There can be few people who will boast that they have never once been fearful of going to dentists. Even if their very first memory as a child visiting the dentist was hearing their drill make that high-pitched whirring noise as they started polishing their teeth, everyone has surely taken pause for thought, and no doubt felt somewhat fearful of what was about to follow.
Sadly, for some, they carry that fear of dental treatment all the way through into adulthood, and to this day, break into a cold sweat at the very mention of a check-up at their dentist. For some, it will still be the noise of the drill, but for others it is pain which they fear most, and that applies whether it is their dentist causing that pain, or any other medical professional for that matter.
This is often one of the reasons cited by some who need some means of replacing teeth, and have considered dental implants, but are afraid of going ahead for fear that they are going to experience severe and long-term pain. Perhaps it is the fact that they know it will involve some minor surgery, or that tiny titanium posts need to be embedded in their jawbone, that they imagine it is all going to be a highly painful experience.
We are not going to pretend that having dental implants fitted is not going to result in some degree of discomfort and possibly some pain. That would be to mislead you, however, what we will say is that the level you experience is almost certainly not going to be as high as you might fear. For one thing each person has a different pain threshold, therefore where we to set any exact level of discomfort or pain, it is not going to apply to everyone.
With dental implants, there are basically three phases to the treatment which are the assessment stage, the surgery to fit your implants, and the recovery period. During the first phase, whilst there might be a degree of prodding and probing around your mouth as your dental consultant assesses the size and shape of your gums, for example, this should not cause you any high degree of discomfort or pain.
The fitting stage and the amount of work required during it will depend very much on the type of dental implants you are having fitted with respect to whether it is one or more teeth or a full implant for both the top and bottom rows. Obviously, the more implants you are having the more surgery that is required, but in all cases, there will need to be a degree of surgery to cut through your gums in order to embed the titanium post or posts in your jawbone.
At this point, your dental consultant will advise as to what options are open to you with regards to an anaesthetic. For some, a local aesthetic that numbs the area around where the surgery will be done is sufficient. However, for anyone who an extreme fear of pain, up to including being phobic, then the option of having a general anaesthetic can be offered. This means that you would be unconscious throughout the surgical process, and obviously feel no pain as it proceeds.
Post-surgery, and as you proceed through the initial recovery period, you may experience anything from slight discomfort to pain, but you will have been prescribed painkillers that are highly effective at minimising dental pain, such as occurs with dental implant surgery. In most cases the discomfort or pain subsides within 2 to 3 days, and whilst you are still considered to be in the healing phase of your treatment, no pain or discomfort should be felt thereafter.
