Do I Have to Be Sedated for Dental Implant Surgery?

The thought of undergoing dental implant surgery can be scary because the patient’s jaw and gums have to be cut open. Since the procedure requires parts of the mouth to be cut, it makes sense that a lot of people are wary about the procedure and the amount of pain it will cause. Many people wonder if sedation during the procedure is necessary.

Do I need to be sedated to get dental implants?

One of the biggest reasons people believe dental implant surgery is painful is because of what they see on the internet. A quick search for dental implant surgery will show plenty of pictures or people getting holes drilled into their gums, which looks quite scary for people who do not know what is going on. However, there is no reason to worry because the procedure itself is not as painful as it looks. Before the procedure, the surgeon will go over sedation options to make sure the patient will not experience any pain. After the procedure, pain medication may be prescribed depending on the level of pain the patient experiences.

Pain scale during dental implant surgery

Using a scale of 1-10, with 1 representing minimal discomfort and 10 representing excruciating pain. A dental implant involving a patient with good bones that does not need a lot of soft tissue surgery has a pain level between 2 and 3 in the first 24 to 48 hours, which means over-the-counter medication like Tylenol or Advil will take care of any discomfort the patients are feeling.

The pain that patients feel after a dental implant surgery is actually not from the hole made in the bone or the placement of the implant. The pain usually comes from the soft tissue manipulation that occurs during the process.

With that in mind, dental implants that do not require lifting the gum tissue are actually painless, with patients reporting pain levels of 1 to 2 after the procedure. If a small flap of gum tissue is lifted, the pain level is at 3 or 4 for the first night and subsides after that.

If the bone has to be grafted for the procedure, the pain level is higher and patients are at a 5 or 6 in terms of the pain they experience for the first three days after the procedure, which will require giving them a strong pain reliever. Regardless of how much gum tissue is lifted or if grafting is required, the pain lasts anywhere from one to three days and subsides after that.

Another factor in the amount of pain experienced is the patient’s threshold for pain. Some people can endure more pain than others, which means even if two different people get the same procedure, their levels of pain will be different.

After the dental implant surgery

After the procedure, the patient will have difficulty eating regular food as gums heal, which means the patients will need to eat soft foods for a while. The patient will also need to avoid caffeine and tobacco products to prevent implant failure and other complications. Patients will need to schedule frequent appointments with the dentist. That will ensure they are healing properly and there are no complications from the procedure.

Conclusion

Dental implant surgery can be painful depending on how healthy your gums are. If you want to find out more about how painful the procedure will be, talk to your dentist and have them examine your gums to determine how much work needs to be done during a dental implant surgery and if you will need sedation.

Request an appointment here: https://www.bryancousindmd.com or call Cosmetic & Family Dentistry of the North Shore at (781) 443-8268 for an appointment in our Swampscott office.

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