Do Dental Implants Hurt? An Honest Answer

Fear of pain is one of the common reasons why patients put off dental implant placement, sometimes for years. We understand that. This is why we want to explain honestly and clearly what you can expect during and immediately after an implant procedure, whether pain or discomfort can be expected, how intense and how long lasting they are, and how we keep them under control. The short version: the procedure itself is performed under local anaesthetic and is largely painless, while more demanding implant procedures at Ortoimplant DENTAL SPA are carried out under analgosedation as a matter of protocol, to give the patient full comfort during the procedure. Pain and discomfort after the procedure are mild and temporary in most patients, and their intensity and duration depend on the extent of the procedure and on the individual response of the body.

What you feel during the procedure itself

Dental implant placement is performed under local anaesthetic, the same kind of anaesthetic you know from other dental procedures, for example treating a tooth, placing a filling or having a tooth extracted. Once the anaesthetic takes effect, the treatment area is numbed, meaning that the familiar sensation of numbness and reduced sensitivity sets in. What you may feel during the procedure are not painful stimuli but primarily pressure and vibration during the surgical preparation of the implant site in the bone. Bone does not have pain receptors in the same way a tooth or the surrounding soft tissue does. Many patients are surprised at how much calmer and more comfortable the procedure itself is than they had imagined.

A sensation of pressure or vibration is normal and expected during implant placement. Throughout the procedure we monitor how the patient is feeling and adjust the anaesthetic as needed. For more demanding implant procedures at Ortoimplant DENTAL SPA we combine local anaesthetic with analgosedation as a matter of protocol, to give the patient full comfort during the procedure. Our goal is simple: to give the patient a calm, comfortable and safe procedure, and to give the clinical team optimal conditions for precise and controlled work.

How much it hurts after the procedure and how long it lasts

Here the data are encouraging. In a large study that followed 510 implant placements in 234 patients, average pain peaked only 24 hours after the procedure, at a level of about 2 out of 10 on the pain scale, which corresponds to mild pain. In most patients pain was mild at every measured time point, and only a small proportion reported moderate or stronger discomfort (Al-Khabbaz et al., 2007).

It is also interesting how implant placement compares with tooth extraction. A review that compared these two procedures concluded that pain after implant placement is generally mild and subsides faster than after a tooth extraction (AlQutub, 2021). In other words, for patients who have previously had a tooth extracted, this finding can help build a more realistic picture of what to expect after implant placement.

The first 72 hours are the period in which pain and discomfort are most pronounced and in which controlling them properly is particularly important (Khouly et al., 2021). After that they gradually decrease in most patients. Swelling is also an expected postoperative response, and it is usually most pronounced during the first two to three days, after which it gradually subsides.

It is important to stress that the intensity of pain, discomfort and swelling depends on the extent of the procedure, the number of implants placed, any additional surgical steps and the individual response of the body. Recovery after the placement of a single implant is therefore not directly comparable with recovery after a more extensive implant procedure.

This is precisely why at Ortoimplant DENTAL SPA we do not view recovery only as the period after the procedure. Our DENTAL SPA protocol is designed so that preparation and support for the patient begin before the implant procedure and continue through the immediate postoperative period and recovery.

How we keep pain under control

Pain is best prevented before it becomes pronounced. This is why we rely on pre-emptive analgesia, meaning the timely administration of painkillers with the aim of avoiding the development of stronger postoperative pain and discomfort. A randomised clinical trial showed that giving 600 mg of ibuprofen before an implant procedure significantly reduced pain after implant placement and extended the time until an additional painkiller was first needed, compared with placebo (Pereira et al., 2020).

For more demanding implant procedures at Ortoimplant DENTAL SPA, pain control begins during the procedure itself. Alongside local anaesthetic and analgosedation, the patient also receives analgesic therapy intravenously. In this way we do not begin pain control only once the anaesthetic wears off, but deliver it as part of a complete perioperative protocol.

Analgesic therapy continues after leaving the clinic. We provide the patient with the medicines needed to continue drug therapy at home, along with clear instructions on how to take them. Most often we use ketoprofen or ibuprofen, while for patients in whom these medicines are not indicated a suitable alternative is chosen. We always adapt the choice of painkiller and the way it is taken to the patient’s health status, the extent of the procedure, possible contraindications and the medicines the patient is already taking.

