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Drake & Wallace Dentistry

Feel Beaten Up After Dental Implants

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I don’t know if my dentist mislead me or if something went wrong during my dental implant procedure, but I feel like I’ve been battered by a boxer. My dentist said it’s an easy peasy procedure and I’ll be back to work first thing the next morning. I have massive swelling and am in constant pain. Is this okay?

Karen

Dear Karen,

Woman hitting man in jaw wearing boxing glove

What’s Normal After Dental Implants?

I’m terribly sorry you’re in so much pain. I can’t say that’s okay, but I can say the swelling, though not common, happens often enough to be considered a “normal” side-effect. I’m a little concerned your dentist minimized what you’d go through in order to encourage you to get the dental implants.

While most people do fine, it is surgery. Every person’s body responds differently to being cut into. In general, the worst day of pain should be the second. After that, you should see it go down a little day by day. If it doesn’t, it can indicate an infection is developing and you’d need to call your dentist right away.

Aiding Your Dental Implant Healing

Make sure you follow your dentist’s post-operative instructions. It’s also important you take good care of yourself. I know when you’re feeling poorly it’s likely the last thing you think about, but do try to eat and stay hydrated. Your body needs that so it can focus on healing.

Because you’re in pain, it’s okay to take some pain relief. If your dentist didn’t prescribe any, call and let them know what’s going on. You shouldn’t have to suffer through the healing process.

If you are a smoker, it might be a good idea to cut back during this time period. Smoking increases your risk of gum disease and lowers the blood flow in your gums. Both of those things put you at great risk for infection and dental implant failure.

Again, if you don’t see improvement soon, call your dentist and demand to be examined.

This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.

Is It Normal to Look Like a Mugging Victim After Dental Implant Surgery?

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I think something went wrong during my implant surgery but my dentist is acting like everything was normal. During my consultation, he made it sound like this would be easy and I would be back to work the next day. It has been nothing like that. I feel and look like I’ve been beaten up. My jaw is bruised and swollen and I’m bleeding. I’m worried something bad happened and he doesn’t want to fess up. Is there a way to know?

Miranda

Dear Miranda,

A woman with a boxing glove punching a man in a hat.

Well, I’m going to start out with some good news to put your mind at ease. First, you haven’t been physically attacked, though your body has been through trauma. Second, what you’re currently experiencing is considered normal side effects of the dental implant procedure. However, that doesn’t make what you’re dealing with any easier.

It wasn’t fair of your dentist to say you could be back at work the next day. Not only is that unrealistic after any surgery, every patient’s body is different and responds to medical procedures differently. There was no way for him to know how you’d do.

Generally, the second day after the procedure is the worst. You should start to see some improvement by the third day. By better, I don’t mean you feel like your old self, but you should start to see some improvement. For some people, it takes up to two weeks to feel themselves.

How to Know if Your Dental Implant Procedure Went Wonky

The road to improvement goes backward. If instead of feeling better after the third day you start to feel worse, that’s a sign something is wrong.

Signs of Infection. This would include fever and any type of oozing at the implant site. While some bleeding is normal directly after surgery, it should stop after the first couple of days.

If any of these things occur, you need to see your dentist right away. They should fit you in for an emergency appointment. Infection is the leading cause of dental implant failure so you want to be proactive and get it dealt with quickly.

Raising Your Chances For Successful Dental Implants

There are things which can positively affect the outcome of your procedure. The first is to be certain you take all the antibiotics your dentist gave you on schedule. This decreases your chance of infection. If you’re a smoker, it’s vitally important you at least cut back. Ideally, you’d want to quit smoking but I do understand that isn’t something easily done.

There is a real reason to try. Smoking reduces your blood flow which reduces your chances for healing and increases the chances of infection and developing gum disease, both of which can derail your implants.

Finally, make sure you eat and stay hydrated. I know you’re not feeling your best, but your body needs the energy and nutrition to aid your healing.

This blog is brought to you by Drs. Drake and Wallace.