Pain After A Dental Implant: What’s Normal?

Pain After A Dental Implant: What’s Normal?

Whether you’re planning on getting a dental implant from Dr. Schof or you’ve already had your implant placed, you may be wondering if pain after implant surgery is normal, and how long it will last. The team at the Mandeville Center for Dental Excellence wants to keep every patient informed about what to expect after treatment, so here’s everything you need to know as you heal from implant surgery:  

It's normal to feel some pain & discomfort for up to two weeks

Thanks to modern advances in oral surgery, dental implant surgery can be made virtually painless with powerful numbing agents and sedation options. However, the procedure involves opening up a hole in your gum and jaw bone, so this will naturally cause some pain and discomfort once the sedation and numbing agents wear off.

Dr. Schof may prescribe you with a prescription painkiller for the first few days after your surgery, which you should take as directed.

Over the next two weeks, your implant will begin to heal. The gums will heal and your sutures will fall out if they’re self-dissolving. Most patients stop feeling much pain after about 7 days, and your mouth should be completely symptom-free after two weeks post-surgery.

Dealing with pain after dental implant surgery - our tips

Eating soft foods while your implant site heals will help minimize pain for the first week or so after your treatment. You may also want to avoid extremely cold or hot foods, as well as very spicy foods. These can all irritate your implant site.

Take your painkillers as prescribed. After they run out, you can begin taking aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen or a similar OTC painkillers to help with discomfort. Orajel can also be applied near the site to help relieve pain.

In addition, salt water rinses 4-5 times per day can rinse away food debris to relieve pain. Applying an ice pack externally to your cheek for up to 10 minutes at a time can also help with discomfort.

What does is mean if my dental implant still hurts after two weeks?

If your dental implant is still causing you serious pain and discomfort after 2 weeks, schedule a follow-up with your implant surgeon or Dr. Schof. This is not normal. It could indicate:

• Peri-implantitis – This refers to an infection of the implant area, which can cause serious damage to your implant, gums, and the surrounding tissue.
  

• Nerve damage – If your dentist was not careful when placing the implant, it’s possible that they hit an oral nerve when placing it, which can cause significant pain. The implant will need to be removed and replaced.

There are a few other complications that may cause pain and discomfort after a dental implant, but these are the most common. Regardless of the reason for your pain, come in for help if it persists for 2 weeks after your procedure.

Know what to expect before your implant procedure!

While some pain is normal after an implant is placed, it should go away rather quickly, and be quite minor. Make sure you take action if your mouth continues to hurt 2 weeks or more after implant placement.

Have more questions? Interested in a dental implant in Mandeville? Contact the Mandeville Center for Dental Excellence now, and get an appointment with Dr. Schof. You can give us a call now at (985) 626-4401, or stop by our office at 240 Dalwill Dr, Mandeville, LA 70471.