If you have an upcoming dental surgery planned, you may be filled with questions and concerns about what to expect after the fact. In this article, we will explain what to expect after dental implant surgery in order to give you peace of mind and ease your anxiety.
Dental Implant Side Effects Following Your Surgery
Right after you have the implant surgery, you should expect to feel a little sedated. This is because of the residual effects that come from anesthesia. While some patients might feel light headed or nauseated afterward, many people just report feeling sleepy and calm.
During this time, it is important that you are taking your prescribed painkiller medicines. This will help to reduce the amount of discomfort and pain you experience while the anesthesia begins to wear off. While some patients may want no medication or weak medication after surgery, that is not always a good idea. Instead, it is smart to get at least a little recommended medication for the first couple of days at the very least.
In the hours that directly follow their surgery, patients could notice a bit of bleeding taking place around their implants or incisions. If you press a gauze pad lightly to the incision, this should manage any random bleeding. This bleeding will also likely be done by the end of the day.
Dental Implant Side Effects Over the First Few Weeks
Over the next week or so, you should experience a rise in effects from the surgery. Your pain and discomfort will likely be the worst on the third day. These effects should not immediately cause concern, as they are normal.
Soreness
You will likely experience some pain in the gums and in the jaw. This is because tissue has been damaged because of the incisions to bring in the dental implants. This discomfort can be eased using the painkillers that you were prescribed.
Bruising
Bruises could appear on the neck, jaw and gums because of the implants being put in. Discoloration is another noticeable side effect once you notice the swelling begin to go down. That said, this should be gone completely or at least significantly reduced by the end of the first week.
Swelling
It is a common thing for the gums, jaw and cheek to swell after you have had implants put in. Swelling will usually last for about a week. If you want to reduce its duration and intensity, you can use an ice pack during the first 48 hours.
What to Expect after Dental Implant Surgery Long Term
The side effects of your surgery should not last any longer than two weeks. That said, it is important to remember that you are still healing from surgery and that means your body is altering in a way.
In the upcoming weeks and months, your implants have to fuse with the bone. This process is called osseointegration. Until the healing is done, you may need to be cautious with the implant to avoid symptoms. This means things like avoiding chewing or eating anything on or near the implant. Enjoying a soft food diet for a few weeks might also be needed so that you do not hurt the implant during recovery.
Hygiene is very important. You will need to keep brushing and flossing twice daily. This will prevent gum disease from forming so that you won’t cause your implant surgery to fail.
Loose Healing Cap
You could also expect there to be a loose healing cap. A healing cap is made up of a small screw and a tiny cap that is put at the top of the implant. This is there during the healing stage of the gum. It will be removed later during the placement of the crown on the implant.
This healing cap can come loose when the healing process progresses because of the irritation of the gums. It can be refitted after taking it off and cleaning the top of this implant.
Loose Implant
A loose implant is something that can cause intense pain. If this happens, the implant would have to be removed. This is in order to avoid any other complications that it might have. Even though it might be painful and a hassle, it is still something that can be fixed.
Loose implants can happen to anyone. That said, the implant will usually heal into the jawbone and merge with it most of the time. The use of fixtures that are considered to be substandard can result in a poor fitting. This can mean that a gap forms with the implant. The gap can form when you place the implant into the bone.
Because of this, most dental surgeons will use only the highest quality implants that can be found. The dental surgeon wants to avoid this just as much as you want to avoid it.
Bone Burn
Bone burn is a condition where the bone gets damaged. It becomes damaged during the drilling process. When the drill spins up on the bone, it can damage the bone due to the heat that is generated. It happens during the first few stages of the implant process.
This can delay the healing of the bone for even longer than it normally takes. This can also cause severe pain in the area where the bone is. The removal of the implant along with the dead layer of bone is the only answer.
When it is removed, the bone grafting or layer of natural bone can begin to heal. This is a problem that might be uncomfortable but is not permanent; it can be fixed with a simple visit to the dental surgeon.
Conclusion
Having dental surgery can be stressful, but it does not have to be if you are armed with the answers. In this article, we have covered a few of the things that you can expect after dental surgery.
Have you recently had dental surgery? What happened after the fact? Share your stories and experience with dental surgery in the comments section below.
Leave a Comment