A systematic review and meta-analysis confirm the effectiveness of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in controlling pain after dental implant placement, while stressing that the analgesic protocol should be adapted to each patient and their medical history (Khouly et al., 2021).

Control of postoperative pain and discomfort does not end with drug therapy at our clinic. Alongside medicines, we also control pain and postoperative discomfort with specially designed DENTAL SPA treatments. Immediately after the procedure, hilotherapy, that is controlled cooling of the operated area with Hilotherm masks, and magnetic therapy with torsion fields are particularly important. These procedures are part of our multimodal approach to controlling pain and postoperative discomfort and to supporting recovery after an implant procedure.

• In the first days after the procedure soft food is recommended, as is avoiding hot and carbonated drinks.
• Smoking is not recommended after implant placement because it can adversely affect healing.
• Oral hygiene continues according to the individual postoperative instructions of the clinical team, with careful handling of the treated area.
• Before leaving the clinic we provide the patient with the prescribed therapy to continue at home, including analgesic and antibiotic therapy, as well as an oral hygiene kit. The patient also receives clear individual instructions on taking the therapy, maintaining oral hygiene and postoperative conduct.

Analgosedation: for anxious patients and more demanding procedures

Local anaesthetic controls pain in the treatment area, but it does not necessarily remove fear, tension and anxiety. Analgosedation allows the implant procedure to take place in a state of deep relaxation and increased comfort for the patient. At Ortoimplant DENTAL SPA we use analgosedation for patients with dental anxiety, pronounced fear or phobia, while for more demanding and more extensive implant procedures it is part of our protocol.

The depth of analgosedation is adapted to the patient and the type of procedure. Depending on the level of sedation required, the patient may be relaxed and cooperative, able to hear and follow the clinical team’s instructions, without feeling pain or fear, and may afterwards remember the procedure only partly or not at all. With deeper sedation, particularly during more extensive implant procedures, the patient may sleep through the procedure entirely.

At Ortoimplant DENTAL SPA analgosedation is carried out under the professional supervision of an anaesthesiologist, with continuous monitoring of the patient during the procedure. Ortoimplant DENTAL SPA is registered to provide this service. This approach does not only add to the patient’s comfort, it also gives the clinical team calmer, more precise and safer conditions in which to carry out the procedure.

Scientific evidence supports the use of sedation in implant surgery. A systematic review and meta-analysis showed that sedation during dental implant placement reduces patient anxiety and increases both patient and surgeon satisfaction during the procedure (Pourabbas et al., 2022).

Our approach to recovery

Alongside standard pain control, within the DENTAL SPA concept we use specially selected treatments through which support for recovery after implant placement begins before the procedure itself. DENTAL SPA treatments include lymphatic drainage, ozone therapy, intravenous supplementation with vitamins, minerals and amino acids, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), hilotherapy and magnetic therapy with torsion fields. Depending on the type of treatment, they are used before, during or after the implant procedure to support tissue healing, postoperative recovery and the control of pain, swelling and discomfort.

The DENTAL SPA concept is not a set of isolated add on treatments but an approach designed to support the patient through the different stages of implant treatment. DENTAL SPA treatments are carried out in the pleasant, relaxing setting of the clinic’s separate SPA zone, while patients wait for their procedure in the Zuu Bar, the first dental cafe, which is also the waiting room of Ortoimplant DENTAL SPA. Being physically separate from the clinical area reduces exposure to the characteristic sounds and smells of a dental surgery and contributes to a calmer, more pleasant experience before the procedure itself.

For more demanding implant procedures, analgosedation adds further to the patient’s ease, safety and comfort during the procedure itself. The whole approach is accompanied by individually adapted preoperative and postoperative care, depending on the patient’s health status and on the type and extent of the implant procedure.

If it is fear of pain that has been holding you back from implant treatment, it is worth coming in for a consultation and examination before you decide. Our aim is that, before you make a decision, you understand what to expect during the procedure, how we control pain and discomfort, and how we support your recovery before, during and after implant placement.

Frequently asked questions