Dental procedures can cause some people to feel nervous and worry about pain. The popularity of dental implants has given hope to many needing to replace a missing tooth. Understanding what to expect in terms of pain can help relieve anxiety.

During the Procedure

You and your dentist will discuss pain relief prior to the implant surgery day. You can get pain relief from a numbing shot to intravenous sleep medication and everything in between. Your comfort during the procedure is important to your dentist. You are not likely to feel discomfort or pain while under anesthesia.

The Next Few Days

Once your sedation wears off, you might slowly become aware of some discomfort several hours after the surgery. Know that the pain may be at its worse anywhere from a day to three days post-surgery. However, the pain is usually mild enough to be relieved using over-the-counter pain medication. If you experience extreme pain, call your dentist as this is not the norm.

You can expect to experience the following things in the first several days after dental implant surgery:

• Bleeding
• Bruising on the cheeks
• Swelling at the surgical site

You can use warm salt-water rinses and cold packs to relieve the discomfort with the pain medication.

The Next Week or So

After the first few days of the post-implant period, you can expect things to get much better. You may still notice some pain at the implant location, however. The bleeding should have ceased, and the bruises will have begun to fade away. As per your dentist's instructions, you can probably return to your normal activities at this time. Pay attention, though, to your dentist's advice about eating and drinking.

At Two Weeks Post Op

Most of the symptoms you experienced previously should be completely gone by now. You should not have any swelling, pain, or bleeding by now. This is often when your dentist will want to look at your implant to make sure everything looks good.

Infection Issues

Most implants heal without any problems. However, some do experience an infection at the implantation site. You should alert your dentist if you notice a return of pain, swelling, bleeding, fever, or anything unusual after the first few weeks. Most implant infections are easily treated with antibiotics. At times, the implant must be removed to allow the infection to clear. That is rare, however.

To find out more about the issue of pain relief and what to expect after dental implant surgery, speak to your dentist.