Do Dental Implants hurt?
Most people think implants are painful—here’s the truth.
In truth, pain is subjective. Even with all of our medical advancements, the best way to gauge someone’s pain is simply by asking them.
So, here is what our past patients have said about the procedure.
In our experience, patients usually find tooth extraction and bone graft procedures uncomfortable, but nothing they can’t get through. They also say that the implant is not nearly as uncomfortable as the extraction or the bone graft.
“Honestly, Implants are one of the more benign procedures that we do.”
~ Dr. Frank Beale.
Everyone has different levels of anxiety and pain tolerance, so we offer multiple anesthetic options for your comfort.
That’s the thing, when people ask, “Do dental implants hurt?” they’re encapsulating various anxieties.
One of the biggest anxieties is the question, “Will I be awake or knocked out for the procedure?” Many people have this nightmarish vision of being fully awake and fully aware— feeling everything that’s going on in their mouth. But that could not be further from the truth.
We offer several methods of anesthesia. Your options depend upon the nature of the procedure and your own comfort.
- Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) is a sweet-smelling, non-irritating, safe, colorless gas that you inhale. You remain in control of all your bodily functions. You’ll remain somewhat conscious, but you will feel “out of it.” Some even fall asleep and don’t remember a thing from the appointment.
- Oral Conscious is a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen administered through a nasal breathing apparatus. This induces a deep state of relaxation, producing a sedative and analgesic (pain-controlling) effect. Once again, some fall asleep and don’t remember a thing.
- IV sedation is administered through a vein for a deeper level of relaxation. This is often called “twilight sedation” because it feels like that state where you are drifting in and out of sleep. You are more likely to have no memory of the procedure.
It’s important to note that no matter what sedation you go with, you should have someone else drive you home. You will be drowsy for a few hours afterwards, so it is unsafe to operate a vehicle.
What about recovery? Will recovery hurt?
Recovery after this initial procedure is minimal. You may experience mild soreness for a few hours or a few days, but your gums will heal quickly.
It will take a few months for the implant to become secured in the bone. If you experience persistent pain, it’s a sign that something is wrong, and you should seek our help as soon as possible. Thankfully, that is pretty rare.
Once your implant is secure, we can easily add the replacement crown or bridge without any more invasive procedures.
So do dental implants hurt? Kind of, but that’s what the sedation is for.
You know, when you go in for your yearly flu shot and you can’t stop thinking about it? You build it up in your mind to be some excruciating experience. But then you get the injection, and it’s over within seconds. Even then, it’s not that bad.
That’s basically the dental implant experience. We think it’s going to be more painful than it actually is. It’s over quickly, and you recover within days or a week.
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