Actually, everything went well during the operation. After about four weeks, however, the newly inserted dental implant suddenly starts to hurt. When deciding whether or not to have a dental implant, many patients are concerned about the pain that is likely to be associated with the treatment and the healing phase. We clarify what is "normal" and when you should consult your dentist.
Content
- What pain should I expect after dental implantation?
- What can I do if my dental implant hurts??
- Pain when chewing after implantation – is that normal??
- Pain several years after surgery – what are the reasons??
- What can I do to preserve my dental implant in the long term??
By Sarah Zollner
What kind of pain should I expect after dental implant surgery?
An implantation is a dental surgical procedure that involves a completely natural wound healing process. For about one to a maximum of two weeks after the operation, light to moderate pain and swelling must be expected moderate pain must be reckoned with. However, these are easily treatable with commercially available, non-prescription painkillers.
"About 90 percent of patients are pain-free after a week or less," says Prof. Beuer, Director of Prosthodontics at the Center for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Charite Hospital in Berlin, Germany.
"Around 90 percent of patients are pain-free after one week."
– Dentist Prof. Florian Beuer
What can I do if my dental implant hurts?
Cool, rinse, spare – this is how to summarize what helps best to relieve pain after dental implant surgery.
- To alleviate pain and swelling in the mouth area, the external Use of cooling packs recommended. However, these should not be placed directly on the skin in order to avoid damage to the skin due to exposure to the cold.
- Anti-inflammatory mouthwashes, either from the pharmacy or even home remedies such as sage or chamomile tea, can further support wound healing. If an infection has already occurred, the administration of a Bone-permeable antibiotic Prevent worse.
- Finally: Spare yourself, as after any outpatient surgery, two to three days. You should only resume physical activities after two weeks at the earliest.
- To protect the implantation area, clean the oral cavity during the first few days, if possible, with an antibacterial mouth rinse and avoid hard, difficult to chew foods.
Pain when chewing after implantation – is this normal??
If an implant hurts permanently when you chew, something is wrong," says Beuer. The implant may be not firmly in the bone fused or else a focus of inflammation has formed in the gums or bone, the so-called periimplantitis.
In addition to the visible attachment and the crown attached to it, the dental implant consists of the implant itself Titanium or ceramics, which is anchored in the jawbone. Reconstruction of the surrounding bone material is necessary to ensure that it is firmly in place.
Healing time is about three to six months for the upper jaw and about three months for the lower jaw. Only then is the implant completely grown into the jaw. Pain during this period is definitely A warning signal and should be taken seriously. Here you should seek the advice of a dentist as soon as possible.
"If an implant hurts permanently when chewing, something is wrong with the way it has."
– Dentist Prof. Florian Beuer
Pain several years after surgery – what are the reasons?
Even if the implant suddenly starts to hurt several years after the operation, professional advice should be sought. If necessary Inflammation formed, for example, due to a further progressing Periodontitis.
This is usually due to the fact that the dentures – unlike the removed tooth – have no immune system of their own and therefore inflammations can also occur with a time delay. Again, do not wait, but seek professional advice.
In individual cases dental implants can also lead to chronic pain. The test persons of a study of the King’s College London suffered from chronic complaints for an average of three to four years after implantation. In almost one third of the cases, no improvement could be achieved even by removing the implant.
Researchers suspect that injuries to nerves during the attachment of the implants in the jaw may cause pain Trigger of the pain may have been. However, the study only included a small number of participants and some of the subjects already suffered from pre-existing conditions such as depression or chronic nerve pain. So more research is needed to evaluate the findings.
What can I do to preserve my dental implant in the long term??
Dentures or artificial teeth do not mean that less care is required than with natural teeth – on the contrary.
- Pay attention to Consistent oral hygiene. Clean the interdental spaces in particular regularly using dental floss or an interdental brush and change your toothbrush every 1-2 months.
- In addition, if possible, use a Toothpaste with antibacterial agents and, if necessary, an antibacterial mouth rinse. The more thoroughly you prevent plaque buildup, the more likely you are to avoid painful inflammation around the implant.
- In addition, take the professional teeth cleaning Make regular visits to your dentist and take advantage of follow-up checkups and dental prophylaxis.
- Let Inflammations treat the infection in the nasal and maxillary sinus area immediately to avoid spreading the infection to the area around the dental implant.
- Finally, refrain from smoking if possible, and eat a healthy diet. It has been proven that the risk of bone inflammation after implantation increases significantly in smokers.
- Also Overweight promotes inflammatory processes in the body and thus also in the oral cavity. Pay attention to a healthy and balanced lifestyle as well as a nutrient-rich nutrition.
In summary, like any dental surgery, dental implantation involves certain risks and prolonged pain and swelling can be a side effect. Normally, however, your implant should not cause you any more pain after the healing phase and will accompany you for years as a reliable tooth replacement.