Is dental implant treatment painful?
This is one of the most common concerns for people thinking about having a dental implant. When carried out by an experienced clinician, most dental implants are very straightforward to place, taking only about ten to fifteen minutes to complete the surgical part of the treatment. However, more complex cases may take longer.
The majority of dental implants are placed under a normal dental local anaesthetic. Though the local anaesthetic injections can sting a little, and most of us have experienced dental injections in our mouth at some time, once you are numb, you will not feel anything sharp or painful at all throughout your treatment. You will feel some pressing and pushing during the procedure as well as some vibration during the drilling stage, but this will not be sharp or painful in any way and your dentist will check to make sure you are completely numb before starting the surgery.
For bigger procedures, such as multiple dental implants or complex cases, sedation can be provided. Sedation is not a general anaesthetic, but makes patients feel very comfortable and relaxed, and they rarely remember much about the procedure afterward which is an advantage for many nervous patients.
The more training and experience the clinician carrying out your dental implant treatment has, the quicker it will be and the more comfortable you are going to be, so make sure you check out your dental implant surgeon thoroughly before starting treatment.
Some links to more information and how to enquire about treatment are below…