A dental implant is major dental surgery, so it is not surprising after your surgery that you experience pain. In fact, you most often will experience a good deal of pain once the anesthetic starts to wear off. It is entirely natural that you will have some soreness in the gums where the implant was put in, as well as in the jawbone in that region.
No matter how gentle we are able to be when placing the implant, we did have to drill a hole in the jawbone, and then place a piece of titanium or ceramic in that hole, so, you should expect that you will have a sore jaw and gums for some period of time afterwards. Most often, there will be pain after the implant, as well as some swelling for a few days.
How Much Gum Pain Is Normal?
How much gum pain that you have after the dental implant surgery depends upon the complexity of the surgery. If you had to have any bone grafted, you should expect more pain. However, if you had an implant without any added surgery, including bone graft or sinus operations, then it is in the same league pain wise as having a tooth pulled. So, generally, most of the swelling should be gone in up to five days, and most of the implant pain should disappear in 7-10 days.
However, after the initial pain and discomfort ebbs after the first two or three days, some patients will experience more pain again on days 4-5. This causes some dental implant patients to panic, but it is not a major cause for concern. An increase in pain is not uncommon, but you should watch for any swelling to recur. If it does, you will want to call us right away as it could be a sign of an infection taking root, and you want to get an antibiotic in you as soon as possible.
Still Have Pain 10 Days After Surgery?
If you still have gum pain and other types of pain this far after the surgery, something could be amiss. Some of the most common problems with dental implant surgery include:
- Healing cap is loose – This is a little screw that fits into the very top of your implant as the gum heals. It is to be removed later when the crown is fitted. It is possible for that cap to get loose. This can make your gums sore. If this occurs, we will take out the loose cap, clean the top of the implant, and then refit the cap.
- Implant is loose – Rarely, the implant can get loose. It can happen for many reasons, but it can lead to sore gums and quite a bit of pain. In some cases, a loose implant may heal on its own and fuse into the bone. In other cases, it may have to be taken out.
- You have an infection – Your gums could get infected around the top of your dental implant. Or you may have an infection that is deeper in your jawbone. It is very likely that you will need to have antibiotics to treat this problem.
- Your temporary bridge is pressing the gums – Many patients like to have a temporary tooth put into the space as the implant heals. This might make you feel like you have pain from the dental implant. It actually is the temporary tooth pressing on your sensitive gums. The temporary may need to be adjusted to eliminate the pain.
Fortunately, these above problems are rare. Usually, your sore gums and jaw will be well on the way to healing after your dental surgery after 10 days’ time. If the pain does persist past this 10 day period, please contact us for a follow up appointment.
If you have any questions about dental implants and what they entail, please call us at (832) 509-4505 today.
