Do dental implants hurt? That's one of the first questions we get asked here at Healthy Smiles. As a leader in Staten Island dental implants, we pride ourselves on both offering excellent service and craftsmanship along with keeping our clients well-informed at all times, which is why we make sure our clients understand every part of the dental implant procedure. So today, we're talking about dental implant surgery and addressing one of the most common concerns surrounding it - pain.
First, it's important to understand the dental implant process itself. The thought of having any number of teeth pulled and having metal posts installed through your gums and into your bone can make even the bravest person shiver and squirm. Honestly, there's no way to envision it that won't make you uncomfortable. Luckily, Dr. Cipriano is one of the leading providers of Staten Island dental implants for a reason. He takes a modern approach to the implant process that reduces both pain and recovery time.
At Healthy Smiles, our entire dental implant process takes place in-house unless your problem is so advanced or specific that it requires a specialized approach. 99% of the time, this isn't the case. This in-house approach means that you get dental implants that are conceived and implemented from start to finish by the same doctor. This removes the possibility of miscommunication and unintended results that can come from being referred to an oral surgeon from a general dentist.
Dr. Cipriano does implant procedures daily. Ranging from one tooth replacement to full-mouth implant replacement, he can and does do it all. Using modern technology and a digital approach, he ensures the accuracy of each implant. The procedure generally goes like this.
Once the dental implant has been placed, the gums are sutured. Then, we wait for the jawbone to heal which fuses the bone to the implanted metal post. Don't worry, a temporary crown is placed on the screw to allow you to eat, drink, and talk normally while the implant fuses with the bone.
When the jawbone has healed and fuses to the implant, an abutment will be placed on the implant. This provides the base for the new tooth. A 3D scan of the abutment will be made which will be used to mold the new tooth. When the restoration is complete, you'll visit us again, and we'll place the crown and finish the implant.
The entire procedure is generally completed in four visits at our office at 142 Annadale Rd. Staten Island, NY 10312. For directions and office hours, please visit: Office Hours & Directions.
As with all procedures of this kind, dental implants do have a certain level of pain associated with them, but it's not the kind of dire pain that most people imagine. It's actually very manageable and low-level pain. It's more of a temporary ache in the gum area rather than intense pain.
The procedure is performed using local anethesia to make the process completley painless. If any sensitivity or sensation is experienced whatsoever, the team will administer more anesthetic to ensure a painless procedure. If the procedure is done in an area where the gums and bone are still healthy, you shouldn't feel any pain during the procedure and only mild achiness afterward for a short amount of time. That's because only the gum tissue has nerves. The jawbone itself doesn't. In fact, most patients tell us that they only time they felt pain in the area was prior to having it corrected.
As we said, there may be a small amount of discomfort after the local anesthetic in the area wears off. However, it will almost certainly be mild. Expect some bleeding in the area along with mild bruising and swelling, but don't expect any sort of intense pain. While the majority of patients find that they feel no discomfort whatsoever, some can experience minor discomfort. We suggest rinsing your mouth with warm salt water periodically in the days following the procedure to help keep the tissues soothed and applying an ice pack should you experience any aching.
Although pain shouldn't be an issue, it's still important to limit physical activities and relax for the remainder of the day. This allows your body to focus its energy on healing and avoids increased blood pressure that can cause more bleeding than necessary.
Hard foods that require a lot of chewing should be avoided after the implant procedure. Foods like apples and other crunchy foods or foods that involve intense chewing can cause pain due to the pressure they apply to your jawbone. Opt for foods like mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, oatmeal, and soup in the first day or two after your implant procedure is completed.
If you experience pain more than five days after your procedure or if you have any sort of discomfort more than ten days following the procedure, it's important that you contact your dentist immediately so they can evaluate your implant site. They should be able to assess the source of the pain and correct it.
So, do dental implants hurt? The truth is, they don't hurt much at all. You'll have some aching in the area for a day or two, but you shouldn't experience any intense pain of any sort. In fact, the many benefits of dental implants far outweigh any fears of pain that you might have - which we'll be happy to address.
When performed correctly, dental implants should not have any major pain associated with them whatsoever. As a premiere provider of Staten Island dental implants, Healthy Smiles prides itself on offering the best in dental implants with the least amount of discomfort, and our clients agree that that's exactly what we provide.
If you have any questions regarding dental implants, insurance, or any aspect of the dental implant process, we'd love to see you. We consider ourselves to be one of the best dental implant office's on Staten Island, and we're always eager to share our knowledge and expertise to help you achieve the best results possible. Schedule a free consultation with Dr. Cipriano, and he and the team here at Healthy Smiles will guide you through the entire process from start to finish.
