Missing teeth not only compromise our smiles but also can cause severe effects towards our health in the long run. Replacing these teeth are crucial and can easily be done through the dental implant process. Implants are different than dentures or bridges because they involve surgery and extensive healing to ensure the results you are paying for. While there is no type of surgery that is painless, it’s important to know what the dental implant procedure involves and to understand what kind of pain and discomfort to expect.
What Does The Procedure Feel Like?
The procedure may cause momentary discomfort, but this is minimal as implant surgery is minor. The dental implant placement feels more like pressure, and the surgery itself is relatively painless. With many of our past patients, we found that their discomfort usually decreased significantly after four days and was essentially non-existent after a week with proper care and medication usage.
The dental implant process involves cutting into the gums to be able to place the implant post but you will feel no discomfort during this stage as we use local anesthesia that will numb the area we are operating on. We will also constantly check in with you during the procedure to see if we need to use more anesthesia or provide you with anything else to keep you comfortable. We provide a prescription for pain medication immediately after the surgery to make sure you can get the medicine quickly and prevent as much discomfort as possible once you are home.
What to Expect During and After the Surgery
Besides cutting into the gums, the dentist will have to make an incision to get to the jawbone while the area is numb. By making the area easier to get to, a hole can be drilled for the implant. As nerve-wracking as it sounds, you don’t have to worry about this part because your jawbone doesn’t have nerves to feel pain. At most, you should feel pressure and not the drilling itself. If everything goes smoothly, this entire operation can be finished in about an hour.
After the anesthesia wears off, you can expect some tenderness and swelling but this shouldn’t be unmanageable. Many of our patients have said that the operation wasn’t as bad as getting a tooth pulled. The amount of pain there is varies for everyone but if you find that it is consistently getting worse, contact your dentist immediately for a follow-up appointment as there could be another issue (even though this hardly happens as implants have a 95% success rate).
Your post-care routine is critical after the surgery because it can be the thing that determines whether your implants fail or not. Your dentist will advise you to overly hot or hard foods for 24-48 hours, stick to liquids, use a salt-water rinse, and just to expect some discomfort as it’s unavoidable with this type of surgery. Not only do the implants have to heal without any damage but the wounds surrounding them do also so it’s extremely important to take everything your dentist tells you into account and follow them for the full amount of time before your next appointment.
When to Consider Dental Implants
The most important factor about dental implants is that they’re a permanent commitment. If you’re looking to invest something that will last you 20 years or more and want the long-lasting glory of their great look, then implants would be a great choice for you because they don’t look their looks or quality unless they aren’t properly cared for. Our patients have plans created for them early on that describe the products they need to use, a preferred cleaning routine, and appointment reminders so there is no excuse as to why they can’t maintain the longevity. Of their implants.
Along with their aesthetic value and durability, getting implants will instantly improve your jawbone, stop your teeth from shifting, and can preserve your facial structure. You will need to visit the dentist to see if you are suffering from bone loss or any of the other effects of missing teeth and if they can be fixed with the implants. If you keep putting your appointment off, more than likely you’ll need further work along with the implants that will cost more money and time.
