Some patients are concerned with whether implant surgeries are painful. While they usually are not, it is still a good idea to be prepared in the event that you experience more pain than usual.
The Surgery
Usually, a dental implant surgery will be performed under a local anesthetic. This eliminates the pain that you would experience during the procedure. After the local anesthetic has worn off, you may experience pain or discomfort that is similar to the pain or discomfort you would experience after a tooth extraction.
Your Recovery
As you settle in after your surgery, you might feel soreness at the site of the dental implant. There might also be pain that extends to your chin, cheek and under your eyes. If you find the pain and discomfort to be very great, you may want to use an over-the-counter medication such as ibuprofen.
If you are opposed to using medications to treat pain, there are remedies that have also been found to help. These include applying cucumber, rinsing your mouth with saltwater, applying olive oil using a cotton ball, or rinsing your mouth with water and tea tree oil. Also, try to stick to a liquid diet until you have healed.
More Invasive Surgeries
If you have a more invasive procedure, you may need a stronger prescription medication. Also, it is more likely that the procedure will require that you are placed under a general anesthesia. The types of treatments that most often will lead to more pain include those that involve:
Bone grafting
Sinus surgery
Additional forms of surgery
Another concern some patients have is the overall discomfort they experience throughout the procedure. If you are concerned with feeling discomfort, you should ask your dentist to have you sedated because this may help you calm your nerves.
The Crown Placement
After the implant has been drilled into the jaw, the placing of the crown on the dental implant is usually found to be the least painful part of the procedure.
You may experience bruising or swelling the next couple of days after your surgery. It is important that you take time to rest, apply an ice pack to the outside of your mouth and that you consult with your dentist if you experience bleeding that does not stop.
Fortunately, dental implants are not painful overall. If you experience excruciating pain, this is usually a sign that something went wrong with the surgery and that you should consult with your dentist on how to move forward. You might need to schedule another appointment where your dentist conducts an x-ray to determine if something will need to be corrected.
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