Are Dental Implants Painful? By Alex Hecht on May 07, 2021

If you’re missing teeth or your dentures slip and move out of place, you may have considered dental implants for teeth replacement. Dental implants permanently replace the tooth roots with titanium posts that hold individual teeth or full dentures in place. The procedure itself can sound intimidating and potentially painful, but the truth is, the right dentist can make the entire process comfortable.

At Staten Island Aesthetic & Implant Dentist in Staten Island, NY, Drs. Alex Hecht and Jason Hecht are a father-son duo offering contemporary dental procedures. With a combined 40 years of experience, our compassionate team knows how to make sure patients are well cared for and comfortable during all procedures. Most patients experience minimal pain after dental implant surgery.

Anesthesia & Sedation

Local Anesthesia

To keep patients comfortable during implant placement surgery, our dentists use local anesthesia. This medication temporarily creates resistance to pain and other sensations at the site of implant placement. Local anesthesia is an injection into the gum tissue to numb the surrounding areas.

Be aware that chewing your lips or the inside of your cheeks while your mouth is numb can result in wounds. Do not chew or bite your cheeks, lips, or tongue while these areas are numb.

Nitrous Oxide

Nitrous oxide and oral sedation are two needle-free comfort measures available at Staten Island Aesthetic & Implant Dentist. Sedation dentistry can block pain sensations and ease dental anxiety, without putting you to sleep with general anesthesia.

Commonly known as “laughing gas,” nitrous oxide is a colorless gas that is inhaled through a facemask to dull the senses. A mild sedative, the gas creates a sense of calm and can be used for both children and adults. It works rapidly to promote relaxation and reduce anxiety. Laughing gas may be right for you if you want to:

Be less anxious during surgery.
Feel no pain
Still have control over your body
Be able to respond to the doctor’s requests/instructions
Have sedation that works quickly, but also wears off quickly
Drive yourself home after the procedure

Some patients experience short-term, completely reversible side effects, including:

Excessive sweating
Shivering
Nausea
Fatigue
Dizziness

Oral Sedation

In contrast to nitrous oxide, oral sedation is a prescribed pill taken before the dental implant procedure. The medication is usually Valium or a similar product. People metabolize medication differently, but results should be felt in 20 minutes to a few hours.

Oral sedation will dull your thoughts, reactions, ability to feel sensations, and it may make you sleepy. The medication will not induce sleep, but many people fall asleep after taking the pill.

Oral sedation might be right for you if you:

Desire little to no memory of the procedure.
Don’t mind feeling drowsy and super relaxed.
Have someone to drive you to and from the appointment.
Will stay home the remainder of the day until the effects subside.

Oral sedation is innocuous and has minimal side effects. Possible side effects of oral sedation are:

Drowsiness
Dry mouth
Headache
Fogginess
Memory loss

A Comfortable Recovery

Drs. Alex and Jason Hecht will provide instructions and prescriptions to assist your healing process and reduce the potential for pain and complications. Any initial discomfort after your outpatient surgery may be addressed with over-the-counter pain medication, unless your doctor advises differently.