Dental Implant Pain – How Sedation Dentistry Can Help

As you probably already know, dental implants are surgically placed into the jawbone and act as an artificial tooth root. Implants can be used:

• On their own to replace a single missing tooth
• At each end of a gap (left by two or more adjacent missing teeth) to support a dental bridge, or… 
• To replace all of a person’s teeth by supporting a full denture with 4 to 6 implants.

No matter how many teeth are missing and wherever in the mouth, the experienced dentists at Riverlands Dental can, in most cases, provide an implant solution to restore your smile and boost your confidence. 

We’ll be straight with you. 

Modern advances in dental treatments and technologies practically guarantee a painless dental implant procedure but like any surgical procedure, the affected area may feel a little tender and sore for a few days immediately afterwards.

Here at Riverlands Dental, we use the latest digital technologies and treatments to make complex procedures such as dental implants safer and more comfortable for our patients. This includes utilising Nobel Biocare digital dental implants and sedation dentistry where necessary (more about that later). 

Digital dental implants utilise the most advanced dental implant techniques. Just imagine having the freedom to eat all of your favourite foods again and not having to hide your smile behind your hand. Now imagine a digitalised dental implant procedure that provides all of these solutions in a speedy, safe, and precise way. That’s how digital implants can help you.

The dental implant procedure starts with a consultation and digital scan of your mouth. Virtual impressions are more consistent than manual impressions, considerably faster, and more comfortable for patients.

With all the necessary data provided by the 3D scan, our dentists can carry out all of the planning without the need for you to be present. The latest Nobel Clinician software enables our implant dentist to create a virtual treatment environment where he and the team can take control of all the key factors associated with the approach to your implant treatment, the implant system, and the placement before calling you in for surgery. This helps avoid complications or problems that might otherwise occur and avoids long surgery times. 

Once the planning has been carried out, a date will be set for your surgery. Digital implants involve a flap-less procedure which provides the following benefits:

• A shorter surgery time – can be as quick as 20 minutes
• Less discomfort for patients and a faster healing time
• Greater accuracy meaning a perfect bite and enhanced long-term stability
• Computer-guided technology also means that dental implants can sometimes be placed into areas where bone tissue has thinned
• No sutures, less bleeding, and minimal swelling in most cases
• Less dental visits – ideal if you have a busy schedule 

Getting digital implants is similar to having keyhole surgery – only it’s for your teeth. 

Surgery is carried out chair-side and starts with our dentist giving you a local anaesthetic to numb the area where the implant is to be placed. 

With Nobel dental implants, we can print a 3D surgical guide that enables us to accurately drill small holes into the gum and bone. These take into account both the trajectory and the depth of the implant. 

Your implant is then placed precisely into the hole which means less risk of infection (a common cause of dental implant pain and topped with a temporary crown. Once your mouth has healed, you will return to have your permanent crown fitted. 

So hopefully, the above information has helped reassure you that the latest technology can help alleviate any dental implant pain both before and after surgery. 

But what if you still feel anxious about the surgery and would prefer to be unaware of what’s taking place, what then?

Remember we spoke earlier about sedation dentistry? Well, this could be the ideal treatment for you. 

It’s perfectly normal to feel anxious about getting dental implants, after all, it is a complex procedure and does require surgery. Whether you’re worried about dental implant pain during surgery or you simply get stressed before an appointment, sedation can help you overcome these fears and let you get the treatment you want. 

We provide multiple sedation choices, so we can help you get a type that works best for you. These include:

• Oral conscious sedation – a pill that’s taken before your treatment to help you relax
• Nitrous oxide – Rather than relieving your anxiety, breathing in nitrous oxide provides more in the way of pain relief and puts you in a ‘happy place’ where you feel relaxed
• IV sedation – Sedative medicine is delivered directly into your blood and provides the deepest sedation. 

You can read more about sedation dentistry on our ‘sedation dentistry’ page. 

If you’re interested in having the latest digital dental implants, then you can be reassured that we provide multiple solutions to ensure a painless dental implant. Why not book an implant consultation to discuss your best implant solutions today.