Dental Implant Pain and Recovery: What to Expect

Whether you’re scheduled for dental implant surgery or you’re simply researching your options, it’s normal to be nervous about dental implant pain and recovery. If you’ve had your wisdom teeth extracted, you might expect that dental implant surgery will be similar, but you’ll be relieved to find out that getting dental implants is much easier than most people expect. While it does take months for your jawbone and your dental implants to fuse together, you’ll be able to return to your normal activities after a few days and recovery is faster and less painful than that of other types of oral surgery.

If you’re wondering whether it hurts to get dental implants, you’re not alone—it’s one of the most common questions patients have about the procedure. Everyone wants to know what they can expect dental implant surgery to feel like and whether they’ll experience discomfort after the procedure.

Just before your dental implant surgery, local anesthetic will be used to numb the surgical site, ensuring that you feel no pain while your implants are being placed. Your mouth will remain numb for up to a few hours after your appointment, and as this wears off, you’ll start to feel some throbbing pain where the implants were placed.

You will be given instructions to help keep pain and swelling under control. Usually over-the-counter pain relievers are sufficient for any discomfort and cold compresses can be used to bring down swelling and inflammation. For up to a week, you’ll likely experience some soreness if you brush or chew near the surgical site, but most patients only experience pain for 72 hours after their dental implant placement.

Your pain should get better and better as each day passes; if you find the opposite is occurring and your pain is worsening, it’s important to call our office, as you may have an infection.

While recovery from dental implant placement is less uncomfortable than recovery from a tooth extraction, you’ll still need to take it easy for a few days. Your aftercare instructions will include a soft foods diet, getting rest, avoiding strenuous exercise, and abstaining from alcohol and smoking. Follow these guidelines and you’ll maximize your odds of a fast recovery free of complications.

Most patients are able to return to their normal activities after three days, but those who only had a single dental implant placed will recover more quickly than patients who require several implants.

Although you’ll feel better quickly, it doesn’t mean your healing process is complete. It takes up to six months for osseointegration to occur, which is the process in which your dental implants and jawbone fuse together. Once this occurs, your risk of dental implant failure is very low and with proper care and maintenance, your dental implants have the potential to last a lifetime.

If you’d like to learn more about dental implants, contact us today at 570-287-2500 to schedule an appointment for a consultation.