We have all experienced toothache at least once in our lives. Be it from biting into something hard, sensitive to hot or cold foods, or simply because the tooth has weakened. The reasons for toothache are aplenty, but the underlying cause is usually unhealthy oral care causing tooth, gum, and jaw diseases.

Symptoms of toothache arising from these conditions can be excruciating. The pain can only appear when the sensitive area is touched or can be sharp, constant, and throbbing in some people. You can also experience swelling around the tooth, fevers, headaches, and a foul smell. In severe cases, you might even feel pain in the ears.

Do Dental Procedures Cause Toothache?

You can also experience toothache after undergoing a dental implant restoration procedure. Fortunately, the pain from such procedures lasts only a few days and then subsides. However, the degree of discomfort varies from person to person depending on their threshold for pain, the location of the implants, and the intensity or invasiveness of the surgery.

What Is A Dental Implant Procedure, And Why Does It Cause Pain?

A dental implant is a replacement for a missing tooth. When you have lost one or more of your teeth and the damage is enough for the whole tooth to be extracted, this procedure is prescribed by a doctor.

The procedure of dental implants includes three components:

• An implant that is inserted into the jawbone.
• A tooth-shaped crown that is custom-made and fitted to the implant.
• An abutment that connects the dental implant and the crown (artificial tooth)

Let’s look at the figure below to understand a dental implant procedure better:

This procedure does not suit everyone. As these implants are permanent replacements for a broken tooth, jaw bone health is important to handle the pressure of the procedure, since the implant is placed inside the jawbone.

What Are The Benefits Of Dental Implants?

Dental implants have several notable benefits – 

• They are more natural looking and comfortable
• They improve the ability to chew
• They are highly successful procedures
• They cause less sensitivity in adjoining teeth and gums
• They are permanent fixtures. Everynight they need not be cleaned nor removed.
• They lower the risk of development of cavities

What Are The Risks Of Dental Implants?

As mentioned above, dental implants are not suitable for everyone. If you suffer any of the following conditions then dental implant might not be considered-

• Acute illnesses
• Infections or bone/tissue disease
• Metabolic diseases

Apart from these conditions, if your history indicates the following issues, dental implant surgery may be rejected by your dentist-

• Heavy smoking
• Tendency to grind or clench teeth often
• Diabetes
• Osteoporosis
• AIDS
• HIV
• Psychiatric disorders

Lastly, you might not be fit for dental implant surgery, if you are undergoing either of the following treatments:

• Radiation therapy of the head or neck
• Chemotherapy
• Bisphosphonate drug treatment to treat bone loss disease

How Should You Manage The Pain Caused By Dental Implants?  

You will likely feel some pain, swelling, soreness, and bleeding after any dental surgery. A dental implant procedure is no different. The good news is that the pain is only temporary. The pain symptoms should subside within a week or ten days.

However, you must follow a few post-surgery care and safety measures to accelerate the healing and ease your pain and discomfort. 

Limit heavy movement and physical activity

Not indulging in any physical activity immediately after your surgery is advisable. It can hinder your healing and cause you a lot of discomfort. To ensure you heal faster and without complications you may get involved in light movements and physical activities such as walking. On the day of your surgery, it is best to rest and relax.

Eat soft foods

Biting or chewing hard foods might cause discomfort and pressure on your jaw and gums. For faster healing, eat soft foods from the side of the mouth opposite where you’ve had your surgery.

Ice pack

Applying ice packs around the painful areas helps reduce the pain caused by implants. The cold compress from ice packs helps reduce the temperature and calm the operated area’s throbbing nerves, soreness, and swelling.

Medications

Your doctor will prescribe painkillers to help you keep the post-surgery pain under control. Taking these painkillers timely and in prescribed dosages will go a long way in helping you manage your pain.

Conclusion
The bottom line is that the pain from dental implant surgery is not as long-lasting as people think it will be. The pain should start to lessen in as few as three days. However, you may report to doctor immediately if the pain subsides even after three days. It could be an infection.

The post How to Manage Pain After an Dental Implant Treatment? appeared first on Eurasian News.