Patients should experience no pain during a dental implant procedure, since the mouth is numbed prior to the procedure using local anesthesia.
Patients may experience mild soreness or discomfort following dental implant surgery, though the pain is often manageable and doesn’t last longer than a week.
Innovative Oral Surgery & Dental Implants puts your comfort first and uses modern surgery techniques to ensure your dental implant procedure is as comfortable and painless as possible.
Anesthesia Options
The surgical procedure itself is the least painful part of dental implants. Your dental implant surgeon will prepare you for the procedure by providing local anesthesia or, in some cases, general anesthesia or conscious sedation.
Local anesthesia
Local anesthesia, the most common option used by dental implant surgeons, is administered via injection. You may experience a quick pinch during the injection, but the pain is mild and lasts less than a second.
Once the local anesthesia has time to take effect, your dentist will check to ensure your mouth is numb and apply more anesthesia if necessary.
With local anesthesia, you will be conscious throughout the procedure, but your mouth will be completely numb. As the effects wear off, you may notice a tingling sensation across your mouth, jaw, and cheeks as the sensation returns to your face.
Sedation
For patients with extreme anxiety or other unique medical needs, your oral surgeon may provide “conscious sedation” anesthesia or general anesthesia.
Conscious sedation anesthesia is administered intravenously and creates a drowsy, dreamlike state that relieves patients of their anxiety and stress. With conscious sedation, you will be conscious enough to respond to simple commands but won’t experience anxiety and likely won’t remember the procedure.
General anesthesia
General anesthesia means you will not be conscious during the procedure. Similar to conscious sedation , general anesthesia is administered intravenously and is to the depth as one usually experiences during a colonoscopy or wisdom tooth removal.
Managing pain following dental implant surgery
Mild discomfort is typically felt after dental implant surgery when anesthesia begins to wear off.
Some patients may experience no or extremely little pain, while others may feel mild soreness and inflammation or, in some cases, mild bruising around and near the new implant.
Your pain, if any, may peak around 2 to 3 days and will typically disappear within a week.
Your dentist may recommend over-the-counter pain medication, such as ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol), and the use of an icepack to reduce any swelling, pain, or discomfort during your recovery. Patients can expect to return to work and normal activities the following day.
If you experience any significant or unexpected pain, it’s important you consult with your oral surgeon as soon as possible.
Inquire About Dental Implant Surgery Today
At Innovative Oral Surgery & Dental Implants, we care about the comfort of our patients. We’ll take our time to thoroughly discuss the procedure, what you can expect, and steps you can take to minimize discomfort and anxiety before, during, and after the procedure.
If you’re considering dental implant surgery, schedule an exam with us today!