Dental implants are surgically placed in your jawbone, acting as missing teeth’ roots. It restores your ability to chew and improves your biting pattern. The primary purpose of dental implants is to preserve natural tooth tissue efficiently. It further helps in maintaining and strengthening the bone structure. But one of the most common things that are told about dental implants is that they hurt. Let’s discover if dental implants hurt and how getting a dental implant benefits you.
What Are Dental Implants?
Simply put, a dental implant is a prosthetic device placed surgically in your jawbone. It is responsible for replacing tooth roots with metals and screws for replacing damaged or missing teeth. In these implants, artificial teeth are placed, which function as if it’s your natural teeth. Since the screw is attached to your gums and bones, the longevity of dental implants is higher, and it acts as a suitable option when you lack natural teeth. Sometimes dental implants are an alternative to dentures and dental bridges, which don’t fit you well.
How Do Dental Implants Work?
Firstly, your dentist will plant a titanium post surgically into your jawbone. An abutment is placed on the top of the implant, which helps to connect with the replacement teeth. Once the placing is done, your dentist waits till your implant area heals. Once healed, the implant will fuse with the bone, creating a solid foundation for your replacement teeth.
Am I A Good Candidate For Dental Implants?
Overall, being a good candidate for dental implants largely depends on the condition of your teeth and oral health, which your dentist can evaluate fully. In most cases, people with good dental health are the most suitable for getting dental implants. You might be a good candidate for dental implants if you have sufficient bone density in the jaw needed to support the implant. However, it doesn’t mean you can’t have dental implants if you don’t have bone density. Also, teenagers without complete jawbone growth are unsuitable for dental implants. So, it would help if you visited your dentist before choosing implants.
Does Dental Implant Surgery Hurt?
The simple answer is yes; you will feel mild discomfort after the implant surgery. However, you won’t feel anything during the procedure, because you will be given local anesthesia. It will make the nerves of your dental implant area numb. However, you might feel pressure during the procedure, but it won’t cause discomfort after the surgery; once the anesthesia effects fade, you might experience mild discomfort and pain in the first 48 hours. You will generally feel moderate pain for the next seven days in the implant area, which is very common. If you think the pain is severe, contact your dentist and ask for medicines to ease the pain.
How Long Is The Dental Implants Recovery?
The recovery takes over three to five months. It’s, however, dependent on the condition of your oral health. Once your initial healing of dental implants takes place, they will continue to integrate with the bone. The healing of the dental implants typically takes 5-7 days, but the overall recovery, including the integration of the screw with bones, takes longer.
Dental Implant Aftercare
After the dental implant surgery, there are certain aftercare tips that you need to maintain for better oral health:
- After the surgery, keeping the mouth as clean as possible is essential.
- Don’t eat until the local anesthesia has worn off, or it will induce pain.
- Avoid having hot drinks or foods, which might increase the risk of bleeding in the implant area.
- Have hot salt mouthwashes that are beneficial for healing in the first week.
- Avoid brushing the implant area until the recovery is complete.
The Bottom Line
Dental implants are the best solution to restore your biting pattern after losing a tooth or having a tooth extraction. It gives you support and prevents unnecessary pressure on your other teeth. When you undergo dental surgery, it’s obvious that you will feel pain, but with dental implant surgery, the pain stays for the first 48 hours. Thanks to sedation dentistry, your oral surgeon will administer anesthesia, and you won’t feel anything during the surgical procedure.