Do dental implants hurt?

Dental implants can be an excellent alternative to dentures, bridges, or root canals. Seeing as dental implants are placed surgically, sometimes our Ocoee Oral Surgery patients wonder, “Will the dental implant be painful?” To answer this question it helps to understand the steps of the procedure.

We will use IV sedation for single and full-mouth dental implants.

First off, we are happy to share that, out of all the surgical procedures at Ocoee Oral Surgery, implants cause the least amount of discomfort. Regardless of whether you are receiving single or full-mouth dental implants, you will receive IV (“twilight”) sedation. Because of this, the gum incision and the drilling of the implant into the jawbone that can make some patients nervous aren’t felt. Jawbones have no nerves that would send pain signals, so the only feelings patient experience is mild tingling and a bit of pressure. We find that IV sedation is very helpful for numbing tension, but also if you are anxious about dental surgery.

After the dental implant procedure, discomfort is manageable.

After you leave our office, you will experience some tenderness those first couple of days. Any pain, however, can be easily managed with over-the-counter pain relievers. By comparison, post-operative pain with the dental implant procedure is much less intense than, say, a tooth extraction. The implant will heal for four to five months before its final restoration, but within 48 hours you’ll be able to resume normal activity, and within 72 hours you’ll be able to resume your normal diet. Of course, if you experience significant pain following a dental implant procedure please give us a call so we can schedule a follow-up. There should be no discomfort after a week.

Ocoee Oral Surgery is where Tennessee gets its dental implants!

At Ocoee Oral Surgery our dental implants are a team effort between an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon (us) and a Restorative Dentist (your dentist). While we perform the actual dental implant surgery here in Cleveland, and initial tooth extractions or bone grafting when necessary, your dentist will fit and make the permanent prosthesis. Multiple options are available for temporary teeth to fill vacant spaces. To get started you can read more about the process, call us at 423.479.8544 or fill in our contact form here.