. They inserted the titanium rod into my jaw and placed the cap on top of it to aid the gums in healing properly around it. The cap is even with my gumline. I was given antibiotics and 800mg of Motrin. They suggest starting the pain meds before the numbness wears off and I made sure to do that. Keeping ice packs on your face helps too. In 4 months, I can start the procedure for getting my crown. It has been 7 hours since the procedure and 5 hours since I’ve taken Motrin. The numbness wore off about 3 hours ago and I am doing well. My jaw is slightly sore but I do not feel that I need another Motrin (yet). I have been at work all day after having this done at 7:30 this morning. Would I rather be in bed sleeping? Of course! But my point is, I made it thru the day just fine. In my opinion, this is much easier than a root canal and definitely nowhere near as traumatic as a tooth extraction! If you’re having any kind of anxiety about this particular procedure, I hope my experience has helped ease your mind a bit.
I just had an implant done on #10 on February 9, 2016. I have 0 tolerance for pain, so Yes, I elected to have IV sedation. Best thing was, my oral surgeon, didn’t even charge for it! I had wisdom teeth removed last year and had to use IV sedation, I was charged for that, but for the implant, he DID NOT charge. Sweet!!! I experienced some bleeding due to my retainer pressing up against the area where my “newly” placed implant is. But, I went back for 1 week follow up appointment on February 15 and all is well. I’m not looking forward to the next step, he said it would be like a paper cut, but to me, that sounds like receiving a cut from a cesarean birth(I know, I’m being dramatic) but I don’t do well with pain!!! Can anyone tell me what to expect from the next level of my implant journey? Thanks in advance.
I’m 25, pretty young for an implant, but my natural tooth decayed under a filling that I ignored the pain on for over a year. Even my dentist said she couldn’t see anything when I would ask. Anyway I had number 18 pulled in october, had dry socket occur which is not pleasant, but all healed just fine. Due to my age I was able the regenerate quite a bit of bone, but I still had to have a graft done when I went in for the implant on monday…3 days ago. I had general through an iv and really that’s the way to go, plus I had a jaw block injected I think because I wasn’t in pain at all for 24 hours. This is slightly more tender than the tooth pulling experience, more swollen, but not anywhere as bad as the blinding pain of dry socket. It feels like a tooth ache but it’s not getting in the way really. For me, since I am young, getting this done was worth it, I’ll have this tooth my whole life I hope. Currently as I write this I have no pain but it does come and go and I was given pain killers.
I had 1 upper tooth implant and 2 lower teeth implant. For the upper implant I didnot feel any pain but for the lower implant i had a very bad pain feeling for 7 days. now it is getting better, but im so worried about it.. i dont know if the pain is normal or no?????